Some close friends were having a pre-Chirstmas party, so I wanted to find a hotel close by for just one night. My friend named Nutfield Priory, but she wasn’t able to say if it was any good or not. I thought it looked ‘good enough’ on their website, and booked a Junior Suite for £231 B&B.  Nutfield Priory is a Neo-gothic mansion house, built in 1872 as a Priory, set in rolling countryside to the South of London, not that far north of Gatwick airport. Nutfield Priory is part of the ‘Handpicked hotels’ group, which I haven’t used before now, and it’s rated as 4* by the AA.

We arrived at this imposing yellow/grey stone gothic pile at 15:30 on a Friday in mid December 2019. Stone and winter weather can be very cold, but the entrance was decorated in a way that made everything appear warm and welcoming.  After checking in we were taken to our suite on the 2nd floor. All the suites are named after writers, and ours was called Huxley.

From the corridor to our room was a fantastic view of the southern Surrey Hills, but the view from the suite was just a car park!

The bedroom was a good size, with ample space, armchairs and a super-king sized 4-poster bed. Although the decor wasn’t contemporary, it definitely fitted the period building, and I liked it.

Our bathroom was in the “standard mid market 20th century hotel” style, which was OK for our short stay. Only 1 wash basin, and an in-bath shower, cheap toiletries, but nice fluffy white towels made it feel homely and comforting.  We dropped our bags and went for an explore before the sun set.

To the rear (south) side of the hotel there’s quite a narrow terrace/garden area with tables and chairs. It must be really lovely to sit there on a warm day, looking out at all the green fields. But most of the hotel’s grounds are to its northern side and we didn’t have time to explore them.  Inside we found a wonderfully large lounge area, which in the past must have been used as a place of worship because it had stunning stained glass lead windows, a big organ with pipes climbing up one of the walls and a triple-height ceiling – just like in a church.

We were planning to leave for our party at 19:30 and we wanted to line our stomachs with food beforehand, but the hotel restaurant didn’t open until 7pm. So we went to the lounge bar, were food is served all day.  The menu wasn’t at all inspiring – somewhat dated British pub fayre, at relatively high prices, from which I chose a French onion soup and spaghetti carbonara. Mr A had a carrot soup and fish and chips.

Our soups were in small bowls and were pretty bland. My onion soup (£7) was thin and wishy-washy and not the rich, warming cuddle I was in need of. 2/10  My pasta (£14) tasted better, but I suspect it had been reheated in a microwave 5/10. Mr A’s fish had been over-fried and, like the chips, was definitely made from frozen.  Of course I can’t be certain, but it really did appear that the kitchen was reheating everything, not making it fresh.  And BTW the main restaurant’s menu also looked uninspiring and void of a competent chef’s input.  I also found the bar prices to be too high (£4.95 for a bottle of Becks).

The next morning breakfast was served in the main restaurant. A very small buffet offered cereals, poorly presented fruits and some cold cuts, then we could order a hot dish from a la carte. My eggs Benedict had fresh-tasting toasted muffins topped with 2 pale yellow poached eggs and a horribly artificial looking bernaise sauce, which tasted as bad as it looked. The carved ham was very good though. Coffee was OK at best, and took too long to get to the table.  3/10

Overall I thought the room, the soft but comfortable bed, and the friendly, professional staff made Nutfield Priory a pleasant place to stay at a competitive price. But the F&B offering was very poor and not at all on the same level. At the party some of the guests, who lived locally, told me they didn’t know anyone who had gone to Nutfield for a meal out, and I can understand why not.  5/10