We were invited to spend a night at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel.  I say ‘we’, that is The Husband, Jessie the dog, and I!

Ox Pasture Hall isn’t just dog friendly it welcomes dogs with open arms along with other pets.

From our home in West Yorkshire it took about an hour and a half to get to the hotel, which is near Scarborough but also feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere. Just what is needed when you just want to relax.

We got out of the car and walked towards the entrance of the hotel where I suddenly stood very still. I was deafened by the silence – we live in a village near moorland in Yorkshire but also on a main road in a house full of children and teenagers. To hear ABSOLUTELY nothing was so refreshing.

We were taken to our room by the lovely Rosie and left to have a look round.  We had a suite – which had a bedroom, large living area and bathroom. We had a dual aspect looking out over the grounds and fields. The decor was beautiful and after having a good look we realised we would want for nothing. Ox Pasture Hall had everything covered.

We returned to the main part of the hotel and sat by a roaring fire for afternoon tea. The dog toasted herself by the fire and we chatted to Lynsey, the Manager about the best way to go for a dog walk from the hotel.

Having not had any lunch the afternoon tea was exactly what we needed. Lovely sandwiches, warm scones and little cakes all presented beautifully and delicious.

Having not taken our dog to a hotel before I was a little nervous to start with but I was quickly put at ease when Jessie was brought a bowl of water and fussed over by every member of staff that passed by. Dogs are allowed in every part of the hotel, apart from the restaurant.  This isn’t a problem as there is also a bistro area where you can eat, and take your dog into.

We set off for a post afternoon tea walk from the hotel. A hundred yards down the road from the hotel we came to Dog Bark Bend where we entered woodland.  There are many walks that you can take from the hotel and each differs in length. Our walk took about an hour and a half where we met a fishing lake and then walked back along the country lane to the hotel just before the sun went down.

We popped back to the bar to warm up in front of the fire again and have a couple of swift gin and tonics.

A long soak in the bath was next on the agenda and I had heard various things about the taps at Oxpasture Hall, including from the lady who helped to pick them. They truly are fabulous and had a sort of mesmerising waterfall effect which added to the luxury of our bathroom.

We had dinner in the bistro and I cannot begin to tell you how good the food was. The hotel has two rosettes which became apparent as our meal went on. We had a strawberry consomme which was packed full of flavour followed by starters of herring with pickled vegetables (The Husband) and ham terrine with pea and quails egg (me). The herring was amazing, the texture was really good and the pickled vegetables really complimented the dish.

For main I had the beef, served with baby turnips and mashed potato. The husband had pork belly with black pudding, vegetables and mashed potato.  The beef was cooked to perfection and The Husband said it was one of the best black puddings he’d ever had. For desert I had the Caribbean Cocktail which included mango rice pudding, sorbet and panna cotta. The Husband opted for a liqueur coffee and shortbread which was light and melted in the mouth.

Breakfast was a relaxed affair – back in the bistro so we could take the dog. We had a full English, which was spot on and didn’t disappoint – perfect poached eggs and really tasty local sausage.

When we left Ox Pasture Hall Hotel we traveled to Cayton Bay, 20 minutes away where we walked the dog on a rather foggy beach. The fog slowly cleared and we had the perfect end to our short break.

Ox Pasture has the knack of making you feel at home and relaxed but still with the luxury touches of a hotel. We were well and truly Ox-Pastured when we left which is a new word for ‘super-relaxed and content’!

Thank you, Ox Pasture Hall Hotel, for a wonderfully relaxing break, top notch food and excellent staff.  Next time we need Ox-Pasturing we’ll let you know!