Strattons Hotel

So when I first came up with the idea for this blog, it was posts like this that I was looking forward to. Sure, highlighting places that are getting it wrong or even just helping people make decisions of places to go/avoid seems worth doing in its own right; but singing the praises of a place that gets it right is a pleasure when it’s done this well.

We found Strattons Hotel  when looking for places to stay near my wife’s parents in the Summer of 2017. We decided not to have a big summer holiday that year but treat ourselves to a week of British tourism up in Norfolk by staying with my wife’s parents and planning day trips to keep us (and Piglet) busy. We had a great time visiting BeWilderwood, walking around Sandringham and taking the miniature railway to the beach at Wells-next-to-the-sea (duh!).

Much of the week was spent on these day trips, the three of us. But we did take advantage of staying with the in-laws to get some time to ourselves. Our treat was a night in a boutique hotel, an evening of gin and tonics, a quality meal and (most importantly?) a lie in! We chose the place on the basis that they offered vegan afternoon teas which sounded very tempting and were clear on their website that they catered for allergies as an attraction rather than just a legal requirement.

“Everything is made daily on site enabling us to cater for all dietary requirements including coeliac, vegetarians, diabetics, vegans and allergies”

We checked in to our room in the late-afternoon, did the routine fridge check, bed comfort check, bathroom inspection and customary check of the view out of each window. An early evening walk around the village preceded heading over to the bar comfortably before we were booked into dinner. We were comfortably into our second exquisite G&T when they dropped the menu on our table and invited us to come down to the restaurant when we were ready.

My heart sank a little looking at the menu. Rich, hearty “English food” all looked very appetising but everything on the menu screamed butter, milk, cream etc… I was struggling to see what I’d be able to eat but I knew that they’d said (both on their website and when i’d booked) that they would be comfortably able to cope with both of our allergens. We headed down to the restaurant and explained that we might need some help choosing. On hearing that we were allergic to milk we were quickly brought an extensive allergen specific menu and were told with confidence that everything on the menu would be soya free with the exception of one item in the dessert section. The list of options was fantastic and we both struggled to whittle our choices down to just one thing from each section (we never even considered not having all three courses). One of the most pleasant surprises was to have a selection of 3 puddings! I at least know first-hand that two of those three were divine!

Quite possibly the only thing greater about the restaurant than the food was the customer service. I am very used to feeling like a nuisance when asking question after question ordering food for myself and my family (lets not skirt the subject, I am a nuisance!). I am still learning to develop a thick enough skin to persevere when it feels awkward and uncomfortable. So when someone take such pride in catering for our requirements and making sure we have a comfortable experience it makes you want to get up and hug them (I didn’t!). I was gushing with gratitude (possibly helped by those G&Ts) by the time we left and am 100% sure that we will go back at some point in the next few years despite being 130 miles away.

If anyone ever wants a high quality meal with complete confidence about allergens being catered for without doubt and to be made to feel just a bit special, there honestly isn’t anywhere I could recommend more. I look forward to posting again in the future when we finally get to try their afternoon tea!