The Orangery, Rockliffe Hall, Hurworth in Darlington

Afternoon Tea- Food beautiful but team keen to clear away plates before we had finished. Do had no jam or butter for scone. No offer of 2nd drink. A hot day and really unpleasant odour from staff member. Disappointed as previous visit staff very attentive. Today felt as though staff couldn’t be bothered.

Not for us. Went there with an open mind on the back of recommendations even though there are a lot of other places nearby fishing in the same pool. We found it over rated and over hyped -sorry. It was okay, yes, but not that great and for what we were charged, it should have been.

We have been on a few occasions but every time i cant help feeling underwhelmed. The restaurant lacks ambience, the room is just dim and very bland. No art, plants , just nothing . I wanted to feel a vibrant atmosphere but it was just very flat. The food, whilst nice was just that. Didn’t blow me away and wasn’t very memorable. I really want more from this place, when spending over £500 on a meal for two i want it memorable,. Please Consider a dinner dance night with a live music band ( Look at what the Ritz on a fri & Sat) and make it a place that is more lively and somewhere to spend the full evening and more importantly somewhere that you cant wait to return. As it is now i wouldn’t really be in a hurry. Sorry.

Family dinner in Sequoia; very good service and accommodating with allergies! Tasting and a La carte menus available. Excellent breakfast choices! Good wine list too!

Amazing food. The tasting menu was a delight from start to finish and the wine really did compliment every single dish. Our favourite dish was the salmon, but it was all very enjoyable. There was just the perfect amount of food to eat and the service and knowledge of the staff was very impressive. The eggs for breakfast were cooked to perfection. Would highly recommend.

We had breakfast absolutely gorgeous staff very nice couldn’t do enough for you, great service plenty of good to choose from , nice and quite with a lovely view,

We booked RH because it was convenient for a business meeting I had the following day. The menu at The Orangery looked interesting but not outstanding. How wrong we were! Head Chef Paul Nicholson had a Michelen Star at The Clockhouse in Ripley and his experience and ability shines through at The Orangery. Obviously not cheap but then cooking at this standard is never going to be. Beautiful confit salmon and the cod-iest cod dish I've ever had. Simply exquisite chocolate mouse! I'm sure it will not be long before the Michelen inspectors catch up with Paul and his brigade. Well done all round!

Been visiting rockliffe Hall for 7 years and usually pay £4.50 for a tea. On visiting today was told prices had gone up and it was now £6.50. Feel like they are ripping people off at this price, I run a gourmet tea business and we pay £20 per kilo and that is enough tea for 100+ cups

The Orangery restaurant is a nice space. The dinner menu comprises a La carte and tasting choices. The a la carte offering comprises a choice of three dishes for starter, mains and dessert; essentially a fish, meat and veggie choice. It rarely changes despite the website suggesting otherwise. Stay for a few days and your choice is extremely limited! There is the Club House and Nu Sana but neither are fine dining. The portion sizes are on the small side but balanced out over three courses they are “adequate”. Sadly vegetables are not offered but are nice when requested; note that there is a kitchen garden on site which is superb! The new head chef is well experienced and only a couple of weeks in; let’s hope he brings about some improvements. Also, the recommended dress code is shirt / jacket for men (no jeans or trainers); despite this both jeans and trainers are in evidence! Either smart casual or jackets etc are fine but if there is a “rule” it should be enforced!

The venue is fantastic and the food, drinks were really good and service was fine. But it is eye-wateringly expensive! The food we had was lovely and looked and tasted great. We also paid for the wine pairing to accompany our food. Despite the quality, it was just too expensive! The wine pairing cost £50 per person and we had 5 glasses of wine retailing at £10 / bottle (I checked on Vivino!). They were nice and we got a nice explanation but nothing special. So, here's the the thing. It was lovely, but I have eaten in a couple of Michelin starred restaurants in much grander surroundings than Hurworth (no offence :-) ) and paid a lot less. And they much more laid back, without compromising the experience. Could have done with a little more bread, or even toast with duck liver parfait? And what was with the tumpty for hand bags? But hey! So

