Reviews
The other Balmoral
Combining an Englishwoman's twin passions of shopping and gardening, Peta King takes a regal weekend break in Harrogate
THEY were, perhaps, not the
sort of wildlife we were expecting
to see. Snuffling and
snorting among the trees in
the splendid surroundings of
the Royal Horticultural Society's flagship
gardens in Harrogate are four enormous
Saddleback pigs. Even from a distance
they look huge.
And they're no ordinary swine. These
are the stars of the soap Emmerdale -
the Dingle porkers, Harley, Rosie,
Whizzer and Heidi - who have been
brought to Harlow Carr to clear away an
area of scrub for the planting of the
Trees For Life wood above the lake.
And the pigs are not just doing a great
horticultural job. They're also proving a
huge attraction to the gardens, especially
with children.
As one
young mum,
a regular
visitor, told
us as she
set off
from the
visitor centre
with her
toddler, "Oh,
we know exactly
where we're going -
it's always the pigs first."
Harlow Carr, the RHS's most northerley
garden, is set in 58 acres just to the
south west of Harrogate. With sensational
borders, a wonderful streamside
garden and peaceful wildlife woodlands,
the gardens are one of Yorkshire's most
relaxing locations and an inspiration
whatever the season.
Recent innovations include a redesigned
kitchen garden, a wildflower
meadow and a series of Gardens
Through Time - a tour exploring England's
passion for gardening, from an
18th Century bower to a Diarmuid Gavin
structured showpiece.
And there's a lot more for children,
with an Explorers' Club, family winter
walks and a tree trail designed to encourage
young green fingers.
Harlow Carr runs a range of over 70
courses throughout the year for more
adult gardeners, from garden design,
pruning and propagation, to willow
weaving. Events include theatre performances,
events and guided walks.
And, after all that activity, what could
be nicer than a visit to Bettys Café with
its panoramic view over the lake for afternoon
tea? You'll really feel you've
earned that Fat Rascal.
If you're feeling particularly energetic,
one of the most carbon friendly
ways to get to Harlow Carr from Harrogate
is by the footpath from the Valley
Gardens, a 45-minute walk that will take
you up through the Pine Woods. And you
can always get the bus back to town. The
106 service runs every 20 minutes.
The base for our stay in Harrogate was
the newly-reopened Balmoral Hotel. Perfectly
situated only a few minutes from
the Valley Gardens, all the best shops,
and the town's Conference Centre, The
Balmoral is Harrogate's first independently
owned and run boutique hotel.
Formerly three Victorian town houses,
The Balmoral reopened in the autumn
after being completely redesigned.
Reflecting the building's period heritage,
the hotel now combines classical features
with high-spec modern design.
Dark wood floors, plush velvet carpets
and rugs and an eclectic mix of contemporary
and classic furniture create a
warm and relaxing atmosphere.
The 20 guest rooms and three suites
are stunningly opulent - period features
such as elegant fireplaces, cornices and
deep skirting are offset with bold wallpapers,
jaw-dropping chandeliers and
French-style furniture.
Our suite had beautiful antique furniture,
a four-poster bed, with a mattress
so comfortable we had to pull the sheets
off to look for the label (it's a Sleepeezee)
and a charming turret window giving an
unrivalled view of the town.
All the bathrooms have black marble
walls and black slate floors, the perfect
foil for the Victorian-style white fittings.
The restaurant at The Balmoral is the
Harrogate Grille. Sister to the Hoxton
Grille in London and Room restaurant
in Leeds, the Grille is open all day and offers
everything from breakfast martinis,
through brunch to late-night supper.
Inspired by restaurants in New York
and Paris, the Grille takes classics such
as prawn cocktail, steak and chips and
coq au vin and brings them bang up into
the Noughties.
Intrigued, we ordered the prawn cocktail
- none of your 80s trifle glasses and
soggy iceberg lettuce here, these prawns
were big enough to command their own
platter and came with an avocado sauce
- and my duck confit starter with honey
and orange roast figs was a pretty
grown-up version of this all-time
favourite. Our mains were a wonderfully
warming smoked haddock and clam
chowder and roast seabass with bubble
and squeak and rosemary sauce.
Keeping up the traditional theme, we
shared a new take on Eton Mess and a
platter of local cheese, fruit and biscuits.
This is seriously good food: refreshingly
different and yet comfortingly familiar.
Breakfast was equally as exciting - not
something you can say about a lot of hotels
- from the Grille Fry-Up of bacon,
Gloucester Old Spot sausages, tomato,
fried bread, mushrooms and eggs, to
eggs Benedict, and French toast with
blueberries and maple syrup.
We tried the Bircher muesli. Created
in the late 1800s by Dr Bircher-Benner, a
Swiss pioneer of nutrition, and featured
in Lesley Wild's (of Bettys Cookery
School fame) book, A Year of Family
Recipes, Bircher muesli is a combination
of porridge oats, milk, orange juice, sultanas
and hazelnuts. Eaten cold, it's a
cross between porridge and muesli with
a unique, sharp tang. It'll certainly keep
you going until lunchtime or set you up
for some serious Christmas shopping.
Harrogate has some of the best independent
shops in the region and the
Montpellier Quarter is fast becoming the
place to find that extra special gift. And
for the serious foodie, there's the wonderful
Weetons, dubbed "the farm shop
in the town". The shop stocks over 1,000
lines of the finest Yorkshire produce,
and you can shop online, too.
They might even have Gloucester Old
Spot sausages but not, hopefully,
Saddlebacks.
TRAVEL FACTS
Harlow Carr Gardens, Crag Lane,
Harrogate. 01423-565418
www.rhs.org.uk/harlowcarr
Open all year except Christmas Day,
9.30am-6pm (4pm Nov-Feb).
Adults £6, children 6-16 £2, under 6
free. Carer of a disabled person free.
Events for winter include: Family
quiz trails until Jan 3, 9.30am-3pm;
winter walks Dec 23, Jan 13, 11am
and 2pm.
The Balmoral Hotel, Franklin
Mount, Harrogate 01423-508208
www.balmoralhotel.co.uk
Room rates (room only): single £85,
double/twin £110, superior double
£120, mini suite £150, The Windsor
suite £200.
The Grille Harrogate 01423-565800
www.grillerestaurants.com
A Year of Family Recipes by Lesley
Wild (Bettys & Taylors Group, £25).
Weetons, West Park, Harrogate.
01423-507100 www.weetons.co.uk
10:35am Saturday 15th December 2007
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