Harden's survey result
Summary
Something of a scattergun of reports this year on this light-filled dining room – a much-windowed, conservatory style building with good country views of the Bolton Abbey Estate and which creates a contemporary dining space at the Duke of Devonshire’s plush country getaway. The best reports say its “great food and service with regular wine tasting experiences” are excellent all-round and another highlight is breakfasting here (“a real treat to start the day”). But there’s also the odd more middling review or disappointment (“Afternoon tea was meant to be a real treat as part of a spa day. There was just so much of it… it didn’t feel like a nice indulgence… better with just the bits they did well: scones and little sandwiches”).
Summary
This “elegant” hotel dining room (FKA The Burlington) in a “beautiful Daleside setting” at the Duke of Devonshire’s country getaway is a bright and relatively relaxed – given the poshness of the surroundings – spot overlooking the gardens and wider Bolton Abbey Estate. Chefs have come and gone over the years (including notables Michael Wignall and Peter Howarth), as have the Michelin stars, but for “as good a Full English as you can enjoy”, fancy afternoon tea or their new summer seafood tasting menu, there’s much to like – and “staff are happy to show the open-plan cellar” that fuels their “very extensive wine list”. The premises also hold a more informal brasserie and bar.
Summary
This “beautiful hotel at Bolton Abbey”, the Duke of Devonshire’s classic country estate, is a well-known getaway, and its very posh and “very good” dining room has also proved a testing ground for exciting chefs (Michael Wignall, Peter Howarth). Chris O’Callaghan, who arrived in 2021, now oversees the British cuisine (afternoon teas and fancier fare), while the open-plan wine cellar feeds into the “superb and very extensive wine list”.
Summary
The Duke of Devonshire’s Bolton Abbey estate in Yorkshire provides a “stunning setting” for this “traditional, French-inspired” dining room, within a well-known luxury hotel. Ratings are very good all-round for Chris O’Callaghan’s cuisine, which is bolstered by an “open-plan wine cellar the staff will be happy to show you round” (look out for some famous vintages). Top Tip – “one of Yorkshire’s top afternoon teas”.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Garden Room, The Devonshire Arms Hotel and Spa?
Bolton Abbey, Skipton, BD23 6AJ
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £40.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.50 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £5.50 |
| Service | 12.50% |
Bolton Abbey, Skipton, BD23 6AJ
Opening hours
| Monday | 7:30 am‑3 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Tuesday | 7:30 am‑3 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Wednesday | 7:30 am‑3 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 7:30 am‑3 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 7:30 am‑3 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 7:30 am‑3 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | 7:30 am‑3 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
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