So today we’re heading into the beautiful Surrey Hills for a real treat. We’re visiting Beaverbrook for a stunning alfresco Japanese lunch in one of their static hot air balloons. It’s time to celebrate the Summer of Love in the sunshine.
This elegant English country house estate is set deep in the countryside with fabulous verdant views, yet it’s only a short drive from central London (and an ever shorter one from my house). Lucky me. Six balloons sit majestically around the pond in the Italian garden, a striking sight with their colourful heart design as we approach up the grandeur of the driveway. This year Beaverbrook is working in partnership with luxury table dressers Summerhill and Bishop and this is their signature heart motif, the ‘Queen of Hearts’. So stunning and guaranteed to bring a smile to every face – love is certainly in the air!
The Queen of Hearts design is carried through the table settings, coasters, napkins and cushions. A spectacular place to have lunch.
And what a spectacular lunch too. The Japanese feast starts with a beef tartar, delievered in stacked boxes and wrapped in a heart napkin. A tasty gift to unwrap.
The dry-aged beef tartar is topped with Antonius caviar which needs to be stirred through with the marble spoon. The delectable mix is then spread on the tastiest rice cracker I’ve ever laid eyes on and topped with one of the vibrant nasturtiums. The most heavenly starter ever? Quite possibly.
The next exotic and extravagant course is the lobster sashimi served with tomato ponzu and sea vegetables. Beautifully light and fresh and packed with summery flavours.
The main course is somethinig of a spectacle. It’s called Yakinuki which literally means grilled meat in Japanese. To get started, little Japanese-style barbecues are delivered to the table for us to cook our own delicacies. I love a barbecue and this mini alfresco grill-your-own celebration makes me very, very happy.
The Yakiniku basket is packed with some of the best meat and fish I’ve ever had the privilege of eating. There’s Kobe beef, AS Wagu, Iberico pork, dry-aged O-Toro tuna and Japanese red bream. There’s also a selection of seasonal vegetables to barbecue including courgettes and their flowers, mushrooms and leeks.
Even the rice is exciting – sticky rice covered with umami-packed bonita flakes and an egg yolk to break into it. There was also a selection of sauces to dip your self-cooked morsel into it. It all felt like such a ceremony and the quality of that meat! My absolute dream lunch and settings don’t get much dreamier either.
Time for dessert and it’s double the love with this delicate rose moussse with raspberry and calamansi served atop a colourful plate. There’s also a gelato cart, the perfect way to finish off the perfect lunch (yes two puddings) in the brilliant blues and greens of an idyllic English summer’s day.
Today’s Full Facts
This incredible lunch experience is £245. And I can’t recommend it highly enough. Go on, treat yourself. After all the Summer of Love doesn’t happen every year.
Beaverbrook’s most famous resident, Lord Beaverbrook hosted many powerful people here in his time and the hotel’s rooms are named after some of them. Think Winston Churchill, Elizabeth Taylor and the Kennedys. As well as 18 rooms in the main house, guests can choose to stay in the Garden House or Coach House.
As well as the restaurant and balloons, facilities include a bar, library, morning room, cinema, pool, and gym. There’s also a rather splendid-looking golf course.
Beaverbrook is at Reigate Road, Leatherhead, Surrey.