Most of this meal was good, really tasty in fact but all massively let down by the main course (steak) which was so overdone it really soured the rest of the meal. Service all night was excellent and everyone played their part very well in making it an excellent experience. Owen especially was brilliant both in the evening and at breakfast the next morning. Both myself and my partner ordered the steak dish for the main course - we were doing the 3 course a-la-carte as part of a dinner bed and breakfast deal - and were both massively disappointed with it. At point of ordering the waitress checked that we were both happy with the meat being cooked medium rare which is exactly how we like it so all good. What we actually got was well done and not a drop of pink anywhere near it. We were there for my partners birthday and she asked that i didn't make a fuss about it or say anything as she is far too considerate about others for her own good sometimes! So yes, i could have said something about it and given the kitchen the chance to rectify the issue but what really infuriates me about this sort of thing in this sort of restaurant is that the chef has made the decision to send that dish out completely over done. Everything is checked and they've basically gone "meh, i don't really care about my diners experience or the money they've paid" and sent it out anyway. That to me is really really poor. As mentioned the other food was really tasty and well presented.

The cooked breakfast was ok but the buffet was disappointing, there wasn't much choice and situated on a small round table in the middle of the room.

Fantastic food and accompanying wine. Knowledgable and courteous staff. The venison was particularly memorable and the whole setting was relaxing.g

We visited the Orangery last October (2021) to celebrate our anniversary. We had a £50 'Rockliffe Experience' voucher I had won on a golf day and rather than spend it say in the clubhouse we decided to splurge it in the orangery. We went from the main menu at £65 each, we each had two glasses of wine which at £13 a glass we tried to spin out with (what we thought was complimentary table water - turned out top be £5 for a 500mL bottle!). I had the cheese board for pud and splashed out of two additional cheeses (5 instead of 3) for an extra £10! The overall bill came (with the £50 discount) to £152 - I jokingly asked if they'd remembered to knock the voucher off! We could have eaten 3 times in our favourite restaurant and had change and whilst everything was nicely cooked and there was enough (just!), the whole atmosphere is a bit sterile and for that price I expected an lot more 'experience'. (Fred Sirieix as Matre Di, Ramsay in the kitchen coming out to swear at me) - I know that's extreme, but it really lacked theatre and left me feeling a bit ripped off. Won't be heading back there!

Housed in a spectacular building and furnished to a high standard, the Orangery is a wonderful place to visit. Canapés were very artistic and pleasant to look at, more so to taste. I also normally avoid bread but their bread with two types of hoke made butter was delicious. ‘Sandy Carrot’ starter- visually lovely but taste wise it was over seasoned- way too much salt, as was the consensus by the three of us dining- Wife’s Scallop starter however was a stunner. steak main, I have to say, this was the best steak I’ve had in about 6 years, the previous from the Negresco hotel in Nice. The texture and flavour- I woke up and could eat it for breakfast- well done to the chef who cooked it too as it was perfect. Deconstructed cheesecake for desert and wife chose chocolate orangery- both superb, is it wrong to want seconds? I washed mine down with a desert wine- a passable Sauternes but by no means a Climens or a Yquem (of which they sold the latter). The wine list itself was very good- a lot of classified growth claret, burgundy, north and south Loire, Rhône, super Tuscans and lots of other regions. I love wine, so was in my element here but as so often the case forgo the blue chip wines for something less expensive- I only buy the top notch stuff to drink at home; it’s a shame they don’t use Coravin so I could buy the premier stuff by the glass. Got chatting to the Somm- Derek, and have to say what a very nice man he was. Absolutely knowledgeable and in no way intimidating or pretentious (take a note Raby Hunt) Derek was happy to discuss wine and even gave me some suggestions on wine regions and producers that I would have overlooked. Very good at his job, an asset to this restaurant. Front of house staff- both called Katie I think also fabulous. Overall, a wonderful evening- the only part I was confused about was when paying the bill we were taken into the bar, I didn’t see anywhere I could leave a tip- no option on the card reader and it just seemed wrong to leave cash with a different part of the operation to the restaurant. Finally, a message to Rockliffe Hall. While the food is delicious, if you really want your patrons to have a fine dining experience then perhaps you may want to allocate a smoking area somewhere discreet for your Spa users; When we left and walked towards the car park, there were people standing outside in slippers and dressing gowns smoking- far from looking luxurious, it was reminiscent of walking into the front of a hospital. We’ll be back, thank you kitchen and front of house staff for a wonderful experience.

