AD – This meal at Balmer Lawn Hotel was complimentary in exchange for a review.
Nestled in the heart of the New Forest on the outskirts of Brockenhurst is a beautiful hotel with a unique outdoor eating experience – Balmer Lawn Hotel. Balmer Lawn Hotel combines the contemporary & traditional into a wonderful 4-star hotel, offering excellent spa facilities, dog friendly accommodation, weddings and dining in their two restaurants. I was invited along to experience the outdoor dining area at Balmer Lawn Hotel, The Lodge Kitchen & Bar, which has been transformed into a wonderfully festive space. Being an outdoor space works well in current COVID restrictions, as you are allowed to dine here in a group of 6 with other households – which is hopefully a useful solution for anyone struggling to meet with family during the festive period.
Balmer Lawn Hotel has been in business for over 100 years, previously being used as an army hospital during WW1 and as an army staff college in WW2 before returning to the hotel business in the 1940s. Balmer Lawn returned to private ownership in 1997, after being purchased from Hilton by the current owners. Since buying the hotel, the current owners have worked hard to return Balmer Lawn Hotel to its former glory, earning back their 4-star status and reputation as one of the best hotels in the New Forest.
The Lodge Kitchen & Bar is an apres-ski style dining experience with festive decor, an outdoor bar, pizza oven and plenty of heaters. It’s a comfortable temperature for a meal, and the slightly chilly atmosphere actually made The Lodge feel even more festive! Booking is definitely recommended for The Lodge, as it is a very popular spot among locals – The Lodge was around two thirds full when we visited for lunch on a Tuesday, so it will be bustling at the weekends and in the evenings!
We were seated beneath an autumnal tree & next to our reindeer friend, which made our table feel cosy & semi-private – something you don’t always get in a restaurant!
The service was excellent at Balmer Lawn Hotel – we hadn’t been sat down for long before a waitress arrived to take our food & drink orders. Their COVID arrangements were also very good – our temperature was taken upon arrival, there were plenty of hand sanitisers dotted around and the staff were all wearing masks or face shields.
The menu at The Lodge is apres-ski inspired, with flatbreads & pizzas cooked in their onsite pizza oven, classics like baked camembert and sharing boards if you like who you’re dining with. It was incredibly hard to resist the Christmas pizza and the festive flatbreads, but we ended up opting for a sharing board for two.
I also noticed that Balmer Lawn Hotel utilises local food producers, with suppliers like IOW tomatoes – which was fantastic to see!
Are you ready to feast your eyes on the king of sharing boards? Of course you are!
Our food arrived promptly and was served with a smile – of course, we were grinning too when we saw the sharing board coming towards us. The sharing board consisted of a carefully curated selection of meats, cheeses & accompaniments, served with a basket of flatbread & foccacia. It was all beautifully presented and the portion size was perfect for two!
All of the sharing boards come with a variety of meats – De Santa Prosciutto, Mortadella, Negroni Picante, Spianata, Porchetta and Coppa. A lovely combination of flavours, which paired well with our cheeses – Taleggio and Pecorino.
Accompanying our meats and cheeses was a delicious olive & chilli relish (like a homemade tapenade!), cornichons, olives, pearl onions, sun-dried tomatoes, feta stuffed sweet peppers and marinated artichokes. Everything was delicious and complimented the rest of the board – the crunchy cornichons were a pleasant addition!
My personal favourite parts of the sharing board (which, to be honest, is a hard choice) were the Taleggio cheese, olive & chilli relish, the pearl onions and all of the meats. It was all exquisite and very well thought out.
We worked our way through the sharing board at a fairly leisurely pace which was very enjoyable, and we didn’t feel rushed at any point. The atmosphere in The Lodge is perfect for a slower pace of meal – quite different to a normal restaurant.
Unable to resist trying one of the many desserts, we opted for the most unusual of the lot. I can’t say I’ve ever tried a sweet calzone before – but there’s a first time for everything! We shared the Biscoff, Banana & Creme Fraiche calzone, which turned out to be a very large portion – this dessert was perfect for sharing.
I was very pleasantly surprised by just how good this was! It’s a well known fact that anything with Biscoff in is going to be a winner, and this was no exception. The sweetness of the Biscoff was well balanced by the creamy creme fraiche, and the dusting of sugar over the calzone was a nice touch. It’s safe to say that I’m a convert to a sweet calzone! The dough was also excellent, which bodes well for the pizzas on the menu at The Lodge.
After our meal we had a quick look inside Balmer Lawn Hotel, which is all beautifully decorated for Christmas – I’d love to return for a night away to explore more of the hotel. The indoor dining areas were well spaced out, with a few tables near a cosy fire (which looked like the perfect spot for a festive cocktail).
We had a fantastic time at Balmer Lawn Hotel, and I’ve already recommended it to family & friends as we enjoyed our lunch so much! The service is excellent, the staff were all very friendly, the food was delicious and well presented. The food was great value for money too, with our sharing board for two priced at £30 – £15 a head for a relaxing, festive lunch is brilliant.
Balmer Lawn Hotel are planning to keep The Lodge in place for at least a year, with plans for the summer once the weather warms up a little. If you’re able to visit over the Christmas period, I’d definitely recommend it – but make sure you book to avoid disappointment! We’re already planning a trip back in a couple of weeks time for a family meal as we’re eager to share the experience – and I’m eager to try that Christmas pizza!
Visit the Balmer Lawn Hotel website here, and follow them over on Instagram for updates. If you do visit, I’d love it if you let me know your thoughts!
You might also like this post, Summer Lunch at The Huntsman of Brockenhurst
That looks fabulous, I shall definitely look at their website and,like you, would love a night there, I,ll let you know 🎄