A little while back Oliver and I made our escape from the city for a relaxing overnight stay at The Bull and Swan at Burghley.
The hotel is ideally located in the heart of Stamford, a charming and quaint town a mere 20 minutes drive from Peterborough.
If it were not for the cars and some of the more modern shops and bars, it could be something straight out of a Jane Austen novel. There are plenty of pretty stone fronted boutique shops, bars and restaurants to explore (I love The Cosy Club).
The town is also home to the sprawling estate of Burghley House, famed for the Burghley Horse Trials which start later this week.
Upon arrival we were keen to drop off our bags and freshen up and headed straight up to our room for the night, ‘The Stag’.
The accomodation is described as being ‘quirky luxury’ on their website and I think they’ve summed it up very well there! The building is very old with uneven walls and period features, but it’s very well maintained. I felt rather like I was staying as the guest in someone’s stately home thanks to all of the beautiful wooden furniture and little details.
The bathroom was stocked with The White Company toiletries, a big shower and bath and fluffy white towels, perfect for a spot of pampering.
The bedroom itself was huge with all the mod cons you’d expect and decor to match its name.
Ready for our date night, we headed downstairs. From April to September, weather permitting, Thursday night is movie night!
They have a newly opened kitchen garden containing an open air cinema, as well as a Pizza Potting Shed serving up the ‘5 P’s’: pizza, prosecco, Peroni, Pinot and popcorn (amongst other things!).
Luck was not on our side however. It had been drizzling earlier and no sooner had we sat down to watch the opening to Moulin Rouge, the heavens opened.
Whilst there are umbrellas and buckets containing cosy throws provided, the viewing area is not completely sheltered from the elements so feeling increasingly soggy, we decided to change our plans and head into the cosiness of the Bull and Swan’s pub for our meal!
Oliver went for a freshly made pizza cooked outside to order in their pizza oven, whilst I enquired as to whether there were any suitable vegan options. Their chef was happy to suggest some recipes he could adapt to make dairy free, so I opted for a gnocci dish with pesto. It was beautiful, soft in the middle with an almost crispy texture outside.
I was slightly confused when it came out with some shavings of parmesan on it though. I have a feeling they just forgot when adding the usual finishing touch to the dish. Since my veganism is not allergy related I didn’t feel it was worth raising and Oliver was happy to transfer it to his pizza. I know that a lot of places are still getting used to adapting recipes and satisfying special dietary requests so I appreciated the fact that they’d made the effort to be accommodating and was happy to forgive this little slip!
I skipped dessert but Oliver enjoyed honeycomb and icecream.
Following a lovely nights sleep in the super comfy bed (which I didn’t want to get out of the next morning) we headed down to breakfast, admiring the decor properly in the daylight.
Isn’t the wallpaper fabulous?
Vegan options were limited but I always carry a secret weapon with me on overnight stays: dairy free spread! This meant that I was able to pick a vegetarian option and just request it without butter on the toast – perfect.
Oliver went for a classic full English.
Feeling suitably relaxed and rested, we headed back to city life, happy to have discovered somewhere special with our overnight stay at The Bull and Swan at Burghley!
Address: St Martins, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 2LJ
Cinema: Thursday from 7.30pm & Sunday from 1pm
Pizza Potting Shed: Thursday, Friday & Saturday 6pm-9pm. Sunday 12pm-6pm
*Disclaimer: Our overnight stay at The Bull and Swan at Burghley was complimentary in return for an honest review.