We had the a la carte menu and it was beautiful The service by the staff was brilliant. They were very helpful and friendly. The setting is stunning too and a great atmosphere on an evening.

We had the 3 course a la carte menu. We have experienced fine dining all over the world but we’re left feeling that the courses were quite laughable in terms of portion size and the experience did not represent good value for money. The majority of courses could be consumed in 3 mouthfuls. As an example, one of the deserts was no larger than a 50 pence piece!. The food was nice but nothing outstanding. Service was friendly and professional, but we will not be returning.

I don't do many reviews good or bad , but after last night's experience I felt I must on this occasion. We arrived half an hour before our booking as requested in the confirmation email, taken to the bar we expected to be shown menus to choose from and maybe a wine list,we got neither. Ordered drinks then sat for half an hour waiting. Why tell you to arrive early. Taken through to the restaurant and seated then the menus arrived and we chose the tasting menu as everything seemed to suit our tastes or at least be interesting ( cheese and onion, I'll come back to this) . Canapés arrived both of which were quite good , followed by bread ,very good, off to good start all the good stuff to come. I was going to go through the menu course by course but it can be covered by say that virtually everything is over rich and over seasoned, so salty, couldn't taste the scallop or the venison if you ate it with the other things on the plate. One thing on every course overpowered the rest. Granola served with two dishes in a row ? As for cheese and onion, sounds interesting and have found at other restaurants you're often surprised what can be done very basic ingredients, not on this occasion, bitter and sickly and again salty. We didn't complete the menu as after the second off last course we waited for 35 minutes for the last to arrive, it didn't turn up, lots of staff walked past us on numerous occasions .I don't know if they thought we were finished but we weren't asked if we wanted more drinks, or coffee if we had completed our meal ,so we asked for the bill and a discount for the course we hadn't received ,we did get a discount in fairness , but that's not the point. Surely if you're serving a tasting menu you make sure that you serve all of it ,you can apologise afterwards but that doesn't distract from the fact that what is supposed to be a fine dining experience was far from it.

During our stay at the Rockliffe Hall, we have booked in to The Orangery for dinner. We decided to go for the tasting menu as it wasn't significantly different from a la carte price-wise but was definitely more exciting! We went for the wine pairing...

Have been to the orangery a number of times now, the last a little while ago wasn’t the best, but decided to give it a another go as Rockliffe hall is superb the orangery setting is excellent and a new ish head chef. Meet and...

In the restaurant The service was rather mechanical compared to the previous 3 times that we were there. The explanations of the food were given with some detachment rather than pride and passion. The tasting menu this time was not as delicious as previous occasions....

We were staying overnight in the hotel and booked dinner at The Orangery. We chose the 3 course rather than the tasting menu. The quality and presentation of each meal was excellent and the contribution provided by Derek the Sommelier outstanding. His enthusiasm for his...

I booked the Orangery restaurant for our anniversary as we had received £120 vouchers as a present. We thought we would use them to celebrate. We fully expected to pay towards the voucher & had looked online beforehand at the menus. Advertised was an al...

My husband and I visited The Orangery restaurant, after staying overnight, following our wedding day. The experience we had was outstanding from start to finish. We were welcomed by extremely professional members of staff whom ensured we were comfortable and happy throughout our time. One...

