THE HOTEL REVIEW: TALBOT HOTEL, MALTON, YORKSHIRE
Review: Nichola Hirst
The Talbot hotel is located in the quant Yorkshire town of Malton, just 20 minutes from York. Steeped in history, this quintessentially British town is brimming with traditional food suppliers and shops. Over the past eight years The Fitzwilliam Estate, who own the Talbot Hotel, have been an active partner in the “We Love Malton” campaign, which works hard to promote, support and raise the profile of Malton for both residents and visitors.
The hotel, which was originally a 17th century coaching inn, is set in acres of lush landscaped gardens and is a welcoming yet traditionally British venue in both design and service. There are 26 bedrooms including some gloriously grand suites with 4 poster beds. There are two dining options; Malton Brasserie and 2 AA rosette Wentworth Restaurant – both features a menu with locally sourced produce, and the grand drawing room is a great spot for Afternoon Tea. A speciality offering from the hotel is the Malton Cookery School, where courses are offered to feed enthusiasm to foodie fanatics or to hone even the most basic skilled home chefs into shape. This is a great place to learn to fall in love with the best of Yorkshire’s produce.
When we arrived at the hotel we were greeted by the General Manager, who gave us a tour of the town pointing out the local food suppliers for the hotel, some of which were located in The Talbot Yard Food Court (across the road from the hotel), home to Food To Remember Butchers, Passione Delli Pasta, Groovy Moo Ice Cream, Bluebird Bakery and Roast Coffee and Roastery.
Back at the hotel the grand drawing room was our next stop where we sat in front of a beautifully lit open fire to enjoy Afternoon Tea. A selection of sandwiches such as mature cheddar cheese & homemade chutney, honey roasted Yorkshire ham and mustard, smoked salmon and chive cream cheese, egg mayonnaise, followed by a selection of delicious homemade cakes, pastries and scones including bakewell tart, chocolate brownie.
We stayed in the luxurious Fitzpatrick Suite with its grand four poster bed, I took some time to relax in the bath with the coveted Penhaligons’ toiletries. The separate living room area was a great place to unwind and views from the bedroom looked out on to the lovely gardens of the hotel – a peacefully scenic spot.
For dinner we visited the Wentworth Restaurant which was beautifully decorated with traditional flair. We opted for the nine-course taster menu which included;
Bluebird bakery sourdough with smooth chicken liver pate and burnt butter.
Roasted King scallop with celeriac & vanilla, Granny Smith and fennel.
Hay baked Yorkshire carrots, homemade ricotta, carrot jam, rye crisp.,
Charred east coast mackerel, heritage beetroots, tarragon, horseradish.
Gin Fizz- apple and mint sorbet.
Loin of venison, celeriac, red cabbage, dark chocolate and watercress.
Yorkshire Blue cheese, pear, walnut and chicory.
Apple taste satin-salted caramel, calvados ice cream.
Kalamansi cheesecake and cookie crumb.
As I am pregnant the chefs kindly substituted some of my dishes to the below and it was refreshing to see real thought and effort into creating alternative dishes for dietary requirements – all of which were delicious.
Salt baked & pickled heritage beetroots- goats cheese mousse, sourdough crumb and white balsamic.
North stone seabass, pickled cockles, parsnip and shallot.
The different flavor infusions in each separate dish blew out taste buds away! The desserts were out of this world, again with exciting flavours all complimenting each other. After dinner we then retreated back to the drawing room to finished of the evening with a drink by the open fire (which had fast become one of our favourite spots) before retiring back to our suite.
The next morning, we awoke after having a peaceful nights rest in the super comfy four posted bed. The breakfast menu features hot options cooked to order and ‘help yourselves’ options were available for juices, pastries, fresh fruit, cereals, again with local ingredients. We really recommend the signiture “The Full Talbot “ to set you up for the day.
This is a great country hotel full of history, character, and brimming with warm, welcoming hospitality as its’ very best.