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| Stanmer House |
Last week we went for a day out to Stanmer Park. It was a beautifully sunny day for once (it’s been cold or raining ever since) so we decided to take advantage of the nice weather. Just outside Brighton, the park consists of Stanmer House, a lovely grade I listed mansion surrounded by a church, little village, cafe, apple orchard and acres of woods and rolling hills in the South Downs.
I love living by the sea in Brighton but it can feel a little too urban sometimes and I begin to crave the countryside. Luckily for us, Brighton is surrounded by miles of stunning countryside with so many possibilities for day trips! Plus toddler just wants to run at the moment so anywhere with space is a good thing!
We took the train to Falmer station (three stops from Brighton) and the entrance to the park is just around the corner. From there it’s another 10-15 minute walk to the house. As the sun was out we took the opportunity to walk around the village, apple orchard, spot the horses in the barns, walk past the pond and stare into the distance at the rolling hills. It was a lovely crisp winter's day. Toddler got some good running time around the park before he fell asleep!
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| Hot smoked salmon open lasagne at Stanmer House |
We went to Stanmer House for lunch and were seated in one for the more formal rooms for lunch, one I had never been in, overlooking the garden. I didn’t know there was a garden with tables outside, which must be gorgeous in the summer. We ordered lunch and soon toddler woke up, probably from the smell of food no doubt! I had the hot smoked salmon open lasagne with spinach, wild mushroom and toasted pine nuts which sounded very interesting. The other half had the steak and kidney puff pastry pie and toddler had one of the children's selections, sausages and mash!
The food did take a while to come, but was worth the wait. It was all absolutely delicious and the portions so generous! I don’t usually eat so much at lunch time so was utterly full, I didn’t even have room for dessert, which is very unlike me! The desserts on the next table did look yummy though. The service was great, everyone was very friendly and attentive and as always toddler got a lot of attention from the waiters and other customers!
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| Children's meal at Stanmer House |
What would have made the experience a tad better would have been some more food options for baby. A lot of the children's meals I see these days consist of fish & chips, chicken & chips etc with a lack of any vegetables or healthier options which I am usually disappointed to see. I get impressed with the restaurants that provide something unique and healthy for kids. One place near us does an amazing children's meal with carrot sticks, small cheese squares, rice, yogurt, sweetcorn, fruit and for us it’s these simple things which make a huge difference to healthy eating. So, it would have been good to have vegetables with the sausage & mash meal or fruit as the dessert. I’m sure the staff would have been happy to provide this as an alternative but in an ideal world it would be great to see it incorporated onto the menu. Toddler sure wasn’t complaining though and ate all of this food up! Afterwards, we chilled on one of the many sofas in the lounge area next to one of the open fires.
As we left the winds & rains came and we headed back to the station. It was a lovely day at the house and grounds. I’m already looking forward to our next trip. There are so many food options and upcoming events at Stanmer House we might try the afternoon tea or even a Sunday roast next time :)
All views and opinions are my own.
Have you had a nice day out recently? Please share your thoughts with me.
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