Went as a surprise with a good friend I was visiting. We were greeted immediately & shown to our table. We had booked for afternoon tea. They checked if we had any allergies before bringing a selection of sandwiches, (coronation chicken, smoked salmon, egg &...

Upon arrival, we were presented with only a tasting menu (£75 per person). When we enquired about the A La Carte menu (which is currently still online as part of the Orangery restaurants sample dinner menu), we were informed that this was not being offered...

The spa garden and our room (an old hall suite) were definitely 5*. They were fab. However everything else wasn’t. We ate in the Clubhouse and had dinner and breakfast in the Orangery. Each time we had to ask someone to serve us...there was lots...

Food and service were excellent could recommend this place for any body to eat and enjoy their night. They will get a mitchlen star soon

Our meal at the Orangery was the celebration meal of a stay at Rockliffe Hall to celebrate my grandparents’ diamond wedding anniversary. The food was incredible, the servers themselves were excellent, and overall a memorable experience, it was just a shame that it was marred...

Last minute break and had the 3 course a la carte menu. Not food we would normally eat but the quality of all 3 courses was exceptional. Covid compliant throughout and all the staff were very attentative. Can not fault anything about the food or...

The service for breakfast was very slow we were booked in for breakfast at 9.15 and it was 10.15 before we got our breakfast

We experienced afternoon tea in the Orangery and enjoyed every second. The view from our table was stunning and the atmosphere was so calm and relaxing. The food was delicious and the service was first class from staff who were professional, friendly and welcoming. A...

My wife and I ate here for the 1st time and it was a great experience. The food was spot on, plenary of flavour and cooked perfectly. We had the taster menu, the crab and the venison were our two favourite dishes. We also had...

Nice food but beware if paying for anything in advance over the phone…………………………….I booked an Afternoon Tea in the Orangery for my daughters 30th birthday and paid over the phone.On departure the staff said that they could find no record of payment and kept asking for a voucher despite being told repeatedly that is had been paid over the phone and so there was no voucher.This all occurred in the public area of the Orangery and continued at main reception, leaving my daughter increasing upset.Finally the receptionist found the payment confirmation which apparently would have been visible to the Orangery staff had they bothered to look. The whole episode was extremely disappointing and ruined what should have been a lovely day.So, make sure you request a payment confirmation, because they wont send one otherwise, don’t expect one dept to communicate with another and don’t expect to be treated with courtesy or respect if there are any issues to be resolved.Don’t think making your concerns felt to the Hotel Manager, Jason Adams, will help resolve matters, he will just accuse you of being at fault............not so much as an apology for the upset caused.Being local to Rockliffe I had no desire to leave this review and have only done as a result of the comments from from Mr Adams.I look forward to seeing a response here and presume no more than the usual generic words used elsewhere!

I don’t know where to start but have to say this is the worst service for a 5 star hotel and restaurant we have ever experienced. We have been here on 3 other occasions and never had such a bad experience. Over 1 hour to receive our first drink in the restaurant and then to ask the manager what is happening he says sorry and then 30 mins later we get our drink. 2 hours later we get our 3rd course of the tasting menu. Unbelievable!!The manager was so in helpful and just couldn’t explain which made it even more difficult.The Rockliffe Orangery is obviously struggling with keeping up with the standards and too many covers being booked.Very disappointing and won’t be back sadly!!

The three of us enjoyed a lovely breakfast but the only problem was the staff took a long time to take our order then a long time to bring it.But with that said when the food did come it was worth it. They catered well to my dietary requirements and I didn’t feel I was missing out at all.Staff were all very nice.

We had a meal in the orangey while staying at rockcliffe we could choose from a taster menu or the a la carte menu. We chose the a la carte menu and wasn’t disappointed. I am coeliac and nothing was too much trouble. The whole meal was delicious, the dessert of dark chocolate pistachios and cherries was probably the nicest dessert I’ve ever tasted. The gluten free bun I was given was excellent as I really struggle with gluten free bread usually (never very nice) I told the head waiter how pleased I was and after we had gone to our room the head waiter came to the room with two more. A very nice touch. The drinks are a little steep but they usually are in restaurants. It was definitely worth the money.

