Lady’s Hollins Hall Hotel in West Yorkshire Review

It’s autumn in Yorkshire. The air is crisp and clear, and the trees are changing colors. As my train speeds from Leeds to Shipley, I can’t help but think that fall in old England is as pretty as fall in New England. And when I arrive at Hollins Hall Hotel, Golf & Country Club in West Yorkshire, I see it even more clearly.

Hollins Hall

Hollins Hall is a country house hotel set in a 19th-century mayoral residence near the town of Shipley in the north of England. It’s surrounded by an 18-hole golf course, which in turn is surrounded by beautiful autumn leaves and berries.

A walk around the grounds at Hollins Hall reveals fall foliage in bright reds, yellows, and oranges, and a stroll into the nearby village of Esholt makes me feel like I’ve stepped into a storybook.

The stone church, the sheep-filled pastures, and the cozy local pub (which, incidentally, was used in the filming of the popular British soap opera Emmerdale) all make this my inner American’s English country village dream.

Hollins Hall Rooms

Back at the hotel, I check into my room, which has been offered to me on a complimentary basis for the night.

The space is cozy and modern, with a queen bed and flat-screen TV. Large windows open out onto the car park, which has views of the autumn leaves behind it.

The adjoining bathroom is disappointingly unclean, with small hairs on the floor and walls, mold on the shower curtain, and what looks like a coffee spill on the floor.

But there’s so much to do outside the room that I’m not planning to spend much time there anyway.

Hollins Hall Fitness Center and Spa

Elsewhere in the hotel is a fitness center and spa, where I go to explore the pool, sauna, and steam room. It’s crowded, but I squeeze myself into the sauna for a bit and make friends with some locals who’ve just finished a round of golf.

Hollins Hall Restaurant

The real reason I’m here, though, is for the food (surprise!). The hotel has partnered with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage, a cooking school on the border of Devon and Dorset, to create a new restaurant concept at Hollins Hall.

I’ve been invited to be one of the first to try it, and I look forward to my meal.

First I sit down with Executive Chef Gary Armitage to learn about how Hollins Hall has revolutionized its cuisine to focus on seasonal, local, sustainable, and organic produce.

80% of the food at the restaurant has been sourced from within 60 miles of the hotel, and the staff has undergone training to help the ingredients shine.

To prove it, they serve me an excellent dinner in the restaurant, a historic dining room overlooking the grounds. The menu overflows with specials of the evening, all of which are written on chalkboards above the fireplace.

The service is friendly and attentive, and after agonizing over what to order, I start with roasted-butternut-squash-and-sweet-potato soup. It’s rich, creamy, and has just the right balance of savoriness and saltiness.

For my main, I go for the Swillington farm pulled pork with mashed potatoes and Savoy cabbage. The portion size is huge, but the pork is so tender and moist that I eat as much of it as my stomach will allow.

All the while, I keep marveling that the restaurant has only been cooking this way for a month. If it continues this way, I won’t be able to get a reservation next time I’m in town.

Dessert is almond-and-orange pudding with red wine pear-and-vanilla ice cream. It’s a tiny bit on the dry side, but still an enjoyable end to a meal that exceeded my expectations.

Looking back over the menu, I’m amazed they can offer such great food and high-quality ingredients at such reasonable prices. My dinner would have cost £26.

The Verdict

And with that knowledge in mind, I return to London, where I know I won’t be eating so well for such good value for a while.

Then again, if the River Cottage partnership is successful and the hotel group rolls it out to some of its hotels in London, I may soon be eating not only another great meal, but my words as well.

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