Bovey Castle Hotel and Spa , Dartmoor, Devon
Dartmoor National Park is an incredible area of natural beauty and heritage, set in the heart of south west England. Long regarded as an area of mystery and legend, Dartmoor holds a particular place in the English national psyche. Dartmoor has been the inspiration for many novels, most notably Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles, which still captivates readers to this day.
The landscape is dramatic, even epic, in its wide open spaces, moorland, woodlands and rivers. The granite tors stand proud against the skyline and the flora and fauna of the moors is sure to delight anyone with an interest in wildlife and the countryside.
Located in the heart of the moor is the 5 Star country house Bovey Castle Hotel and Spa cushioned in amongst 275 acres of magnificent countryside and undulating valleys. The Bovey Experience starts as soon as you approach the hotel along the mile – long drive, which parts the last couple of holes of the impressive golf course. The Hotel reveals itself to you from behind ancient trees with the rising hills of Dartmoor as a backdrop. When you come down the drive, you definitely get that WoW factor!
The Bovey boasts 60 magnificent individually designed bedrooms and 22 self-catering country lodges, scattered across the estate. It also has two stunning restaurants which offers a wide selection of dining choices. Guests can choose fine dining in the Great Western Grill or select their meals from the classic British menu offered in the Smith’s Brasserie.
I went for a pre-dinner walk around part of the grounds down by the impressive looking lodges and came across the croquet lawn, tennis courts & driving range. The exterior of the hotel is breath taking whilst its interior offers the perfect blend of old and new with gorgeous period features including mullioned windows, oak panelling, and huge stone fireplaces.
The views over the hotel’s beautiful grounds and surrounding moorland were spectacular. At night, with the windows slightly ajar, you could hear the sound of owls hooting in the distance and the `dawn chorus’ was just awesome.
As I sat in the lounge bar waiting for our evening meal, I heard a pianist playing a whole host of tunes, which continued throughout our meal, setting the tone for a wonderful evening. I noticed two cabinets containing a selection of 60 different single malts, including one from 1943 at over £300 a dram!
The restaurants have two very different personalities, so as we were lucky enough to be staying for two nights we tried both. The hotel is enormously proud of its history and heritage, and this is reflected in the names of its restaurants.
Bovey Castle began life as a private house in 1890 when William Henry Smith (W H Smith – the High Street retailer) purchased 5,000 acres of land from the Earl of Devon, who had owned the estate for the previous five centuries. Smith’s Brasserie is named in honour of its famous past owner.
Once upon a time Bovey Castle was also owned by the glorious Great Western Railway, who were the first owners to open Bovey Castle as a golfing hotel in 1930. The Manor House was built in a lavish neo-Elizabethan style. The interior boasted a Jacobean style staircase, plaster ceilings, an oak panelled dining room, open fireplace with a carved stone chimney and an Adam drawing room. From 1946 to 1983, it was returned to the Great Western Railway and re-opened as a hotel. It then changed owners again in 1991 when considerable expansion took place, and the golf course became a top priority. The 18-hole championship course is today one of England’s finest.
The Manor House became Bovey Castle in 2003 & 22 estate lodges, a second restaurant, `Smith’s Brasserie’, spa & pool were added, with further refurbishments of the bedrooms undertaken in 2008. In 2015 another major refurbishment of the hotel began with a revamping of the public areas and of the two restaurants. Two years later a huge mission to create sixty quality en-suite bedrooms was completed.
In August 2016 Bovey Castle was awarded 5 stars by the AA for its culinary excellence. The Great Western Grill is both formal & sophisticated yet relaxed & comfortable. The Smith’s Brasserie is a lot more informal and brighter with large windows looking out across the terraces towards the golf course & the rolling hills of Dartmoor.
The most recent developments to have taken place at Bovey Castle is the £1.2m refurbishment of the Great Western Grill which recently reopened in June 2023 after a hiatus of three years. The newly refurbished 3AA Rosette restaurant also includes a new Champagne and Oyster Bar. Devonshire born Mark Budd has been Head Chef at Bovey Castle since April 2015. Mark has worked as Head Chef at some of the finest hotel restaurants in the world & has even cooked for the Royal Family & superstar singer Elton John!
“I grew up just down the road in Totnes and it’s always been my ambition to one day return to Devon and become Head Chef at Bovey Castle,”
Mark Budd – Head Chef
Mark has overseen & managed the installation of a brand-new restaurant kitchen including a top of the range Charvet cooking suite with full-induction multi-pan zones, steel planchas, ovens, fryers & chargrills. Assistant Head Chef Simon Parnell and his kitchen team were providing the food delights during the period of my stay.
