The wonderfully bucolically named Ox Pasture Hall lives up to name with some 17 acres of glorious rolling north Yorkshire downland – part park, part gardens – ideal for peaceful strolls when you really need to get away from it all. The main building is an old farmhouse built with that rich caramel local stone, surrounded by roses. It’s all quite picture perfect and comes with oodles of Yorkshire friendliness, two restaurants and a brand new spa.
Now, it is, admittedly, a long drive up from London so I was very happy to have an afternoon massage to soothe away the after-effects. I could feel there was some lower back tension and I just felt a bit tired so decided to go for something gentle and soothing: a hot stone massage, what could be better? There are, of course, many different ways of using hot stones as part of a massage but my therapist, Mel, found one that was just right for how I was feeling. The stones were good and hot – the heat of the first stroke slightly taking my breath away and then, the edge taken off, meltingly warm on my taut muscles. She used plenty of oil (I picked up scents of ginger – great for warming and relaxing – as well as peppermint to clear the tiredness) and the stones became so integral I was not sure sometimes when they were involved or whether it was just Mel’s hands.
Her secret here, I think, was that realised what I needed was something very slow, very relaxed but with plenty of pressure when there was resistance. She started with my back and worked on the tight shoulders, down the shoulder blades and ribcage to the small of the back and out to the hips. At times, she simply held the pressure and the warmth of the stones on a tight spot and, as a result, resistance was, I found, useless. An hour later and I would have been hard pressed to find a single area of tension…
After this, it was time for dinner – and what a dinner. The food at Ox Pasture is quite exceptional and they have not one but two chefs. My first dinner was cooked by an inspiring young chef, Deuran Babat, and the Major and I sat in the Courtyard restaurant overlooking a space filled by swooping house martins and swallows. It was quite magical, as was the meal.
First came a sharing platter of Asian cucumber salad, sesame baby carrots and tostada, all quite delicious. Then I had asparagus with goat’s cheese with a tomato reduction that was almost fragrant while the Major had a more robust starter – ham hock pate with a surprisingly delicate black pudding (we were in Yorkshire, after all). This was followed by roasted rump of lamb with sweet potato dauphinoise for me and, for the Major, crispy pork belly with creamed bacon and cabbage. In between these two courses was a tiny cup of a soup as frothy as a cappuccino. We spent some time trying to identify it. The Major thought it might be mushroom, I thought it was some kind of root vegetable but not sure which one. It turned out to be celeriac and utterly delicious.
The next morning I was back in the spa for my facial with Charlotte. Interestingly enough, like Mel, her technique was very much on the slow and soothing end of the spectrum and, as it also included a hand, foot and scalp massage at various stages, it was as relaxing as having a second massage. There is a range of facials to choose from here but they all use Dermalogica products starting with a pre-cleanser for surface make-up and general grime, a more general creamier cleanser and then the final part of the cleansing process, the Daily Microfoliant – something of a cult product. It tackles oiliness, fine lines, uneven skin tones and dehydration while brightening the skin. It’s one you can buy in the shops to take home (or at the spa) and it’s a simple powder activated by adding a few drops of water that will ever so gently exfoliate and cleanse for a highly polished complexion.
All of these were generously massaged into the skin by Charlotte but the main facial massage came with the next stage, the hydration serum, that was gratefully absorbed not just on my face but the neck, decolletage, and even my shoulders. Two masques followed with more blissful massage and then I was moisturised and finished off with SPF30 – even though the Yorkshire sun might not seem that strong, it can still damage your skin.
Thoroughly relaxed, I spent a pleasant afternoon walking in the countryside, reading and visiting the spa. This is super new and there’s a hydro area with pool, two big hot tubs, sauna and steam (as well as some ice) plus a big relaxation area both inside and out. These days, I’m super-cautious about lying around in the sun but there was plenty of shade while I watched all those swooping birds from a comfy lounger – surely a therapy in itself.
Then it was time for my second meal, this time cooked by Thomas Carr, who has earned a few Michelin stars in his time and, while he has his own restaurant, Thomas Carr 1873 (it had its star within a few weeks of opening) cooks here, too, in Ox Pasture’s other restaurant, The Coast. Unsurprisingly, it specialises in fish – and what fish the Yorkshire coast has. Even the butter that came with the homemade bread was flavoured with mussel and anchovy.
The Coast offers a tasting menu that you can have with a wine pairing (or simply choose your own bottle, as we did). There are seven courses in all but they are appropriately small sizes and also, being fish, lighter than the dishes you’ll find on many tasting menus. Even before this, there was a delicate amuse bouche of scallop with brown shrimps, caviar and scallop crisps. The first of the courses on the menu itself was beetroot cured salmon with a tiny pate of salmon and crisped salmon skin followed by Cod “BLT” which may sound prosaic but nothing could be further from the truth. So delicate, it was almost translucent, this was a dish that could make you weep with pleasure.
Stone bass and monk fish followed but there was nothing samey about the dishes here. The first came with crab, fennel and apple, while the second had a curried chicken sausage, mushroom and sea herbs. There were two puds, first a Champagne Elderflower Jelly then Warm Chocolate. All superb.
So this is a place where you could go for the spa or, there again, you could go for the food. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.
For more information about Ox Pasture Hall, including details of offers and spa breaks, please visit www.oxpasturehallhotel.com.
