Silent night: one couple's first break without baby

Search on the web for romantic getaways? Check

Load the car? Check

Hand one-year-old Dominik over to grandparents for them to deal with!? Check

And off we go our first night away in 14 months without Dominik. It has been a long slog and we both deserve a break. It's not that we don't like travelling with Dominik - it's just that the whole trip tends to revolve around his timings.... I'm sure this is a familiar story to any parent!

Bicester Village

Anyway, as we live in Greenwich, south London, a trip to Bicester in Oxfordshire for an overnight stay is an easy journey. We arrived in the area a little early and decided to explore "Bicester Village" - the name is a little misleading if you are expecting a quaint English village with cream teas et al. Bicester Village is actually a retail outlet centre, selling branded goods from last season with up to a 60% reduction in RRP. It has actually been designed rather well, and with all the shops lit up for Christmas it really added to a festive feel. After picking up a couple of bargains off we headed to our accommodation.

Romantic Getaways

My initial search for "Romantic getaways in the South East" had "Shakespeare's House" high up on the list of results. Having an interest in that time in history, and a love of staying in period properties the site sparked my interest.

The accommodation is located in Grendon Underwood (a name straight out of a Tolkien book!) in Main Street. The property is set back from the road and we actually drove past it twice. Some additional signage would have been useful.

As we pulled into the drive a house from a bygone age emerged. Knocking on the heavy door knocker we expected a scullery maid in Elizabethan garb to open it. Instead, Nick our host was there with a friendly, welcoming smile and a waft of delicious cooking smells behind him.

"Welcome," he said. "Let me show you around." As we went from beautifully designed room to room, he explained that he and his business partner are ex-interior designers... and doesn't it show! The rooms are tastefully flamboyant. They have obviously looked at the property as a blank canvas. The mixture of old and new décor could have so gone wrong... But it works. The dining room with white furniture and a cow hide onthe floor oozes minimalism, but the open brick fireplace is from another age.

The drawing room is cosy, and intimate, with personal portraits and photographs dotted around. It almost feels as if you are sitting in a private house.

Up the crooked staircase with exposed beams with paprika-coloured walls, we were led up into our bedroom for the night. Thick pile carpet and heavy curtains lent to a cosy feel. The bathroom, though just across the corridor and not en-suite, was spotless.

The "Shakespeare" Connection

Nick explained the name of the house derived from local legend. The house now containing Georgian elements was originally one of the biggest Elizabethan houses in the area. A fire destroyed part of it, which was then re-built.

There were two routes in that time from Stratford-upon-Avon to London, one via Oxford and one via this village. There was a very "strong" possibility that Shakespeare would have stayed here en route. There is also documentary evidence backing this up.

After a quick wash we went downstairs to the drawing room for a welcoming cup of tea and obligatory shortbread) and there we met the other guests.

Being such an intimate location this could have been very stilted and awkward, but we immediately hit it off.

The Food

As we chatted and sipped our Fortnum & Mason tea (Nick explained earlier that he thinks their tea is the "only" tea to drink and therefore feels compelled to supply the same to his guests) we were presented with menus for the evening meal.

Although short (three dishes per course), the choice was still difficult as they all sounded wonderful. For starters there was melted goat's cheese, mozzarella salad or smoked salmon; for main lamb shank, beef bourguignon or risotto with ossi buchi.

Libby opted for the melted goats cheese while I went for the mozzarella, and we both went for the risotto with ossi buchi (veal shin).

Melted goat's cheese can be sickly and overwhelming, probably due to the quantity and quality of the cheese - but Libby reported that it was just the right amount and delicious to the last bite. Each mouthful of my mozzarella melted gently onto my tongue and palate.

The risotto with ossi buchi was a masterpiece, full of layered flavours, from the creamy risotto to the tang of lemon and the peppery taste of raw garlic sparingly grated over the dish (just as well both of us were eating it!). I can happily report that this was one of the most delicious main courses I've tasted in a long time.

For dessert there was a choice of chocolate soufflé, marinated pear or a selection of cheeses.  Libby, who's a bit of a chocoholic, opted for the soufflé, while I opted for the healthier pear. Neither of us were disappointed!

The business has no licence so operates an honesty bar with suggested donations for the wine.

We tried to steer the conversation away from the subjects of parenting and Dominik, but I have to admit we did occasionally stray into those realms. Having a young (or any child) has such a big impact on your life it is very difficult not to talk about them.

After dinner, we retired to the drawing room for coffee. With its comfy sofas and a roaring fire it would have been very easy to fall asleep there, but after a while we said our good nights and retired upstairs to bed. We both slept like logs... and woke at 9.30 to the sound of... nothing! No crying for mummy, no giggles... nothing... Bliss! We'd both forgotten quite what that's like.

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The next day, we felt compelled to have the full English breakfast! Resistance was futile. We started with organic yogurt and muesli and then onto beautiful tender bacon and eggs. We also decided to try one of the other options on the menu. Libby had the full English, and I opted for light and fluffy scrambled eggs and salmon then in time-honoured fashion, we swapped halfway through.

After packing we bade farewell to Nick - a most attentive and personable host - and cast a last look around the house and garden. We both remarked that we felt utterly cocooned within its interior - completely cut off from the outside world, a rare thing these days.

Waddesdon Manor

Before heading home we decided to explore the local area and with trusty National Trust cards in hand headed for Waddesdon Manor, one of the many De Rothschild homes. A beautiful building and grounds in their own right - every year every room is meticulously decorated for Christmas.

Within the grounds there are other seasonal activities from a little Christmas market to carol singers and a wandering, rarely seen St Nicholas. All in all worth at least a half-day's visit to explore.

I should imagine the gardens are absolutely spectacular in the spring and summer months.

With our time now over, we headed back to collect Dominik from some very tired looking grandparents!  We were really refreshed though and happy to take back the reins.

By James Garner

Further information

A double room in Shakespeare House costs from £75 including breakfast. Dinner costs £25 per person.

Waddesdon Manor house and gardens are open at weekends from 10am to 5pm. Entry costs £12 for adults.

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