Country house comes of age

Driving through a leafy glade to Kesgrave Hall on the outskirts of Ipswich and catching a glimpse of this imposing Georgian mansion in all its glory, nestling in a dell surrounded by manicured lawns and towering leafy trees, one could be forgiven that it calls for ‘best bib‘n’tucker’. You know the sort of place, where they rush to open the door, bedecked in chintzy décor, the fawning maitre d’ and supercilious sommelier, all hushed tones and formal dress code as you eat the over-egged creation of some prima donna chef. Well that was the Eighties, welcome to country house 21st century style!

If anyone could show East Anglia how to take the rustic out of country and inject some modern chic, it was going to be Milsom Hotels, that canny family business with close to six decades of the hospitality business under their belts. Famed for their stalwart, the flagship Le Talbooth restaurant nestling on the banks of the river Stour close to Stratford St Mary on the Essex/Suffolk borders, it was at the former Dedham Vale Hotel half a mile closer to Dedham itself where they made their first statement on contemporary dining and relaxation with their avant-garde Milsoms gastro bar and bedrooms several years ago.

With their newest property, the first outside Essex and the second outpost of Milsoms in partnership with renowned property developers, the Hills Group of Colchester, they have taken their hugely successful formula to even edgier heights. The reassuring comfort remains the same as does the Londonesque vibe and trademark dining concept (you don’t book and you fill out your own order pad at the table). It’s just more eclectic and a little ‘über-cool’ to use their expression. Upstairs, fifteen bedrooms offer ‘R & R’ far removed from most East Anglian hotels, think vast roll-top claw feet baths in bedrooms not bathrooms, capacious head-to-toe showers made for two, polished zinc dressing tables beneath emotive  charcoal drawings of Suffolk livestock, zebra print sofas and the modernities of WiFi and decadent toiletries. Don’t bother counting the springs in the indulgent mattresses or the thread count in the cosseting towels and Egyptian cotton sheets, you’ll know they’re stratospherically high in number and life is just too short. Head downstairs for a cocktail instead. Huge Gothic mirrors and a granite topped bar-counter juxtapose with the original enamelled fireplace and polished floorboards while outside the beautiful sun terrace offers sexy alfresco dining undercover. Whether it’s the capacious wall mounted spot-lit propeller in the reception hall, the American flagged fabric for blinds in the drawing room at the huge sash windows and voguish leather framed mirrors contrasting with the well loved cracked chesterfields, this esoteric blend of the old and distinctly new runs through the interiors – a fusion of history with modern design, blended together with their trademark wit and clever styling.

That mix of classic retro and exotic continues with the food, the buzzy all day dining operation very much the focus of proceedings at the Hall. With a gentle hum of chat and laughter, upbeat music in the background, scraping of empty plates, chinking of glasses, the sounds of happy diners are the omnipresent theme in the vibrant eating areas throughout the bar, tiered restaurant and outside terrace. The setting is energising, film set lighting illuminating the ‘engine room’, namely the theatrics of the open sided kitchen. Around the restaurant is a backdrop of yellow hued walls, smart glass ‘chandeliers’ and chrome wall lights, simple wood furniture, the clever touches continuing in hewn logs for condiment pots.

Head Chef Stuart Oliver’s catholic menu typifies generosity, cocking his toque to global cuisines, with hearty portions and big flavours. House favourites such as deep fried squid or Asian duck tacos and hoisin have made their way up the A12, but ironically the mainstay of the menu is modern European, either reworked British, gutsy Italian or French influenced. You might tuck into beetroot cured salmon gravadlax with lambs lettuce and mustard dressing, follow it with steak and kidney pudding with St Edmunds ale and parsley gravy and finish on a sybaritic note with vanilla pannacotta with gooseberry compote and warm doughnut. Of course, it is very much all things to all men (and women and children), so expect to find perfect simplicities such as great ish and chips, the quarter pound Scotch cheese burger with the works, classic steak béarnaise, funky sandwiches and a special kids menu too.

I wonder if I can convince them to open one near Southwold…

Milsoms Kesgrave Hall, Hall Road, Kesgrave, Ipswich, Suffolk
T: 01473 333741  www.milsomhotels.com