The Bath Priory

My advice to you if you're looking for a nice afternoon tea in Bath is this: go around to some of the local independent bakeries and cafes and pick up everything you might like (some nice scones, biscuits, sandwiches, etc.; you could even get all of this at Waitrose or M&S), then head over to Tea In The Gardens (a coffee stand located at the Botanical Gardens in Royal Victoria Park), order a tea, and have a picnic outside. You could also bring tea/coffee from home and do this anywhere in the city really: the Royal Crescent, Sydney Gardens, Henrietta Park, Norfolk Crescent, Green Park, the Parade Gardens...

Any of which would be a nicer experience than The Bath Priory.

The staff here was rude from start to finish: we were openly snickered at multiple times, we were made fun of for our accents, we were blatantly ignored every time we tried to ask for the bill. When we had finally paid - after they accused me of my card not working (it was their wifi; we watched them accuse another table before us of the same thing) - we asked if we could walk the grounds like so many other people had: we were laughed at. Literally, just a chuckle from the host as they handed me my card and walked away.

While I appreciate that they offer both a vegetarian afternoon tea menu AND a vegan afternoon tea menu (book ahead for those), we were left underwhelmed by the former option. There was nothing special about the cheese and pickle, egg mayonnaise, cucumber and crème fraiche, or tomato and balsamic sandwiches (any of which I could have gotten better elsewhere). The scones were overbaked and stodgy. The mango choux had an unpleasant aftertaste. The macrons were flavorless. We both agreed the seasonal strawberry tart was the most delicious and vibrant thing on the tower, but everything else - especially given that it was £48 per person - left *a lot* to be desired.

Finally, while the tea options are extensive and supposedly unlimited... we never received more than our one tiny pot despite asking.

This, for me, is a hard pass.

We had a very mediocre meal in the Pantry. The food was not well prepared and underwhelming. The pickled mackerel starter had only a very light vinegar tang and the pearl barley base was bland. The tagliatelle main was also lacking in flavour. The pasta was over cooked and claggy.

They forgot our dessert.

Service was spotty as well.

On a trip to Bath last weekend we decided to treat ourselves to afternoon tea at this hotel. Before we even got there we were thinking it must be fancy, the taxi driver said it was the 'poshest place in Bath'.....

Anyway it is a beautiful manor house type hotel with wonderful artwork on the walls, and very comfortable furnishings. The grounds to the rear are also suitable for a stroll after gourging oneself on cakes and finger sandwiches.

We opted for the champagne afternoon tea and on general it did not dissapont. The sandwiches were tasty, and had good fillings. The cakes were yum, and the scones were reasonable. The teas on offer were good, and the ones we chose were very good. The Darjeeling and Lapsung (very smokey) the standouts.

On the downside, there was a small bone in one chicken sandwich, the tea was in ceramic pots and not silver service, and the scones were only okay!

Not as good as the afternoon tea in the Merrion in Dublin, who go the extra lenght, but is unfortunately very, very expensive.

We spend a long weekend recently at the Bath Priory for my wife's birthday (a very significant, multiple-of-10 birthday...)

It was amazing. We had dinner in the restaurant our first night and everything was perfect. My wife was pregnant, and they were very accommodating with the menu non-alcoholic but interesting cocktails. Meanwhile I found a bottle on the extensive wine list that did the trick. The food was fantastic.

The next day my wife went for a "maternity" massage and she love it. Afterwards we sat in the indoor pool overlooking the countryside. The grounds are beautiful and worth wandering around, even in frigid mid-December when we were there.

We availed ourselves of the inviting drawing room each evening to unwind and enjoy the fire. At one point, I tried to avail myself of a Lagavulin at what I thought was an honesty bar, but turns out Lagavulin availing is only available through the server...

Overall the service was terrific, but to be clear it was not an inexpensive weekend (hence the 4 stars). I paid for one of the "nicer" rooms which was beautiful and comfortable, but not particularly big or impressive.

I would definitely stay here again, but for our next visit I think we'll probably try the other Relais & Chateaux place in Bath (Royal Crescent) which is a bit more central.

Where do I start? Everything was over the top WONDERFUL.

Before I arrived, the staff helped guide us to their location (GPS was adamant on not rerouting), which lasted for 15-20 minutes. Upon arrival, a staff member greeted me as soon as the car door closed. I was immediately escorted with a tiny tour of the hotel, and shown the room. No paperwork, no painful sign in.

Room was smartly and traditionally appointed. I stayed in the Africa room, which turned out to be very comfy and nice. No heavy, gaudy decor. Clean with comfortable amenities. Bottled water and whole fruit were nice touches.
View of the garden were stunning. Also nice place to have a friend or 3 over for a chat or games in the sitting area of the room. The only negative is because the room has hardwood floors, I felt like my neighbor could hear me walk, as well as hear me open and close my door to my room.

I immediately fell in love with the drawing room. A fantasy come true space, where I could pretend I am British royalty and enjoy the Ruinart Champagne.

Dinner was when I decided I wanted it- with no reservations needed. Simply walk out to the patio and enjoy the summer, gardens, stars and divinity of excellent food, presentation, portion size and service. On a side note, I felt like the guests staying in the rooms behind the patio could hear my dinner conversation/discussion.

Gym- excellent variety of well maintained machines and clean.

Breakfast was lovely- fresh baked croissants, espresso coffees with fresh squeezed sweet orange juice. I got a window seat with view of the gardens and hot air balloons off in the distance.

