The Moors the merrier at Feversham Arms Hotel

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10 April 2012

THE FEVERSHAM ARMS HOTEL & VERBENA SPA
Helmsley, North Yorkshire

I had no idea, until a recent visit, that the market town of Helmsley, half an hour from York on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors, was picture-postcard pretty.

Set around a main square with honey-coloured buildings hewn from stone, shops selling local art, antiques and afternoon tea, galleries, quaint pubs and a delicatessen, it provides the perfect setting for the Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa.

Once a coaching inn rebuilt and renamed in 1855 by the Earl of Feversham, it was finally bought by Simon Rhatigan, who has turned it into a 33-roomed luxurious hotel to rival any in the area.

There's a new entrance opposite the church with its weeping willow-filled churchyard, fine dining restaurant, library (nice speak for groovy laptop space with modern art) and a notable spa.

The likeable Rhatigan is something of a hotel don whose previous experience at Seaham Hall Hotel in Co Durham and the Samling in Cumbria must account for much of the hotel's success.

Not forgetting that while he was GM of Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Oxfordshire, turnover increased by £5 million. This man clearly has the Midas touch where hotels are concerned.

We arrived late and stressed on a wintry Friday but once inside we were calmed. Whether it was the attractive open glass and timber space, the welcoming staff or years of, I imagine, satisfied guests, it worked.

Our room continued the effect with its light wooden floors, bold print William Morris wallpaper and tongue-and-groove half-walls hung with modern, local art.

As I mention the tartan carpet you may be tempted to laugh, but the overall effect of colour and pattern works.

The bathroom was almost the size of the living room, with rich blue Farrow & Ball paint, cream limestone floors and Provençal L'Occitane products.

The only clue that we were in a Yorkshire market town was the Sheep Dip bubble bath perched in a glass decanter in the corner of the deep bath.

It being late we ordered room service, a lazy treat I love, which is often disappointing. But this was excellent.

The menu recognised that room service doesn't have to be a burger and chips. Our wild sea bream with a crisp skin, truffle mash with mussel and mushroom foam was faultless and perfectly presented.

And while we ate we watched one of the eclectic selection of in-room DVDs on a Bang & Olufsen television. The view from our French windows was of the outdoor pool (heated to 30 degrees all year round).

Despite the cold, whenever we looked there were always a few hardy swimmers ploughing up and down, or even hardier guests sat about reading books in the outdoor hot tubs.

Breakfast in our room didn't disappoint. We had it all — cured back bacon, Helmsley pork sausage, eggs and toast. Sated, I slipped along the glass walkway to the Verbena Spa, with more men per sofa than I have ever seen in a spa.

The reception area/café has large comfy sofas and multiple magazines, and isn't one of those hushed spas, so perhaps this accounts for the high man count (there is a Shooting, Fishing & Hunting Remedy just for men).

The choice of sophisticated Parisien spa brand Anne Semonin is a good one. My grandly-named Royal Miracle Ice Facial involved the usual cleansing, exfoliating and extraction with a USP — special ice cubes containing trace elements applied over the face with particular attention paid to the eye area.

Afterwards, a turn around the town revealed the ruins of medieval Helmsley Castle, once owned by Richard III, and a visitor centre with the added bonus of a table of liqueurs to sample.

But dinner beckoned in the deep red, high-beamed restaurant.

There is a seven-course seasonal tasting menu but with a young child in tow we opted for the quicker option of tender sirloin of Yorkshire beef, celeriac, braised shin, bone marrow and rich Madeira jus.

Head chef Simon Kelly previously worked at the three Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in Bray under Michel Roux. I wonder how long it will be before he — and Rhatigan — gain a Michelin star for their efforts.

The Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa (01439 770 766, www.fevershamarmshotel.com), Helmsley, North Yorks, Y062 5AG, has doubles from £155 B&B with morning drinks and newspaper. A stay-one-night, get-the-second-half-price reader offer is available via eveningstandard.ca/offers. East Coast trains from King's Cross to York from £26 Standard return (£94 first class), www.eastcoast.co.uk

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The Moors the merrier at Feversham Arms Hotel

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