Lucknam Park. A five-star country house hotel, spa and equestrian centre where city dwellers flock for some much-needed respite – no doubt drawn in by the 500 acres of Wiltshire’s finest parkland. As you approach, you’ll drive along a grand, beech-tree-lined driveway, which once shielded WWII spitfires from view, until the honey-hued Palladian mansion emerges – revealing a picture of rural refinement.
Packed with history, yet with enough modern features to meet the desires of today’s discerning luxury traveller, this 42-room Relais & Châteaux property has mastered the modern-living heritage experience – an artful collision of the old and new.
It already has a front-cover splash restaurant, Michelin-starred Restaurant Hywel Jones (widely regarded as one of the best dining destinations in the southwest). But since April 2024, its relaxed counterpart has re-entered the scene after a full refurb: The Walled Garden Restaurant, so named for its positioning amongst landscaped courtyards, lofty hedgerows and blooming flower beds.
The single-storey restaurant seamlessly blends into its leafy surroundings with contemporary, botanical touches. Wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows beckon the outdoors in, while sun rays splinter through the skylights above. At the entrance, a curved fluted bar is certainly welcoming; its signature aperitifs, elegant wines and crisp glasses of English sparkling are made for an afternoon alfresco on the sun-soaked terrace, or perhaps on a plush seat by the baby grand piano and flickering fireplace. Happily, dogs are also welcome in this zone, adding to the easy-going atmosphere.
The hearth opens into a Scandi-chic dining area, where pools of natural light illuminate the smooth wooden floors and exposed stone back wall – a textural contrast to the flourishing foliage and green glassware. Combined with the soothing, earthy palette of sage, stone, marble and wood, it’s an idyllic stage on which to savour the tastes of the season.
Head chef Alex Green’s vision for the food is simple: everything is either reared on the estate or grown in the kitchen garden – and mindfully sourced from elsewhere when it’s not. It opens on a delightful note with an assortment of starters served on sleek stoneware. These included allotment-plucked radishes with smoked butter bean hummus, succulent wood roast scallops dressed with parsley and lemon, Cornish crab on toasted soldiers, and a jar of hot salmon to dollop on crunchy sourdough and spongy focaccia.
The à la carte mains and specials change throughout the year; during my visit, I dined on wood-roasted, free-range chicken breast, served with Wye Valley asparagus, morel mushrooms, garden peas and Lucknam Park wild garlic. It was perfectly cooked and finessed with a sublime jus – and left me with lingering high expectations for the Walled Garden’s Sunday roast. For dessert, the creamy coffee and walnut choux was a deliciously decadent take on the classic profiterole, providing a sweet finish to this appetising tale of an English country garden.
All in all, this week-round all-day brasserie is one for the radar. The Walled Garden Restaurant adds a new culinary dimension to Lucknam Park, reaffirming the country house hotel as a leader in boutique luxury, where hospitality and gastronomy come oh-so naturally.
Walled Garden, Lucknam Park, Colerne, Chippenham SN14 8AZ; lucknampark.co.uk
Emily Cotterhill is a freelance writer and former publishing director at Weddings & Honeymoons Media
