Swinton Park & Residential Cookery School, Yorkshire
Masham, Ripon, North Yorkshire.
The approach to the castle exudes glamour. Drive past the gatehouse and up the sweeping drive through the deer park, arriving at the portico where guests are met in the turret lobby. The castle is surrounded by the family estate in which guests have access to rivers, reservoirs, moorland, dales and the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. Lavishly furnished, this is a unique opportunity to enjoy a stately home experience, combining the traditional warmth of a family home with all the modern creature comforts of a contemporary hotel. Rooms boast plasma TV‘s and Wi-Fi. It certainly has the wow factor!
With excellent facilities, high levels of service and quality of cuisine, this is one of the highest rated hotels in Yorkshire and Cumbria. Each of the 30 en-suite spacious bedrooms are individually designed, with a choice of views across the gardens, lake, parkland or gatehouse. Award winning cuisine is served in the sumptuously furnished dining room, with an emphasis on the seasonal and local produce sourced from the hotel's four acre walled garden (the largest hotel kitchen garden in the UK) and surrounding estate.
The courtyard houses a spa in the conservatory and there is also a gym and a wide variety of health and beauty treatments available. The exclusive use spa, is equipped with a sauna, Jacuzzi and relaxation zone, and there is also an Exercise Room. Further facilities include a bar (in the family museum), a private cinema and a billiard room.
The Cookery School
The restored Georgian stables are home to the state of the art Cookery School, run by celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager. There is a wide range of day and residential courses running throughout the year. With the acclaimed chef, Rosemary Schrager as your teacher, immerse yourself in culinary excellence during this two day course. With a mixture of demonstration and hands-on cooking, you will learn skills you never thought possible from soufflé to gravadlax, using fresh produce from the estate wherever possible. Also included is two night's full board accommodation for you and accommodation for a partner.
The courses start at 4pm either on the Sunday or Tuesday afternoon and end after lunch on the following Tuesday or Thursday. The courses are themed on various styles of cooking: for example French, Dinner Parties and Modern British. You will concentrate on the classical preparation of food and mastering of techniques such as boning and filleting, baking and patisserie. The courses combine demos and practical work and also include lunch and dinner, served at the school and breakfast in the hotel.
Your Getaway Extras
There are owls, hawks and falcons in residence at the Birds of Prey Centre in the converted orangery. Hotel guests can enjoy the sight of the birds being exercised every morning at the daily flying display (apart from on Tuesdays). Horse riding and fishing are also available together with clay pigeon shooting, golf and off-road driving.
Swinton Park has all the grandeur of times past with modern touches - nothing could highlight this more than the sight of a helipad against the backdrop of this historic castle.