Looking up at Coworth Park from the hotel gardens.
What can you tell us about Coworth Park and Woven?
Just outside Ascot, Coworth Park was originally built all the way back in 1776. Over the years it had its fair share of notable visitors and owners but it was back in the 1980s when it was bought closer to its modern incarnation by Galen Weston (former owner of Selfridges and Fortnums) with the aim of making it a polo retreat. Then back in 2010, after a big refurbishment, it opened as a Dorchester Collection hotel.
Since becoming a hotel, the food has always been a big focus, with its restaurant by Adam Smith winning the hotel a Michelin star. This year, the chef has completely relaunched that restaurant as Woven by Adam Smith and that's mainly what we came back to try - and to see if we think he'll be hanging onto that star.
Where is it?
The hotel is about a 10-minute drive from Ascot itself, so very handy if you fancy adding a visit to the races as part of your trip. It's also right next to Wentworth Golf Club and Virginia Water - so if you've come by car, there's a fair bit to see in the area. If you're heading down by train, it's less than an hour from Waterloo and then a 10-minute taxi from Sunningdale - so a long lunch at Woven is perfectly do-able from London.
The grounds are dotted with contemporary sculptures
What's on at the hotel?
They have a spa, naturally, and you'll find that building about two minutes from the main hotel. We didn't get around to visiting this time, but there's a swimming pool and plenty of treatment options. The surrounding park is also a great place for a spot of light walking, whether it's just a stroll around the hotel gardens (plenty of water features) or a longer trek.
And then there are the horses. Carrying on from the Weston days, there are horse lessons available - and also a polo centre. So if you always wanted to balance the job of riding a horse while carrying a big stick, there are lessons for that here.
What about the rooms?
You have a few choices. Last time around, we stayed in one of the hotel's cottages and you can read more about that here. Alternatively, there are rooms or suites in both the "stable" building and the main hotel (aka The Mansion House). We managed to get into a suite in the Mansion House and yes, it was pretty damned luxurious.
The Derby suite's bedroom is massive and links onto a separate dressing room with walk-in wardrobe.
Here with friends? You could hold quite a shindig in the suite's lounge, which also has a balcony looking out over the gardens.
Onto the food - so what's new here?
With Woven, pretty much everything has changed from the dining room itself, right through to a completely redesigned menu. So if you've been to the previous restaurant and enjoyed it then you'll definitely want to make a return trip to try Woven.
Inside Woven - note that the walls are all dressed with fabric. It's a lovely room.
The menu has a big focus on British produce, through the lens of a fine dining experience. The food will change with the seasons, so the menu at the time of visiting had a distinct autumnal approach. For dinner, expect a parade of truly inventive snacks (which you'll see the chefs finishing off on a table in the pantry as you enter the restaurant) and choices of starters, mains and desserts. It's something of a combo of what you get from a tasting menu with an a la carte experience. As for prices, dinner is £130, and lunch (with a few less snacks) is £80.
With that in mind, here's a taste of what we had on the night.
The first snack - goat's cheese, hazelnut and truffle.
Another of the snacks - this is billed as Coronation Chicken and is among of the best things we've tried this year. It's a Cotswold white chicken wing marinated for 24 hours in an aromatic salt with fresh curry leaves, garlic, ginger and coriander, then confit and pressed, deep fried, then glazed in a reduction of green apple juice and the same spices as the marinade with coconut and coriander cream on the top. Trust us - all that work was worth it.
After snacks is the most amazing bread course. Among the breads are an Old Winchester cheese croissant, and a lavender and honey parker house roll. As for the butters and dips, they include lobster oil with cherry molasses alongside onion miso with chives, brown butter and pumpkin seed butter with pumpkin seed oil.
One of the starters, called Hen of the Woods, it's again a supremely complex dish. Asking for more info, we're told: "On the bottom of the bowl is an Old Winchester cheese cream, with braised hen of the woods mushrooms glazed in a mushroom dashi and cauliflower mushrooms on top. There is a caramelised turnip puree, pickled turnips, garlic chive oil, some dried and deep fried cauliflower mushrooms, seasoned with malt vinegar and on the top old Winchester cheese crisps seasoned with cep powder and land cress from the kitchen garden."
Hand-dived scallop, celery, bergamot, golden oscietra
Cornish turbot, with lobster, salsify and truffle - one of the prettiest plates of food we've had for a while.
Fallow deer with chicory, beetroot and caramelised orange. Already a supremely good dish, it's made even better by the added extra of...
...this mini "smoked tartare tart". In this VERY good puff pastry is smoked bone marrow cream, a classic venison tartare with a venison consommé jelly on top and it's smoked over fresh juniper branches and brought to the table still smoking. Phenomenal.
Desserts are pretty glorious too. This is the Black Fig, which is made from figs roasted with Coworth Park estate honey and vanilla, with vanilla and honey cream piped around it and studded with bee pollen. That comes with roasted fig puree and walnut praline ice cream.
And finally the chocolate dessert - that's a chocolate brownie, a Coworth signature milk chocolate mousse seasoned with Maldon sea salt, and Coworth signature dark chocolate crémeux.
Well almost finally. There is a cheese course that was too much for us - but we just had to show you their beautiful cheese display.
What about drinks?
There are two main bars to choose from, "The Bar" which is just outside Woven or The Drawing Room. We'd take the latter - it's a little plusher, and you'll get a piano singer later in the evening. Cocktails were very much on point too. Wines in general are between the £60-£80 mark (heading much further upwards if you fancy), but the entry-level is actually a very reasonable £29 for an 2019 Pays'D'oc Viogner.
A seasonal cocktail, this is a Cosmopolitan-like the Off The Beaten Track - vodka, blood orange Cointreau, grapefruit and lemon juice (£17)
What else is available in the hotel?
If you're staying more than one night, there are actually two more options. There's the Spatisserie at the spa (salads, sandwiches, wraps) or the more casual restaurant The Barn which is a brasserie-style affair. And there is, of course, afternoon tea which you'll find in the Drawing Room.
And what about breakfast?
Breakfast is back in Woven, but we opted for an in-room service this time. There's a pleasingly extensive list of options to choose from in the room but whatever you do, make sure you tick the "pastries" box. Their breads and pastries are amazing, with a caramel-filled muffin and icing-topped madeleines being particular standouts.
Breakfast for one - and no, we don't think we've over-ordered.
An option on the breakfast menu that was a real standout - this is a Toasted crumpet with Tunworth, grilled mushroom, sticky short rib and fried egg. When the idea of a Full English is too much, this could be the perfect-sized breakfast dish.
Overall thoughts
We've been fans of Coworth Park since our last visit and this return trip has only cemented that in our minds. It's a perfect getaway from London in plush surroundings backed up by some truly great food. Adam Smith's Woven is a great achievement - a light touch on fine fining in a relaxed space with clear talent behind everything we tried, along with some of the best dishes we've had all year. That Michelin star is safe and maybe even a second will be on the way?
More about Woven by Adam Smith and Coworth Park
Where is it? Blacknest Rd, Sunningdale, Ascot SL5 7SE
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @coworthpark.
Hot Dinners ate and stayed as guests of Coworth Park. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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