Every now and then it’s so nice to simply getaway and our Hampshire weekend break was much needed! An opportunity to get away for a couple of days without kids, housework and the daily grind! We’re just 2 months away from our Wedding – and seeing as we only booked the venue 2 months ago, it’s been a bit of a planning whirlwind. Getting away from it all was just what we needed to recharge and reconnect with each other. The Bourne Valley Inn in Hampshire invited us to experience their traditional pub and B&B nestled in the heart of the Hampshire countryside. It had been in the diary for weeks and each stressful day in the run-up, I could just remind myself that soon we’ll be getting away!
The Bourne Valley Inn is only 5 miles from the Bombay Sapphire Distillery in Laverstoke, so we headed there for a tour first!
Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, these sculptural glasshouses are heated using warm air created during the distilling process
Sustainability is high on the agenda at the Bombay Sapphire Distillery – in fact their efforts have been award-winning. In 2014 they achieved a BREEAM rating (a certificate of sustainability of buildings) and is the only distillery in the world to achieve this. They use botanical bi-products and local wood pellets in a biomass boiler to provides heat and hot water. Solar panels and a hydro-electric turbine in the River Test are just two other methods of neutralising their carbon footprint.
After getting a good look at the stunning glasshouses by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, we headed into the botanical dry room. The various ingredients that go into making Bombay Sapphire where there – although only 3 people in the world know the exact quantities that go into this iconic British gin. We had to smell the contents of 22 glass jars and punch a hole into an ‘aroma map’. This would give us a better idea of the type of gin-based cocktails we’d like the most!
Just some of the ingredients that go into Bombay Sapphire
If you go to visit the Bombay Sapphire distillery (and you really should), do give enough time at the end to have a cocktail. It’s included in your ticket and on a busy day you can wait around 40 minutes to get a drink – it is worth it when it arrives though! They do have really cute G&T takeaway packs for those driving too.
We then headed straight over to The Bourne Valley Inn to check-in and take a look around…
Our room had a lovely cottage feel with a contemporary finish. Panelled walls and wallpaper in neutral tones gave our Bourne Valley Inn room that cosy home-from-home feeling you won’t get in those large chain hotels. The lighting and vintage furniture gives a mid-century modern feel to the room and the tartan cushion and blind fabric reminds you that you’re on a countryside Hampshire weekend break! After taking a few pics and leaving our bags, we headed off for a walk to work up an appetite.
There’s a couple of streams at the bottom of The Bourne Valley Inn garden and if you cross over the bridge you’re on a footpath which takes you on a picturesque walk through the Hampshire countryside. Although it was overcast, it was dry and we didn’t need our wellies which we take everywhere in the boot of the car! It’s the ideal place to stay over if you have a dog too – beautiful long walks and the BVI is pooch-friendly. They even have a doggy beer on sale in the bar so you can share the experience.
After our walk we were definitely ready for a G&T (Bombay Sapphire – naturally) in the comfy bar lounge. Large leather armchairs by a cosy fireplace made me wish it was winter as I love curling up by an open fire! We brought a change of clothes for the evening meal, but the BVI is so chilled out that I just changed out of my sneakers in the end.
When we first walked into the Bourney Valley Inn restaurant, the cheese board immediately caught my eye. For someone who has been on a Wedding diet for the last two months, it was a glorious sight. We then decided to scrap the diet for one night and just relax and enjoy…
Twice baked old Winchester soufflé, mushroom a la grecque
Laverstoke farm mozzarella, IOW tomatoes & nasturtium pesto
To start, I went for the local mozzarella – there’s a buffalo farm just down the road and so I couldn’t not try it. I wasn’t disappointed, it was the freshest and tastiest mozzarella I’d ever had. The Isle of Wight tomatoes were ever-so-slightly sun-ripened and deliciously sweet, the crisp bread gave texture and I seriously could have eaten another serving of this! K had the soufflé which was recommended by our waitress and he loved it too.
For our diet, we’ve been eating a lot of vegetarian dishes and the occasional fish and chicken. Lamb is my favourite meat and I was so happy that it was on the menu…. it was a.m.a.z.i.n.g. Juicy tender lamb full of flavour and with such tasty wild mushrooms too. K had the fish from the daily specials board and ate it so quickly that I didn’t even get a chance to taste some!
Pan fried trout with Jersey royals, samphire, sauce vierge & shrimps
Duo of lamb, layered potato, crushed peas, wild mushrooms & asparagus with naveran sauce
Rhubarb panna cotta
English cheeseboard, homemade chutney & crackers
Did I mention the cheeseboard? It includes some of the finest British cheese including an award-winner by Alex James. It was the perfect finish to our meal – especially if, like me, you don’t have a huge sweet tooth. There are some delicious-looking sweet desserts too though including this rhubarb panna cotta that K devoured!
After a baileys, we had one of the best night’s sleep we’d had in ages. Crisp Feather & Black bedding and the pin-drop silence of the countryside (plus no toddler demanding milk at 5am) meant that we awoke feeling fresh and ready for another adventure in Hampshire the following day. We were both still quite stuffed from our dinner the previous evening, so we chilled in our room with a cuppa and magazines before heading down for breakfast.
And I’m so glad we waited as breakfast was delicious too and the coffee was perfect. We ended up skipping lunch that day as the Bourne Valley Inn breakfast had set us up so well! Afterwards we headed to nearby Basingstoke to the National Trust Vyne Estate – A Tudor palace set in 1,500 acres of outdoor space. It was such an interesting place to visit and so inspiring to my architect partner and myself that it warrants a blog post in itself!
A huge thank you to the staff at The Bourne Valley Inn for taking such good care of us during our stay! It really is a gem and an ideal Hampshire weekend break getaway.
Natalia xo