Gary Duffy Head Chef, Derek & David Sommeliers, the rest of the Orangery team , Robin in the Spa, Manson on concierge, thank you for making our weekend truly memorable and wonderful You people should be really proud of the way you treat your guests, it makes all the difference.We massively enjoyed the varied tasting menus on both our evenings but have to say, the wine pairing does make a big difference.We chose our wine first night and although excellent, it did not accentuate the taste of the food.Put your trust in Derek and David,they will make your meal a real event.Rockcliffe is 5 Star luxury, it takes a lot of money to run an establishment like it, so don’t be surprised at what you are asked to pay for the privilege.It’s not as if you’re going to go every month unless you play for Boro !Steve Gibson has created a wonderful country experience and he’s to be congratulated for it.Thank you one and all, we will be back.

We dined in the Orangery and stayed in Southampton suit. We had the six course tasting menu cooked by head chef Garry Duffy and his team. Every course was divine but i have to highlight two - the Trout and Lamb were outstanding.At £65 worth every penny and cant wait to eat there again tonight.

Gifted afternoon tea for my birthday . Dreadful experience . I rang booked using gift voucher girl took details of number etc . Upon arrival we were seated and asked for voucher . I didn't take it as I had given details over phone and wasn't reminded it was needed. Waitress went away to seek advice came back said no voucher no tea or pay again to stay,I only had a small amount of money with me so friend offered ,embarrassing or what ,I wanted to leave , the food was poor ,I asked for one no meat version so was given chickpea dal ,whoever would have that on an afternoon tea menu!,I tasted it before realising I couldn't follow it with cake as all I could taste were the spices ,I took the cakes home and gave them away ,the veggie sausage roll even the dogs wouldn't eat ,best thing I had was a cheese scone and passable avocado on bread , once home I read in the small light coloured print of the voucher that I should have taken it with me ,I emailed a copy of it over together with a complaint and am still awaiting the senior team contacting me

This hotel has been a long time favourite of ours over the years and we’ve been and stayed many times with friends and family. The service used to be fantastic, faultless in fact, however over recent years this has gone downhill. There are still staff here who are first class, particularly the concierge and generally the spa staff. However, the restaurants and bars need to up their game. I had a bad experience last year which I took up with the hotel direct and then my husband and I visited yesterday for the Food Fayre. We spent a lot of money and enjoyed the day, then decided to pop into the bar for a coffee. It was relatively busy but there were 3-4 staff working. There were glasses and cups and saucers all over the bar. We sat down and waited for someone to acknowledge us and take our order. In short, we waited for 12 minutes and were completely ignored. Even if they’d come over and said “we’ll be with you shortly” at least we wouldn’t have minded the wait but absolutely nothing.. We just got up, put our coats on and walked out. If a 5 star hotel can’t even get that right then they have a problem. Big shame as we love the hotel generally.

The introduction of the a la carte option has made a difference. Chose it this time rather than the tasting menu and have to say it was excellent. Would recommend the crab starter.

The orangery is a lovely romantics Hall. We went for the taster menu at £65 each!The painful part is how the waiters stand over you as someone else has to put the plates down. So you end up making awkward conversations every single time. Why not just tell them to say what the dishes are instead of messing about and hanging around Out of the 6 small dishes 4 were lovely and 2 were bland. It’s not a bad price for what you get but slightly disappointing after visiting The Old Swan! Doesn’t compare. With all the lingering around the meals was dragged out taking over 2 hours, not ideal for 6 small plates. Expensive drinks!! It’s nice for a treat to try but wouldn’t return

A really special evening. Delicious food with incredible wine matching. Informative yet relaxed. Well worth the cost for a special occasion

Food was amazing, staff are fabulous always on hand but never intrusive always made time during meal to have a chat Breakfast on day of departure was tasty

Tasting menu or a la carte ,both excellent value . Good choice of options with a la carte ,including vegetarian. Staff very knowledgable & friendly

Had a 6 course tasting menu during our stay and it was excellent. The staff asked all the right questions to ensure the meal suited the guest. Wine pairing was very good too

This restaurant deserves the highest accolades. Try the taster menu; every dish is perfectly presented and beautifully created.