“At the Great Western you can expect good honest food, well-executed, simply garnished. We’re all about the best produce and using the best ingredients which are sustainable and locally-sourced. Devon’s a hotbed for that so we strive to bring in as much from the local region and estate to showcase the best of British. I’m a big advocate for our cuisine”
Mark Budd – Head Chef
The hotel calls it ‘exclusive dining’ with its origins firmly rooted in classical cookery, recalling the charm of the restaurant’s Art Deco origins and treasured recollections of a previous age. The classic setting offers up the opportunity for diners to dress up for an evening of marvellous food and wine.
“We are really excited to be opening The Great Western Grill at Bovey Castle and can’t wait for people to come and see the new look. We pride ourselves on providing local, sustainable, and delicious food which showcases the best of British and demonstrates the skills and the knowledge of our talented kitchen, food and beverage teams.
Dean Gunston – General Manager – Bovey Castle Hotel & Spa
All of the dishes served to our table were beautifully presented, using whenever possible locally sourced ingredients. The food, wine and exclusive service made for a glorious evening to remember. The Great Western Grill comes complete with glass chandeliers, freshly ironed table cloths and a waiter to offer advice, explain the detail within the menu and ensure our wine glasses were topped up! I found the service and hospitality to be exceptional.
Amuse Bouche: Truffle & Parmesan cheese puff rolls
A delightful way in which to start our meal with a couple of savoury bites.
Starters:
Feuillette of braised ceps and poached quail eggs, herb butter sauce & summer truffle
The layers of puff pastry which made up the Feuillette combined well with the penny bun ceps & herb butter & truffle sauce. A gastronomic delight!
Plymouth gin cured Chalk Farm sea trout, horseradish, fennel & celeriac
A beautifully delicate starter complemented by the slight liquorice of the Fennel & spicy heat of the horseradish.
Mains:
Half grilled native lobster, Chardonnay hollandaise, saffron linguini & bitter leaf salad
The luxury of freshly cooked lobster accompanied with Chardonnay hollandaise & saffron linguini is simply a lobster dish made in heaven. It looked great too!
Rare breed pork belly, Bramley apple, young vegetables & pigs tail sauce
The rolled rare breed pork belly was superb! The pigs tail sauce made the meal, it was simply delicious!
Desserts:
Warm Valrhona Guanaja dark chocolate fondant with white chocolate sorbet
I could not decide on a dessert, so I went with our table waiter’s recommendation & I did not regret that decision. Valrhona is simply the best quality chocolate, warmed up & served with a white chocolate fondant and I was in Chocolate heaven. Divine!
A selection of French & British cheeses & bread rolls paired with chutney, grapes, celery, Eccles cakes & truffle honey – Neufchâtel, Swiss Mountain Cheese, Goats cheese, Pont-l’Évêque & Bordeaux Bleu. The restaurant manager recommended the cheese board & pairings which my wife & I loved. I would usually be thinking about pairing wines with cheese but from now on will be considering my cheese pairings with small fruits & vegetables. My dinner parties will never be the same again!
Breakfast included a wide selection of juices, toast & pastries, yogurts, continental meats, porridge, poached apricots, croissants, fruit salad, berries & pineapple! Eggs benedict, Smoked salmon, crushed avocado, English muffin & French toasts & lots more! And as much Tea & Coffee as you can manage!
My wife & I opted for the following from a very extensive breakfast menu.
I opted for the Full English traditional breakfast. Grilled back bacon, Old English sausage, hash browns, vine tomatoes & two William`s Farm free range eggs, cooked to your liking, poached for me! My wife opted for the American pancakes, smoked streaky bacon, & maple syrup
Breakfast on both mornings was efficient and nourishing. It was well worth getting up for! I was welcomed, on every occasion by the friendly staff with a smile & warm greeting. A comprehensive buffet selection of continental items was always on display and `a la carte menu’ for the hot breakfast service.
The restaurant setting is outstanding and the building itself ticks all of the boxes for grandeur, opulence & splendour. The food, drink and table service were of an exceptional standard, what you would expect from a five star hotel & restaurant. Our dining experience in both restaurants was excellent with highly trained serving staff who were attentive but not obtrusive!
The Hotel & Restaurants ticks all of the boxes for grandeur, opulence, and splendour. The quality of food, drink and hospitality are of an exceptional standard.
The Great Western Grill must rank as one of the finest hotel restaurants in the country & deserves the increasing number of positive accolades it has received. I am already looking forward to my next visit!
Dartmoor National Park, North Bovey, Devon, TQ13 8RE
Telephone: 01647 445000
email: info@boveycastle.com
Twitter: @BoveyCastle
Facebook: @BoveyCastleHotel
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