Dovecliff Hall Hotel

I’d heard of the Dovecliff many times as an impressive place to go for a meal, but never actually taken the plunge to go until a few day’s ago. Just outside of Stretton, the Dovecliff Hall Hotel sits in its own substantial grounds, and is accessed by a tree lined lane. The building itself has an impressive grandeur around it, and its feels like you’re going somewhere special. We had gone for lunch, arriving slightly early, we were shown through to our table in an impressive conservatory, with a high ceiling. Bathed in midday light, it had a magnificent view of the garden around, mature cedar trees and lavender lined pathways, idyllic. The tables themselves were large round affairs, lots of space between them, and impeccably laid with silver plated cutlery.
There were two different lunch menus, the standard menu and the Table D’Hote which was a set price for three courses and coffee. We went for the latter, only three choices per course. For starters there was a dish of seared salmon, but my wife went for the slices of melon and I went for the warm courgette and cheese tart, both light dishes, packed with flavour. For mains there was a vegetarian option (aubergine bake), but my wife went for the fillet of rainbow trout on crushed new potatoes and tomatoes, in a light cream sauce, again a dish packed with perfectly complimenting flavours, and perfect for a light lunch. I had the chicken in a barbecue sauce, with polenta wedges and rocket, it was alright, but the barbecue taste dominated. There was a nice pace to the meal, not too rapid, and no inordinate wait, the staff were excellent, unobtrusive, but friendly.
Desserts wise, they were actually more impressive than they sounded on the menu, the chocolate fondant with the poached pears, was lovely, looked heavy, but was surprisingly light. My wife’s red berry parfait with raspberry sauce, was equally light and flavoursome. We retired to the bar area for coffee and petit fours, a good way to end the meal. The Dovecliff does look a bit tired in places, but the standard of the food and the general ambiance is difficult to match; I don’t think it will be long before we return!

This is a stunning venue in Stretton. The staff are friendly, helpful and professional, the food is delicious and they even do afternoon teas! What more could you ask for.