Beautiful six course meal with an amazing chick pea amuse bouche! A fabulous restaurant manager also added to the evening.

Wow! Long time since last visit but still fav place to go for ‘somewhere special’. Everyone very relaxed, warm & welcoming yet still extremely professional (of course)!

Superb anniversary meal in a lovely relaxing restaurant.The food lived up to expectations and the sommelier has a excellent knowledge about the fantastic choice of wines .Definitely one of the best restaurants in the North East.

We had a lovely experience. Tasting menu was excellent and the wines selected by the sommelier were delightful He chose wines I had no knowledge of but they were excellent Service very friendly and efficient

we didn't expect such a gerat composition of food. Great location and service. Self made tasty bread and a very god sorted wine cellar!

The cooked breakfast was less than poor was quiet a let down really after the fantastic time we had in the spa an our hotel room.

The Orangery offers a tasting menu and has a better feeling in the daylight, a little bit like a canteen at night.

Myself and the wife enjoyed a lovely weekend break here as our Christmas present to each other.

The group I was meeting decided to try the "taster" menu. This was a mixed with some very good tasters - with some not so good. When we were done we could have done with a proper dinner. The wine taster though was excellent with all taster wines being excellent.

Delightful meal last night at the Orangery, the ten course tasting menu was a delicious. The flavours were fantastic and the service from Liam and Munga was first class. I also chose the wine flight from Daniel who always exceeds your expectations with excellent and interesting wine choices together with a degree to enthusiastic theatre. Loved the evening.

The food and its delivery to table is an art of entertainment. Superb. The cost is high but the quality and variety of food is worth it for a special occasion.

Love Rockliffe! Spa & rooms great, however after now trying the Orangery twice I would not return.

I can't even find the words to describe the taster menu. This was a real experience at a different level, each course beautiful to look at and bursting with flavour with some surprises, namely the macaron served with the fish dish. I was a little apprehensive about a couple of the dishes as I don't usually eat liver pate or venison, but the goose liver with Waldorf flavours was my favorite overall. The service was impeccable without being stuffy. Altogether a wonderful experience.

Food is good, Service is the worst. Would rated average. Not worth the money paid (mainly due to service

Staff were pleasant and helpful. Breakfast was delicious, a great start to our days away. Thank you.

We had a family meal in the Orangery and we all enjoyed it with tasty courses and good wines. The menu is a tasting menu with no choice. Overall, the food was very good but we all wondered if some of the courses were so small to be decorative rather than having culinary value. Some courses were absolutely spectacular so overall the food was very good. We bought the accompanying wine offering which were also very good. The negatives for me was that my seat faced where the waiting staff stood and I did not enjoy whether or not their laughing was at our expense - benefit of the doubt says no... The second is that the Orangery room at night has a cold feel. The glass roof has no blinds and the atmosphere is just not warm and inviting. The cost is high - 140 pounds each for food and wine service.

The orangery is a really warm and inviting place to visit, as is the whole Rockliffe Hall. Whilst many may believe that it’s only for the affluent, you could not be further from the truth, while the staff are polite and courteous, I witnessed differing approaches to each and every person, make no mistake, everyone was treated as if they were the only person in the room. Exceptional 0lace, exceptional service.

Stayed at Rockliffe to celebrate our anniversary (We had our wedding reception here too) - We opted for the 10 course taster menu which was exceptional. We didn't have the wine pairing as my wife was pregnant, so I opted for a bottle of Sancerre to myself. Each course was excellent, It was as good as food as any Michellin star restaurant we have been too. Service 5 star as expected!

Service not too good. We were put into smaller room and I felt forgotten about. Didn’t get sausage when ordered although they did get it when it was pointed out.

