Mr and Mrs Punter hot foot it Surrey to stay and play at Foxhills Country Club and resort.
When considering a destination for a meal, a spa day, a round of golf or even a wedding, many people will look at review websites, Savour first of course, but a good litmus test is, “If it’s good enough for a Knight of the Realm then it’s good enough for me”.
Applying that test, you might find yourself at the website of Foxhills, in Ottershaw, Surrey, which is a hotel, golf spa and wedding venue with a 2 AA rosette restaurant. It passes the “Knight of the Realm” test with flying colours because it was the base for the GB Olympic Cycling team during the 2012 Olympics, Sir Chris Hoy et al, and they did OK didn’t they?
Although Surrey sounds a long way from anywhere Foxhills is actually less than an hour away from Wembley Stadium, 45 minutes from Gatwick and less that 25 minutes from Heathrow. Despite that when you turn off Stonehill Road into the sweeping drive it takes seconds for you to be transported into the countryside. The main house peeks out at you through trees as you follow the drive around and past some of the greens and fairways of not one, but two 18 hole Championship golf courses.
Named after Charles James Fox, the original owner of the estate on which it sits, Foxhills only became a hotel in 1975 (I say ‘only’ as it is actually younger than we are) but plenty has happened since then and although the main house façade appears to be no more than an old hunting lodge, it is surprisingly spacious and the list of facilities and activities is vast.
The Punters are, however, not active people but for those of you that are we will indulge you and list the numerous activities available for those “sporty” or “healthy” types.
The first is, as you would expect, golf. It has hosted PGA Tours and the golf academy is credited with launching the career of Ryder Cup stalwart, Paul Casey. Every golf course needs a clubhouse which, of course, Foxhills has but there is also a “halfway house” serving refreshments at, unsurprisingly, the half-way point. Many golf clubhouses are known as “The 19th Hole” but at Foxhills they have gone one step further and have a restaurant next to the clubhouse called “19” which is a brasserie-style with a bar and it’s open from 7am to 10pm.
Next to the clubhouse is the spa which has indoor and outdoor saunas, pools and hot tubs and a fully equipped gym. You can try indoor cycling, Pilates, Tai Chi or yoga. There is also a range of spa treatments available along with acupuncture, reiki and reflexology. Move down further into the grounds and you come to The Pavilion, which houses the racquet sports section and also everything you could want to keep the little ‘uns occupied and well-fed at Flo’s Deli – which is geared towards the children but still has a fully stocked bar to keep the adults happy whilst the children burn off some energy.
According to the website Foxhills has 66 rooms but we’re not sure where they put them all and this is down to clever design. The rooms are a series of courtyards and annexes all of which give the place a “boutique” feel while still having a capacity for a good-sized wedding or function.
Our room was one of the main courtyard rooms and spacious doesn’t do it justice. There was an enormous bed, plenty of seating options and large and well-appointed bathroom with a rainforest shower. There were the usual amenities that you would expect but it was nice to find actual ground coffee, a cafetiere and real milk (no cartons here). It is hard to describe the décor in one word because there were muted, neural tones and fixtures and fittings which were neither modern nor old fashioned. The whole feel of the room was that it was designed to fade into the background and allow you to focus on relaxing and just letting the world pass you by. If that was intentional, it worked.
Double-doors led onto a patio looking over a sprawling lawn and the all-weather tennis courts. We say “all-weather” and although it would technically be possible to play tennis in the weather as it was when we were there, the standard would not have been great given that flippers and snorkels would have been needed.
Thankfully, Foxhills is ideal for escaping the winter and the warmth and comfort of the bars and sitting areas is matched with style by the staff who inhabit them.
As our room was mere steps from the main house we made the executive decision not to brave the elements to get to Flo’s, The Clubhouse or 19 and headed straight for the main house. Mullioned windows, exposed beams, oak staircases and leather armchairs are the order of the day. In fact, there is one chair near reception that led both Mrs Punter and I to sit in and exclaim, in a Rowley Birkin QC style, “and I was very, very drunk”. For those of you not familiar with Rowley Birkin QC, just Google him and get ready for innumerous Fast Show videos.
