Ox Pasture Hotel – Hotel/Wedding Review
So a couple of weeks ago, my partner and I were invited to come sample the delights of the Ox Pasture Hotel in Scarborough for the weekend.
We headed down on the Friday with the intention of stopping overnight at the Ox Pasture hotel, then heading out for the day into Scarborough as the beach is really close by.
We had no expectations of the hotel as to be honest; it’s wasn’t a venue I’d heard a lot about, so I was looking forward to be spending some time at a lovely new venue. As a wedding photographer, you tend to get hired at venues you’ve shot at previously because of the experience you have there. So it made a nice change to go somewhere you haven’t been before.
We arrived mid afternoon and headed straight to the reception located at the entrance which was at the end of a beautiful pathway with lovely archways to walk through. There we were greeted by very polite staff that showed us straight to our room. To get there we had to walk through most of the grounds which were beautiful. As you can see from the photos, the scenery was simply stunning, full of water features and a colourful array of foliage.
The room was one of the luxury suites with a king size bed. The room was lovely, very clean, very spacious, and full of modern offerings and the bathroom was HUGE! The bathroom had his and hers sinks; a huge bath and a power shower – you can’t beat a power shower 😉 The room was split into living quarters, the bedroom and the bathroom with a TV in each the bedroom and the living room. This was definite luxury!
We soon got unpacked, got connected to WIFI (a girls gotta have WIFI) and then went for a look around.
I went straight outside to fully check out the grounds, which I have to say were stunning. The views are endless, it’s such a remote area too so it’s really quiet and relaxing. The grounds go on forever, perfect for those long walks. We had a stroll through the gardens and ventured all around the hotel. For a wedding – it’s perfect. It’s really everything you’d want on your big day; the grounds are really beautiful so your photos would look simply stunning. There are endless places to take the most beautiful photos and it’s the perfect place to bring your family and friends as there is room for everyone and yet at the same time there are plenty of places to be alone as a couple. There’s clearly room to have the smallest to the largest of weddings here.
So scenery-wise, it’s perfect for a wedding!
Speaking to a few of the guests, I was advised they had been previously with their dogs, which I wasn’t aware was possible, so it seems you can really bring everyone – even your dog! (My dogs would totally have to come to my wedding).
After we had finished our walk, we went back inside to have our evening meal. We were advised to sit in the bar lounging area whilst we looked through the menus and were provided with complimentary champagne – they really know the way to a woman’s heart 😉
After we had made our selections we headed to the dining room. The room had lovely ambience, quiet and relaxing and it overlooked the gardens. There was a terrace area too if you wanted to eat outside – very romantic.
We were immediately greeted with a lovely starter of quail egg and some tasty form of ham with a pea mousse, I complained because I’d ordered the soup as a starter. To my embarrassment they came back to advise me it was a complimentary appetizer – oops! It was totally delicious though lol.
So then next came the soup which was smooth and creamy and totally delicious – yum!
After this was the main course, I ordered the beef and my partner ordered the Sea Bass which he tells me was very juicy.
There were two types of beef, a fillet and a brisket. The beef was absolutely gorgeous, safe to say it was the best beef I’ve ever had, it just melted in my mouth, so soft and succulent. The beef was accompanied with creamy mash potato and a selection of vegetables.
Then we had the dessert but by this point I was absolutely full to the brim, but I forced myself to have some as it looked amazing. I had a selection of berry deserts, they were absolute heaven! I could only bring myself to have a few bites of each as I was so full already but they were totally scrumptious.
The whole meal was totally delicious and a visual treat, everything looked amazing and was presented so exquisitely it was a shame to spoil the way it looked to eat it lol. But I have to say, the waiting staff could not do enough for us – they were absolutely brilliant.
We had some wine and then headed outside to walk the food off. Considering it was September, it was fairly warm outside. We sat in the gardens and talked for a while before heading back to our room; it was lit up lovely and felt very romantic. The perfect end to our day.
I wanted to try out the power shower as soon as we got back to the room, I LOVE a good power shower lol. I had one first but didn’t want to get out as it was so massaging, the jet just felt incredible on your back but I suppose I had to let the other half have one too as I’m just so kind hehe 😉
When we booked, we were advised we’d be sleeping in a king size bed but it was MASSIVE! I’m quite sure it was a super-king or queen as it was so much bigger than my king size bed. The bedroom was lit with very quaint lighting and created a very romantic ambience. The bed was really comfortable too and bathed in luxurious covers, not much more we could ask for really!
The next morning we headed to the dining room for breakfast and were told we could help ourselves to whatever we wanted. There was a choice of cereals, fresh fruit or a full English with tea/coffee/orange juice. So naturally we had a full English breakfast with fresh orange – just what you need to start the day off, it was delicious.
Then we checked out and headed off to the seaside to finish off our weekend 🙂
So going back to the wedding review, we’ve established that the scenery is perfect for a wedding, after sampling the cuisine there I’d say the food is simply superb.
It was such a nice to go to a venue where they excelled in every area.
The main areas I tend to look at in venues are:
Grounds – what it looks like outside, as a photographer it’s important to me that there are plenty of places to do group photos as well as the intimate couple photos. For you, are there enough places to have all the photos taken that you want on your big day?
Hotel indoors – The presentation inside is as important as its presentation outside as if it rains on the wedding day then there needs to be somewhere inside to take stunning photos. Again for you – is there enough places to have all the photos taken that you want on your big day?
Food – If the food is not very good then this has an impact on the guests and the couple, you want your guests to say “Wow, the food was fantastic” not “Nice wedding, shame about the food”.
Staff – Another huge thing, every venue I’ve ever been to, people have always commented on the staff and either how helpful/not helpful and friendly/unfriendly they were. Again it’s just another thing to take from your day dependant on the staff’s behaviour.
Fit for purpose – So can they cater for a big wedding, a small wedding? Can you get married at the venue as well as having your reception here? Can they cater for all your guests, including the disabled? Do they have enough staff to cover the event?
I can easily say that Ox Pasture Hotel tick every single box on the list.
Beautiful inside and out, the food is amazing, the staff cannot do enough for you and they can cater for every need.
To sum up Ox Pasture Hotel, I’d say it was a fairytale venue that simply takes your breath away from start to finish. 5*****
If you’d like to book your perfect wedding day with them click here:
http://www.oxpasturehallhotel.com/weddings
Or if you’d simply love to book a lovely weekend there like I did, take a look at their website: http://www.oxpasturehallhotel.com/