We had a 4 course paired wine here for my husbands birthday, we enjoyed every moment.

Decided to go here after the brasserie didn’t really float our boat.

Dined here with some very senior international business colleagues. They were so surprised to receive such a fine dinning and fine wine experience in the North of England. Sommelier knowledge was amazing and quite necessary given we went with the paired wine menu to match the seven courses. The Orangery at Rockliffe Hall is one of my favourites for entertaining senior overseas visitors and family special occasions. Can’t really recommend highly enough. 10/10 every time.

Simply put, it will be a travesty if Executive chef Richard Allen and his talented team are not deservedly recognised with a coveted Michelin Star in the near future.

Very good but have had better here. The beetroot was better last time. By no means poor but nod as good. Maybe the head chef was off? Lacked the normal spark

Course after course of beautiful plates paired with equally delightful wine! What a treat! I did not have to miss out on the Orangery experience at Rockliffe being vegan. The courses looked equally exciting on the root and branch taster menu as they did on the main menu. Every course was delicious, I cannot recommend enough!

Excellent selection of hot and cold food. The service amazing, staff were friendly, polite and couldn’t have done more to make us feel welcome. The Orangery was light and airy, comfortable with plenty of space. Following fruit and croissants from the buffet the hot food was served quickly and was of a very high quality.

Took my mother and some other guests there for a meal for my mothers birthday.

Love this place, everything is amazing 💖 Staff, rooms, bars, restaurants and spa top class. Highly recommend

Such a beautiful setting for breakfast overlooking the golf course. The staff are very attentive and the food on offer is of the highest quality. Freshly squeezed orange juice, loose leaf teas and locally sourced produce, including an especially good coiled sausage on the full English breakfast. A very high standard.

I'd bee prejudiced against this place although love it's afternoon tea so coming here to belatedly celebrate my birthday was something of an experiment and makes me wonder in the Michelin guide people are similarly prejudiced.

Had breakfast in here. There was a great variety and if something wasn't on the menu you only had to ask

wow , what can I say , food off the scales , every mouthful is asking for the next taste , top , top level . service is excellent , restaurant manager very professional and 5 star . DANIEL .... your knowledge of wine is fantastic so I am never drinking water again , your merit . Be proud of yourselves and may add the clubhouse down at the golfcourse who are also excellent in a different way ......thank you Ben and all the team . Go and visit Rockliffe . It is definitely worth a multiple visit. Anton , head concierge , great guy , thank you for your help and welcoming. Salvatore 62

My wife and I are no strangers to this excellent Hotel and resort. On this occasion we had a fabulous meal with 8 different wines. Each wine was well balanced to each course and superbly explained by thexresisent semellia. The service was

I honestly can’t fault a thing!

A most beautiful, tastefully restored room with stunning views and plush carpets underfoot. It was interestiNg to note the high ratio of efficient staff who seemed to be everywhere to fulfil guests' needs. Freshly squeezed orange juice was just one option and cereals, fresh fruit for appetisers followed by an exceptional menu of hot meals cooked to order and more delicious filter coffe or teas. Toast and pastries completed the meal in an atmosphere of quiet relaxation.

The ambiance,service, views and food were all first class. We have been a couple of times previously and can confirm standards have been kept to the maximum level possible.

My partner and I had the 10 course taster meal which was beautifully presented and the staff were very professional, polite and knowledgeable about each dish as they described them as they were served. They were also willing to cater for dietary requirements and such if needed. The staff were an absolute pleasure and the food was amazing.

We dined her for my husbands 40th and it was out of this world they even personalised the menu with his name and 40th birthday on we have not had a tasting menu before but i would definitely recommend it the staff are very knowledgeable , friendly and professional the wine list was fab the food was superb the presentation was amazing and the gift at the end was a special touch this is a very special restaurant and cant wait to return

What an or inspiring building. Décor, service, food. Waited on hand and foot. Both thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast.Cannot fault it.