A large fireplace offers warmth and welcome the Manor Lounge but that is nothing compared to the warmth that comes from the welcome from those staff who inhabit it. As a quick aside we are about to wax lyrical about the staff in the Manor Lounge but please do not think that this means that the rest of the staff are any less welcoming than them. Up North, we are famed for our friendly nature and welcoming outlook and there is (from time to time) a perception that it is not matched ‘down south’ but Foxhills and their wonderful staff utterly disprove that. Every single person we met (even in passing) was genuinely friendly and engaging.
A pre-dinner cocktail was the order of the day, a Fox Punch for Mrs Punter with lashings of vodka and coconut rum and a Ward 8 for Mr Punter which was a take on whiskey sour with Grenadine instead of simple syrup. Digestive juices were set in motion with a variety of warmed and spiced notes.
Pipes primed we headed into The Fox dining room and its elegant décor, dark green paint and wallpaper inspired by the Subcontinent. The menu is pleasingly simple. Six starters, six mains and five sides. It is a mark of quality that, despite what people may say is a limited choice, it did take quite some time to make a decision as to which one to go for.
As it was Mrs Punter went for the confit violet potato with maitake, red pepper puree, potato espuma and a paprika cracker (a bargain at only 351 calories) and I went for the various shades of pigeon with a celeriac sauce. My starter was only slightly higher in calories but I am 1” taller than Mrs Punter so I think it all balances out.
Starters dispatched we moved onto the mains and they really did fulfil the definition of a “main” course. They were the dogs (redacted), the bee’s knees, the cat’s whiskers or any other combinations of animal body parts.
Mrs Punter went for the chargrilled lion’s mane with pickled shimeji, and confit tomatoes (still less than 900 calories) and I went for the rabbit loin, wrapped in seaweed with a “leg pie” and a carrot and anise puree. At this point I go all wistful remembering that puree which was, without question, one of the best purees I have had anywhere in the world. Rumour has it that it will now replace “baby’s bottom” as the epitome of smoothness.
If the warmth of the fire and the warmth of the staff wasn’t enough, we decided to double down on the comfort and went for sides. Triple-cooked chips and an unctuous cauliflower cheese arrived to conspire with the cocktails and fire to nudge us gently towards an age-appropriate bedtime.
True to form the Punters were hoping to have desert but unsure as to whether it could be managed. In order to try and decide whether pudding was a good idea we went for a cheese course whilst we made our minds up. Five cheeses as usual with a selection of crackers and biscuits with a really zingy chutney, but the star of the show was the Rosary Ash goat’s cheese which danced all over the palate and it was complemented beautifully by a deep and dark tawny port.
It turns out that if you’re not sure whether pudding would be too much, then having a cheese course is highly informative. The cheese and crackers informed us (as they often do) that a pudding would be a step too far so we retired back to the Manor Lounge and indulged in a couple of Baileys and Amarettos, both served with more of the Foxhill’s charm.
Breakfast then, and this is where we come to the challenge that is faced by travel writers. Unlike dinner or lunch or street food breakfast is breakfast and, certain locations excepted, is pretty much the same wherever you go.
The Punters are more than pleased to report that breakfast at Foxhills is really rather pleasant. There is the usual spread of cold meat and continental fayre and the same dishes that appear on most breakfast menus but us Punters have come to use breakfasts as a guide to venues. Mrs P will go for Eggs Florentine, and I go for the Full English (minus tomato). These were particularly good, golden, runny eggs and a delicious Hollandaise for Mrs Punter and a serving for me which would, at best, be described as ‘generous’ but, in reality, described as ‘enormous’. Plus, Foxhills passed the all-important sausage test.
There is a phrase, ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ and it means trying to be good a everything but not really being good at anything. This really doesn’t apply to Foxhills. There are so many different options and activities here that the quality could get lost in the variety but it doesn’t. Foxhills does very many things, very, very well. That may well be why it has been voted one of the top wedding venues and top sports wedding venues for 2024.
For more information about Foxhills County Club and Resort, visit: foxhills.co.uk
