It's glam up north at Rockliffe Hall

Atkinson, one of the winning chefs in the BBC series Great British Menu last year, told me he hasn't even begun to turn out the menu he aims to serve when the hotel opens fully next month, which makes what we ate even more impressive.

Dinner on New Year's Eve was a five-course tasting menu where we indulged in parcels of ravioli with poached duck egg and organic Scottish salmon with Scarborough crab, brown shrimp and orange vinaigrette. The parsnip velouté appetiser was so delicious that it left you wanting more.

We retired to our suite, tucked up five-year-old daughter Maya and saw in 2010 with a bottle of champagne and a box set of The Wire.

Breakfast was practically a gourmet affair. I had the scrambled egg and salmon which was delicate and beautifully presented, as was the kedgeree spiced with spinach and crispy coconut curls.

For a more casual meal, just up the stairs from the spa the Waterhouse Bistro has an equally good menu.

We lunched on mackerel with squid rings in a white foam worthy of any Michelinstarred chef and warm fig, mozzarella and Parma ham salad — both delicious, delicate and well-presented.

The spacious 50,000 sq ft spa here is pure bliss. The 20-metre pool has floorto-ceiling windows looking out onto the snow-covered grounds with stainedglass windows — rescued from a chapel on the estate — running along the sides, beautifully tiled steam rooms filled with the scent of eucalyptus, an igloo with ice flakes and a large hydrotherapy pool.

Treatments are high-end Ila brand and Comfort Zone, a lesser-known but brilliant Italian spa brand and include a horse chestnut and pine scrub — a nod to the favourite plants of Alfred Backhouse.

My Comfort Zone Hydramemory facial massaged me into a semi-conscious state I thought I would never wake from but when I did, my skin — suffering from a diet of late nights, prosecco and crisps — was glowing.

As the team — whose combined credentials include Claridge's, Cameron House and Gleneagles — waved us off down the long drive, the snow finally started falling. It was tempting to turn back and get snowed in

Rockliffe Hall (01325 729 999, www.rockliffehall.com), Hurworth Place, Hurworth on Tees, Darlington, has doubles from £190 B&B (until 28 February). East Coast trains has advance returns from King's Cross to Darlington from £29 Standard Class, £103 First Class — www.eastcoast.co.uk