We always wanted to have a meal in the Orangery and chose to combine it with an overnight stay to celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversary

Let’s get the downside out of the way first. Saturday night in the Orangery is limited to the Tasting Menu. It is only a downside because we were not made aware when we booked. My Mum has a petite appetite and has more food hells than heavens. Over a Cocktail (a brilliant Strawberry Daquiri) we persuaded my Mum to go with the experience and we are all glad we did. 10 courses for £80 or paired with wines £140. The portions were, as you would expect, small. But each one was beautifully presented and divine. We opted for the wine pairing and the wines were exceptional and described by the most enthusiastic guy you could come across. A really good experience and one not to be missed. One final comment to the restaurant - girls with trays, guys serving the food!! A bit more gender equality would be good.

since I last reviewed this restaurant there has been a change of Chef and Richard Allen is now at the helm. The place now boasts 4 AA Rosettes. This is seriously fine dining with prices to match. There are 10 courses at £80 and a matching wine pairing is £60. Obviously the courses are quite small and there is not a Potato in sight, I will give you a sample or two of what you can expect. Duck liver parfait-smoked eel with Rhubarb vinegar, Pigeon-quince dhal-honey & cumin juice, Cassis-lemongrass ginger, Sea buckthorn macaron-miso-butterscotch. The wines have been carefully chosen to match but none of which I had ever tried before and I do drink quite a lot of wine. All round I and my family and friends had a thoroughly lovely time. I was the lucky one to pick up the bill it was substantial at £817. but I look forward to the next time.

beautiful surroundings, first class service. I could eat breakfast in here every morning and never tire of the experience

To celebrate my birthday we organised afternoon tea at one or our favourite haunts. The cakes were fresh and freshly served and my special request for fruit being delivered without a fuss.

We came here after a disastrous meal at the Raby Hunt. Once again it was a tasting menu and we were a little concerned that we would enjoy it. However, we needn't have worried. The staff were very attentive and ensured they understood our diet preferences before the meal, so this time I didn't have to miss several courses that were not to my liking. The orangery is a lovely space and is modern, yet still comfortable. The menu was wide ranging with pigeon as the 'main' item. This was expertly cooked and full of flavour, and there was more than one mouthful! We had a good choice of wine and the prices were reasonable.

Thorough enjoyed afternoon tea in the Orangery for a second time in a couple of years whilst celebrating a family birthday.

My brother and parents were staying at the hotel and we all decided to have breakfast together! It was slightly busy and so we were sat in the private dining bit that adjoins the restaurant. We waiting a ridiculous amount of time to be served! When the tea arrived there was no strainer - we had to wait even longer for this and had to ask! The toast arrived but there was no jam or butter brought with it! My brother resorted to looking around the vacated tables and taking theirs!

Breakfast was amazing. Eggs Benedict with mushrooms and beetroot black pudding. Service and food perfect 👍

This is my third visit to The Orangery but will be my last. We are regular fine diners so understand the concept of the taster menu. However, I think Richard Allen has taken this too far. The portions were tiny also the some of the courses lacked flavour ie Smoked Articoke and the final course the Pine macaroon which was the size of a 1 pence coin was laughable I thought the pine cone was chocolate but was disappointed to find that it was literally as it fell off the tree. On a more positive note the wines in the wine pairing were very good.

I enjoy a breakfast as much as a evening meal. The Orangery was definitely a top rated experience . The room had lovely views over grass lands and gave a relaxed feeling. The cereals etc were self service but the cooked part was full waitress service. I had eggs Florentine and my wife eggs Benedict (but light on the sauce ) top marks.

Didn’t realize we had to go to breakfast fully dressed as we had our robes on staff called manager who was so polite and offered us the drawing room and fetched us a fantastic breakfast we felt ever so welcome good service

Beautiful decor,excellent service and a superb 10 course taster menu (vegetarian and vegan options available) You could also do wine pairing which was extremely informative and very enjoyable . Quite pricey but worth it as a special treat