I kicked off the bank holiday weekend with a real treat, a night away at the Hilton at St Georges Park in Burton on Trent. I accompanied my friend and fellow blogger Annie Bean as she had been invited to review the hotel as part of their ‘Rediscovering Hilton’ campaign.
We were booked in for dinner in their restaurant at 8:30 pm – as it was still light, we were able to take full advantage of the beautiful countryside views from the floor to ceiling windows running the length of one wall. The hotel is less than 6 months old and the decor throughout is neutral, modern and stylish. The restaurant has a mix of tables and booths with soft fabrics and a nature-inspired colour scheme of greens and browns. A very relaxing environment.
The kitchen looks out on the restaurant too – always a sure fire sign that there is nothing to hide. I started with an Artichoke Salad and Annie Bean went for the Mushroom Pate. The presentation was immaculate on both plates and we both enjoyed our starters. On my dish, a creamy new cold potato salad which had a crispness perfectly suited to the warm grilled artichoke.
For my main, I had Sea Bream on a bed of pea puree, potato and chorizo. It was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. Annie Bean went for a warm halloumi and sweet potato salad which smelt and looked delicious.
My only criticisms are that the portions were on the small side – which is fine, except that I’d asked the waitress if sides were needed and she’d said no. I also think there is someone in the kitchen with a pea shoot obsession! They are very ‘en vogue’ at the moment and tasty but there did seem to be a lot of them on all our plates!
We finished with a cheeseboard and banoffee pie. Both delicious!
We drank Monte Verde Sauvignon Blanc which was crisp and refreshing. I’m a big fan of new world wines and Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favourites. This particular brand is great value for money at under £7 in the supermarkets and easily available.
Overall, we had a lovely evening at the hotel – the room and communal areas were beautiful, clean and spacious. The beds were very comfy and the gym and swimming pool facilities top notch. The food was delicious and modern in style and presentation and I would recommend it wholeheartedly. As the FA training centre for the England football teams, the hotel is surrounded by training pitches and such like, its also in the countryside outside of Burton itself but if you don’t mind that (and football-themed art and photography all around), it’s a lovely place, perfect for a chilled overnight break.
What a fantastic opportunity. The sea bream with chorizo does sound good.
Thank you, yes it was – I'm very lucky to have a friend who is also a lifestyle blogger! The food was really good, the chorizo and crispy potato was cut into little chunks underneath the fish – delicious.