The Vicarage Review: A refurbished 17th Century Country Pub, Restaurant & Hotel in Cheshire

A weekend of food, sightseeing, hotels, gorgeous pubs with roaring fires – plus a few too many Bloody Mary’s. That’s what recently led us to Cheshire which if you don’t know, borders Merseyside and Greater Manchester. After a fine hotel & restaurant experience at The Courthouse in Knutsford – our second night’s stay was just a short 15 minute drive to a gorgeous little place called The Vicarage. A refurbished, 17th Century Grade II listed country pub, restaurant and hotel in the heart of Cheshire.

Here at The Vicarage you can expect quirky décor matched with country comforts, delicious locally sourced British produce and some really lovely rooms which won’t cost you the earth. As soon as we arrived, we checked in via the separate hotel entrance and were whisked back upstairs into the main building where are gorgeous room and a rather impressive bathroom were waiting for us.

There are 26 en-suite bedrooms in total and we were staying in the one of the properties suites which had the most comfortable and gigantic double bed. I really do believe that you’ll struggle to find a hotel bed this comfy in Cheshire. Welcome biscuits to snack on, views out across the countryside and exposed beams which added a nice touch of character.

The main focus of this room for me was the amazing bathroom. More of those exposed wooden beams, the brickwork had been revealed adding a lovely red tone to the bathroom, a huge roll top bath takes centre stage and a large shower unit in the corner. Relaxing in the bath before dinner with the cold Winter air coming in through the large open sash windows and thick steam from the hot bubble bath – there really is nothing better in my opinion. Except perhaps a glass of bubbles to fully relax. I wasn’t overly sold on the texture of the complimentary bath/shower products if being especially picky – but at least they looked nice.

The beating heart of this property is the bar and main restaurant area. An afternoon drink over a board game, pre-dinner cocktail or simply passing time with your favourite magazine or newspaper. It can be as tranquil or as lively as you want it to be here and with all the different areas to hide away in, you’ll quickly find your own personal space.

Not to mention the snug areas with roaring fireplaces. It’s this part of the building where the listed status is really shown off. They really have got the decor spot on, still feeling like a traditional country pub – but with quirky modern touches.

After spending a good hour relaxing in that huge bath in our room, we came downstairs to the restaurant and enjoyed an expertly crafted Bloody Mary whilst looking over the menus. The restaurant does their best to source all of their produce locally with a menu driven by the gardeners, foragers, farmers and suppliers of Cheshire – something you can certainly see across the menu.

We ordered the tempura king prawns to whet our appetite, covered in a golden crunchy batter and topped with pineapple, chilli and coriander sauce. Simple, but satisfying and an all round pleaser. I myself one can never resist anything wrapped in batter, especially prawns.

Star dish of our evening was this piece of venison haunch which came served with a celeriac & potato rosti, roasted celeriac & apple purée, buttered kale, glazed carrot and drizzled with a juniper & blackberry jus. The venison was perfectly cooked, the jus rich and firmly now in Winter it was the perfect Winter warmer – washed down with a good glass of red wine.

The 8oz sirloin steak, sourced from Welsh beef was beautiful and while perhaps cooked a little over my medium-rare specification, it was of good enough quality to not become tough and was full of flavour. The parmesan & white truffle fat cut chips were addictive, but the batter on the onion rings needed work. For steak fans, you’ll be very well fed.

We finished up our dinner on the most delicious vanilla & mascarpone mousse cheesecake with dollops of mandarin jelly, lime curd, ginger biscuit and a scoop of mandarin sorbet. Cheesecake really is one of my absolute favourite desserts and this was incredibly satisfying.

Breakfast the next morning was absolutely beautiful and so was the setting. Set towards the back of the main room is another dining room set up with a continental breakfast offering and a stunning conservatory room where the light pours into. I ordered the thick and fluffy pancakes with grilled bacon, maple syrup and sour cream. The perfect way to start our morning.

Yet another lovely stay at another Flat Cap Hotel and as far as country pubs go – it really doesn’t get more local and cosy as this. The food is exactly what you want from such an establishment, the rooms are well executed and the people working here will leave you with a smile on your face. Would I come back to The Vicarage? Without a doubt.