Michael Edwards discovers that Shepherd’s Huts have come a long, long way at The Fish Hotel.
Gabriel Oak, Thomas Hardy’s lowly shepherd, wouldn’t recognise the Shepherds’ Huts at The Fish, Broadway.
These Hideaway Huts, on the snowdrop and daffodil covered slopes of Worcestershire’s Fish Hill, combine two huts to create luxurious space. If Gabriel Oak had enjoyed underfloor heating and chilled fresh milk for his Nespresso coffee maker English Literature may have been different.
Cosily relaxing in front of his wall-mounted television – presumably watching One Man and his Dog – after a languorous deep soak in his roll-top bath with Temple Spa toiletries, Gabriel may have been tempted to leave his sheep to their own devices and never have met the love of his life, Bathsheba Everdene.
The huts on Fish Hill have one great similarity to Gabriel Oak’s life, they too are Far from the Madding Crowd. Set within the 500 acres of the rolling Farncombe Estate, The Fish Hotel is a tranquil escape where deer roam. Almost as peaceful as it was in long gone medieval days when monks fished ponds, on Fish Hill, for their supper.
Even David Cameron’s Shepherd’s Hut – purchased as a base for writing his memoirs – may not have had both bath and shower room, as well as a hot-tub for two in a secluded garden. It’s doubtful whether he had access to a QR code menu leading to SamCam delivering hut service food and drinks.
Hopefully, Prince George’s Shepherd’s Hut, a present for his first birthday, didn’t follow The Fish Hotel’s example of having a mini bar with complimentary lager and vodka cocktails.
For city-dwellers fleeing to the countryside for a rustic recharge, the Fish provides choice: rooms in cottages, shepherds’ huts and tree houses. Titania, Fairy, Snug and Bottom, plus many more huts named after Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream characters make for a magical escape. Fairly light arches welcome guests to this enchanted woodland.
Though Boaty McBoatface, another shepherd’s hut overlooking a pond, with its own boat to escape to a tiny mid-pond island, is a nautical outlier.
Nor would Gabriel Oak have enjoyed high-quality cuisine on his doorstep. Martin Burge, formerly chef of the two Michelin star Whatley Manor, has brought his expertise and creativity to Hook. An open-kitchen restaurant that specialises in fish. From the seaweed butter, through oysters to the daily fish-of-the-day-dish, with frequent deliveries from Cornish day boat catches, the restaurant could be within ear shot of crashing Atlantic rollers. Rather than the flap of buzzards’ wings and squirrels racing through beech and oak trees.
Burge builds the Cornish-fishing-boat-harbour-scenario with inspired touches. A crab parfait is cradled within a silver crab’s claws, subtle flecks of seaweed on fries give the merest hint of crabbing and beach walks. Though the chef scours the world for inspiration.
A light, crisp and golden crumb on a haddock schnitzel, Vienna-meets-Brixham-meets-the-Cotswolds, allows the fish’s natural flavour to shine. Could this be the end of the pier for batter recipes? Whilst the fish-of-the-day recipe drops in on Italy for pasta, before heading further east for the spices to produce chilli-prawn-tagliatelle.
Then Burge gets to work on the traditional steamed treacle pudding. It seems as if the pudding has been marinated in lemon, before dousing with Grand Mariner custard. If only school cooks had access to a Nebuchadnezzar of Grand Marnier, post-lunch lessons may have gone with more of a swing …
All of this, plus a vegan menu, is served in the long-timbered lodge, where the owning Sorenson family has distilled the hygge spirit: 360° fireplaces, countless sofas, herringbone throws, a plethora of cushions – all lit by soft pools of light.
Yet, hopefully, Gabriel Oak’s inner shepherd, would be eager to get outside to the slopes where rabbits run and robins guard their territory. An irresistibly photogenic boot room equips visitors for the great outdoors, with maps that begin with a gentle nature trail, of little more than a mile, through the estate.
More demanding is a circular stroll into Broadway with its two museums, a yomp to the 18th century folly of Broadway Tower giving views over 16 counties or a walking tour around Chipping Campden. Guests can fully equip themselves with boots, a bag of treats and a bottle of water.
Dogs are welcome. Pick up balls to be fetched and towels for drying canine friends. Outside there’s a bath and pet shampoo. Plus, dogs are served with a sausage for breakfast, to power them round the eight-obstacle agility course.
At The Fish Hotel guests can live out their rustic idylls with axe-throwing, duck-herding, contemporary indulgence, all warmly wrapped with stylish Scandinavian hygge.
Tell Me More About Staying at The Fish Hotel
The Fish Hotel, Farncombe, Broadway Worcestershire WR12 7LH
T: 01386 858000 E: reception@thefishhotel.co.uk
Rooms at The Fish Hotel start from £275 bed and breakfast for a double per night. Hilly Huts B and B begin at £375 whilst Hideaway Huts, again for B and B start at £475. A treehouse, which sleeps four, starts from £695.