With a 2 night stay, I felt slightly enclosed in and had to concentrate on keeping my space private. It seemed like you couldn't speak too freely, because somebody could be outside your window admiring the flowers and accidentally get an earful. Maybe it was the hardwood floors in the room where sound resonances? Adding in my dinner experience, this could be why I feel this way. However, this is part of the "homey/family" feel and should not be changed.

Service was excellent. I asked to have my room serviced, but was told the maids had gone home. However when I returned back to the room, it was alllllll clean!! Did some of the garden gnomes clean it? Nonetheless, this hotel rates 5 stars on every aspect. By the way, did I mention how much I loved the drawing room? And how pretty the garden was?

Didn't have tea or use the spa. Next trip!

What to do when you need a weekend away from it all and everything seems to be against you? The impeding ash cloud prevents you from going abroad and you won't have much sun in the UK either as the weather forecast predicts rain, rain and more rain.


Thank god there is beautiful Bath, which offers you both, rural and city life (meaning if it rains you can go shopping :) ) and of course a huge quantity of spas.
The Royal Crescent in Bath


After a rather unpleasant stay at the Hilton in Bath and some bad food at the Olive Tree, we were lucky to discover The Bath Priory Hotel and Restaurant. This really is an oasis of calm, beauty and good food.


Before you are getting too excited and start booking your next weekend away, let me introduce you to the major disadvantage first: the price. We are talking very special weekend away here. (unless of course you are an investment banker or married to one)


The Bath Priory Hotel ticked a lot of boxes for me. Member of the Relais & Chateux group, you do get what you pay for. The service is immaculate even though I found it hilarious that the people working there were trying to imitate a French accent, but well, this might be required by Relais & Chateux, who knows.


The hotel from the street side. It's prettier from the garden side though.


The rooms are generous and charming with a lot of attention to detail (with Molton Brown products sometimes I am so easy to please). I loved the beautiful, big garden with mature trees and a vast selection of marvelous flowers, most of which I have never seen before.


One day we just hung out in the nice spa with sauna, steam room and pool while it was raining outside. The massage there was amongst the best we had ever had. Adding to the immediate relaxation is the fact that you have chick magazines lying around everywhere. My intentions were so good, but in the end the Herald Tribune, The New York Review of Books and the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro remained unread while I educated myself with Psychology, Vogue and Glamour. I might have even read Heat Magazine


Breakfast with fruit, French cheeses and delicious Eggs Benedict. You have to imagine them, they were gone before I could take a picture.


But of course I am a food blog and so let's start on the delicious dinner I had at the Bath Priory Restaurant. Executive head chef is Michael Caines who holds two Michelin stars at the Bath Priory sister hotel Gidleigh Park in Devon. The actual cooking is done by head chef Sam Moody, who is not only a young and very talented chef but also a lovely guy. I really liked the fact that he was asking the diners for their opinion on the food. Not that there was much to fault


I think it is 68 pounds for 3 courses, in our case it was included in the weekend package.


We loved the first pre-starter. The Foie Gras (or duck liver) parfait was heavenly and smooth. Also nice but less memorable was the rice ball. The second pre-starter came as an espresso cup of warming and comforting soup (I think it was potato?)


Possibly my most favourite dish of the evening was the Morel and Broad Bean Risotto. Moist and creamy, perfectly cooked rice with the delicious morel flavour was topped with generous parmesan shavings and tasted like summer on a plate. The dish was perfect without truffles, and even more so with them


Usually not a big fan of lobster, I really enjoyed the Ravioli of Cornish Lobster. The pasta was al dente , the filling generous on the lobster and the lobster bisque beautifully united the flavours of the sea.


One of the best duck dishes I have eaten in a long time was the perfectly prepared Slow cooked breast of Creedy Carver Duckling. What an ingenious idea to combine orange puree with anise sauce. I had one of my 'I really want to lick this plate' moments.


For me maybe the least convincing of all the dishes was the Loin of Local lamb. Even though it was nicely prepared it didn't fully deliver the bold flavours common to the other dishes.


Dessert time! With rhubarb being in season there was no way around the Plate of Rhubarb. 4 different ways to prepare rhubarb on one plate is heaven and I very much enjoyed the different textures and flavours and the fact that it was a very non-sweet dessert. The winner of course was the rhubarb crumble (it should have been 3 times the size) but I also savoured the rhubarb and custard and the tangy sorbet.


We then selected 6 cheeses from the very attractive and generous cheese board. They all were good but I just love my Stinking Bishop!


Good to know that there is excellent dining outside of London!


For pictures and more please refer to
http://hungryinlondon.com/2011/06/the-bath-priory-a-romantic-escape-in-bath/

Beautiful property and garden area behind it. Excellent staff all around. Kind and gracious front desk and valets. Great food too and helpful staff. Would certainly stay again and recommend to friends.

special night out was just that for my Birthday. Three courses early dinner, wine and water and service £125 for the two of us, and worth every penny. Their website shows early special which suited us for timing on a work night. Flavours were amazing, and beautifully presented. A cut above the rest.


Posh nosh with a special touch, including a full description on serving.


mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm very nice!

Never stayed here - but have lunched on a few occasions. Excellent food in a wonderful country house environment. This hotel exudes class and is within 20 mins walk to the centre of Bath. However, if you can afford to stay here, you probably don't have to do much walking

Good changes since Michael Caines became executive chef. Good flavours and they certainly know how to source the produce.