The Feathers hotel in Woodstock has long been one of the greatest boutique hotels in the Cotswolds. I have a formative memory of having a family lunch there when I was a child and seeing none other than Tom Stoppard on the next door table with one of his school-age children; clearly a trip here for a meal was a great treat, then as now. But over the couple of decades that I have been visiting the Feathers in adulthood, it has undeniably seen its standards slip. I remember staying here a few years ago with my wife and young daughter and finding the whole experience stilted and strange; there was a mediocre and hugely expensive dinner in a silent dining room, the bedrooms felt tired and in need of a revamp, and the whole place had a depressed atmosphere to it.
Fast forward several years, a change of ownership – it’s now owned by the Ede Homes Group – and a new, dynamic team in place, and The Feathers feels reborn after a £3 million refurbishment. The new and vital atmosphere is in evidence as soon as we check in; previously, the whole place had felt sombre, even downbeat, but now there’s a warmth to the welcome that makes a stay here a true pleasure. We head up to our suite, the Robin, and it’s a wonderfully spacious delight, with a luxurious bed big enough to sink into and forget about all the cares of the day, a fantastic display of art and a free-standing bath. The bottle of excellent Prosecco waiting in the wine cooler and the homemade slices of lemon drizzle cake are the icing on the gateau. I think we’re going to like it here.
After a walk around Woodstock and the obligatory visit to Blenheim Palace, it’s time to head back to the hotel for dinner at the Nest restaurant. Post-refurbishment this has been transformed from a hushed, sterile sort of place into a fun and relaxed room that’s both splendidly comfortable and the perfect setting for a memorable meal. Under chef Luke Rawicki, the aim is to take the 2 AA rosettes that the restaurant previously held and transform its fortunes into 3; the distinct leap, in other words, between the good and the great. On the evidence of our dinner, such a step is easily within the Nest’s grasp.
Starters of deconstructed Cotswold wood pigeon and soused Cornish mackerel are both sublime, especially after snacks of English coppa and (surprisingly spicy) mozzarella sticks, but our main courses might be even better. Sirloin steak with a peppercorn sauce is perfectly cooked and beautifully presented, and my wife’s Cornish hake with tempura prawn is as good as pescetarian cooking gets in Britain at the moment. My daughter, meanwhile, had steak frites for the first time, and pronounced it excellent. She was not wrong.
Drinks are always a big deal at the Feathers – it used to hold a record for the number of different kinds of gin that were on offer – and this has been kept to, with the Aviary bar producing some truly sublime cocktails, including the Old Fashioned and margarita of your dreams. The wine list is excellent, too; we started off with a couple of superb glasses of Cloud Factory Sauvignon Blanc, and then a bottle of Chateau Musar’s Jeune Musar – always a welcome sighting on a menu – proved to be a fitting accompaniment to the excellent mains. Would it have been poor form not to have rounded off the meal with an espresso martini? Arbuturian readers, I can exclusively reveal that it definitely would.
We slept superbly, as you might expect, but then it was time for a final treat: breakfast in the sumptuously appointed Aviary spot, where a more casual menu is served. A very fine full English was much enjoyed, along with excellent toast, apple juice and my daughter pronounced her buttermilk pancakes some of the best she’d ever had, even as I looked over the morning papers. And then it was time to fly away from the sumptuously resurrected Feathers, longingly thinking about the next time that we’ll be able to pop back here, whether for an overnight stay, a glass of wine or another memorable dinner. Chances are it won’t be very long.
The Feathers Hotel, 16-20 Market Street, Woodstock OX20 1SX. For more information, including details of rooms, and for bookings, please visit www.feathers.co.uk.
