A Night at Ardtara House Hotel

Happy Sunday friends! I hope you're feeling restful and indulging yourself in some final weekend treats. I'm currently parked on the couch in a onesie cramming as much chocolate as possible in to my gob, a real sight for the eyes I assure you. Only a mere 48 hours ago I was arriving at Ardtara House Hotel, ready for a night of food and wine amidst Victorian luxury - oh, how the mighty have fallen! I have to confess that when Ireland's Blue Book invited us to stay at Ardtara I had to do a quick google search because I hadn't a notion where it was. I'm guilty of being a lover of the coast so I'm fairly unfamiliar with the countryside of Co. Derry but one look at the pictures convinced me that this was a retreat worth leaving the coast for! Open fireplaces in every bedroom, an award-winning restaurant, a huge bath to soak in - I practically Flinstoned my way there! After a week of feeling pretty miserable I was craving a bit of pampering and when we pulled in to the drive of Ardtara I was giddy to know how much of a treat we were in for. The hotel is small with only 9 rooms so there's a real intimacy as soon as you walk through the door with the staff treating us as if, much like the vintage furniture, we'd always been there. We were shown to our room by Valerie, a local who was full of knowledge about the manor which had been built by the Clark family in 1895 and had made their fortune in the linen industry. The room itself was huge with beautiful big windows overlooking the gardens at the front, a fireplace I couldn't wait to light and a bathroom that was about the size of our wee house in Belfast. We hadn't too long to enjoy the room though as we were starving and dinner was about to be served downstairs - an event I had been looking forward to all week. The patron chef of Ardtara is the same chef of the infamous Brown's in Derry and all the hotel reviews I had read were outpourings of love for the food. Expectations were high and thankfully completely exceeded as we dined on some of the best food I have ever eaten - no lie my friends. We began our feast in one of the drawing rooms (fancy, I know) nibbling on homemade pork crisps with apple & pear sauce along with crispy cod and kimchi (divine!) on a cosy couch by the fireplace. We were then brought in to the dining room with our wine glasses politely topped up and the next dish promptly placed before our eyes - carrot & fennel soup accompanied by homemade breads which lasted about 0.2 seconds before being polished off. What followed after was a gastronomic whirlwind of delight - lamb samosas, breaded roast chicken bites and a fillet steak that I am still thinking about and no doubt will forever. Needless to say my belly was fighting for space in my skirt but the real shame was that I had zero room for dessert - the first time this has happened to me in me entire life. I have never not had room for a wee slither of cake but I couldn't swallow another bite without inducing the rest of the food to return back with it. The desserts looked incredible though as I spied other guests receiving theirs with barely contained envy. After all that food I barely made it to the room but when I did I had just enough energy to finish my wine in front of the fire in my dressing gown. As much as I have loved the summer, it was a joy to be sitting next to a fire again to keep my toes warm and I can only imagine how lovely the hotel would be as an escape during the colder months (the hotel was recently voted as the most romantic hotel in Ireland too!) The next morning I woke after sleeping for 9 hours, the most I had slept in weeks and surprisingly with a real hunger despite the feast we had the night before. As always we just about made breakfast and luckily for us we were spoiled again with another delicious menu full of local dishes. Andrew opted for Eggs Benedict while I being the forever sugar fiend opted for French toast and maple syrup - yum! We were sad to pack our things after only arriving what felt like a few hours before but I made sure to get a quick morning soak in the bath before we said our goodbyes to the room and the staff at Ardtara (who were busy preparing for a wedding party with arms full of roses). We could have easily have stayed on but we had tickets for the Seamus Heaney's HomePlace, a museum dedicated to the most loved poet of Ireland that's only 15 minutes away in Bellaghy. Ardtara is a small but completely charming retreat that many return to again and again (Bill Murray being one of them and that guys knows what's what) and I could understand why. You may come for the food at Ardtara but you'll stay for the warmth of the staff and the welcoming grandeur of its rooms. It's a perfect base for either exploring the area or for just curling up by the fire in your room with a wee glass of wine and a full belly to comfort you.