THE TOWNHOUSE: STRATFORD UPON AVON

12/08/17

By Beth

WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT:

To stay in cosy rooms
For the central location opposite Shakespeare's School
Enjoy a drink in the bustling bar
Take in the quirky decor details

DESTINATION:

Stratford-upon-Avon is a picturesque and historic town and of course is well known for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare. The Townhouse is situated in a great spot in the town on a pretty street opposite Shakespeare's school. It is a hotel, restaurant and bar and my Mum and I were visiting to indulge in all of those things. One thing to note is there is no parking but the hotel does offer a good reduced rate in the nearby NCP car park and that's where we parked for the evening.

DECOR:

I liked the fact that The Townhouse was a mixture of both the modern and the old. The building is 400 years old, and is actually Grade II listed, and the interiors in the restaurant and bar areas are classic with a mixture of blues, greens and reds with antique chairs and cosy upholstered booths. I liked the touches of detail such as the gallery wall displays, bookshelves filled with various decorative objects, books and pottery and the framed Shakespeare quotes dotted around the walls.

The bedrooms continued a modern classic theme but with added pops of colour, statement wallpaper, bold lighting and personal Nespresso machines. Our room had a lovely blue and yellow theme and we very much enjoyed the window seat looking out at passer's by.

DINING:

We were booked in for both dinner and breakfast at The Townhouse.

DINNER:

It was our first night of four nights away so we indulgently ordered a bottle of prosecco which arrived as it should in a nice ice bucket at the side of our table. We went in for the full three courses and here is what we ordered:

Starters: Pan Fried Scallops, Broad Beans, Chorizo & Sweetcorn Puree (£9.50) and Warm Salad of Ham Hock, Green Beans, Pea Shoots & Crispy Truffled Egg (£7)

Main: Roasted Gressingham Duck Breast, Grilled Peach, Asparagus, Mash Potato (£18) and Roast Rump of Lamb, Broccoli, Pickled Red Cabbage & a Light Tomato Vinaigrette (£18.25)

Dessert: Vanilla Creme Brûlée with Shortbread (£6) and Farmhouse British Cheese Plate (£8.50)

The highlights of the dinner were definitely the mains - the lamb was cooked perfectly, and the side of mash which I ordered with it was delightfully creamy and smooth, and the duck worked well with the juicy peach.

The scallop starter was unfortunately pretty disappointing as the scallops themselves arrived quite charred and the sweetcorn puree was actually peas and corn. The dish really lacked a sauce, and I imagine the advertised puree would have fixed that problem. The crispy truffled egg was however a delight with a soft gooey yolk and crispy panko breadcrumb.

BREAKFAST:

I ordered a cooked breakfast and my Mum went off menu and chose scrambled egg with smoked salmon. The cooked breakfast was very good with nice sausage, which is always a stickler for me, and the eggs were perfectly creamy but the salmon was just okay. One thing that let the breakfast as a whole down was the choice of cereals and fruit and it would definitely benefit from a more considered choice there.

DEBRIEF:

We enjoyed our stay at The Townhouse. The room was a good size and I liked the attention to detail with the decor throughout. The service was very attentive and it was the perfect location for exploring Stratford-upon-Avon.