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Staying at The Old Rectory with Crabtree & Crabtree in Northumberland

13:00
October 19, 2024

PR invite // All thoughts and opinions are, of course, my own.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m definitely more likely to be found sitting in front of an open fire in a little cottage with a cup of tea (or a whisky) than in the sun somewhere. So you could imagine that I was absolutely thrilled to be invited by Crabtree & Crabtree to come experience one of their lovely properties – The Old Rectory – in Northumberland.

The Old Rectory

First of all, let me introduce you to the beautiful building where we were staying. It’s one of the properties in the fabulous portfolio of Crabtree & Crabtree who had invited me on this little autumnal getaway – and once I just saw the outside of it I was immediately hooked. The Old Rectory is located near Slaggyford in Northumberland. It’s a gorgeous stone building with big windows and features 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and would be perfect for a group of up to 12. It’s also dog friendly and there is the option of hiring a private chef to come in and do select meals or perhaps just a special dinner for one of the evenings. We had the pleasure of enjoying the Taste of Northumberland dinner menu by Chef Connor, from The Kirkstyle Inn, which was just a beautiful celebration of local produce.

What I really like about the Crabtree & Crabtree website, besides it’s great design and how easy it is to use and navigate, is that they offer such great suggestions of what to do in the area as well as recommendations for where to eat and drink, something they really brought to life on this trip. Their team was absolutely and genuinely lovely as well and I really got the feeling that all these recommendations, as well as properties, are carefully selected to provide the best experience for the people that travel. I’m actually already eying up a couple of accommodation options on their website for a getaway for myself and my husband this winter and enjoyed the fact that I can tick it boxes like open fire, hot tub and bath in the filters. The tricky part will be choosing from all the gorgeous options.

The Old Rectory has some lovely social areas such as the big kitchen with an open dining area with lots of natural light from the big windows. It’s a really good spot for a larger group that wants to spend time together, but it’s also easy to sneak away to the bedrooms if you want your own personal space as well. The interior design is just gorgeous. The team at Studio Fantoush has done a great job at making the house feel welcoming and warm, yet elegant and full of interesting details.

The Kirkstyle Inn and Sportsman’s Rest

Right next-door to The Old Rectory you will find The Kirkstyle Inn and Sportsman’s Rest which is a charming pub with an elegant, yet cosy feeling. It’s a lovely spot to stop by for a drink, dinner or breakfast. I would particularly recommend the granola which was so good for breakfast and for dinner I enjoyed a wonderful game terrine followed by lamb from the neighbouring farm and then creme brûlée. Very wholesome food and really lovely to see such a focus on local ingredients.

Hill walking & foraging

We were blessed with a beautiful autumnal day and the adventures for the daylight hours included a walk up a nearby hill, where we spotted some of the local wildlife such as pheasants, deer, birds of prey and of course sheep. Along for the walk we had the lovely Emily Graham, who is an award-winning wildlife photographer and she also brought her beautiful dogs Milo and Pippa. We had gorgeous views all the way up and once we got to up we got a pleasant surprise in that the couple who live at the foot of the hill had left us a bottle of homemade sloe gin in the little top cabin. It was delicious and of course tasted even better after the inclined walk, outdoors whilst the sun was peaking through the clouds. If you’re visiting the area, I’d highly recommend some hill-walking as it’s a beautiful place for it – and especially at this time of year.

Once we got back to The Old Rectory, chef Connor had prepared the best lunch I could’ve imagined. Incredibly creamy parsnips soup with thyme and served with freshly made bread and I’m not even exaggerating when I say that this was one of the best lunches I’ve ever had. Soup is autumn is a staple for a reason and when it’s this well-made and you’re coming in after a couple of hours outdoors it was just perfect.

Following lunch we met up with Gemma, also knows as The Cramlington Forager, who took us on another wee walk and showed us a variety of interesting plants that we found along the way. Everything from wild mint to rowan berries and nettles and she also kindly left some jars of foraged goods that she had previously prepared which Chef Connor then used for our canapés in the evening.

Cocktail, gin and whisky tasting with Ad Gefrin

Before our dinner, the team from Ad Gefrin arrived to set up some wonderful cocktails to pair with the canapés. If you don’t already know Ad Gefrin, they are an Anglo-Saxon museum and whisky distillery located in Wooler in Northumberland. They are still quite a young distillery and will have whisky officially in 2026, but in the meantime have produced some other products like gin, independently bottled blended whisky and a cream liqueur. After dinner we were also treated to a tasting in front of the open fire where we got the chance to try the Tácnbora blended whisky and the Thirlings gin. They were both lovely and I’m already so intrigued by the Ad Gefrin story and what they’re doing at the distillery. It’s quickly made its way up the list of distilleries I want to visit as well!