Muddy Stilettos


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-t-he-lowdown">T<strong>HE LOWDOWN</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="530" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/lainston-house-exclusive-hotels-amy-murrell-2017-1-1000x530.jpeg" alt="Lainston House " class="wp-image-89966" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/lainston-house-exclusive-hotels-amy-murrell-2017-1-1000x530.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/lainston-house-exclusive-hotels-amy-murrell-2017-1-600x318.jpeg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/lainston-house-exclusive-hotels-amy-murrell-2017-1.jpeg 1435w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: Amy Murrell</figcaption></figure>



<p>All your<em> Bridgerton/ Saltburn</em> grand pile fantasies rolled into one. Situated just outside Winchester, you&#8217;ll instantly fall for the handsome red brick, 17th-Century Georgian mansion ringed by 63 acres of grounds. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/LHH_grounds_01-scaled-e1715777377357.jpg" alt="LAINSTON HOUSE HOTEL GROUNDS" class="wp-image-93169"/></figure>



<p>Thankfully the interior lives up to the fancy exterior, with period bedrooms, an elegant wood-panelled dining room with views out to the mile-long avenue of lime trees and the kind of lavish, maximalist decor that makes boring neutral hotel furnishings seem lacking.&nbsp;Not that you&#8217;ll want to stay indoors the whole time, because Lainston House has more activities than you can shake a green welly at, from walking trails and fly fishing to clay pigeon shooting, archery and bike rides. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="969" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Season-cookery-school-full-view-scaled-e1715777317290.jpg" alt="LAINSTON HOUSE HOTEL SEASON COOKERY SCHOOL" class="wp-image-93170"/></figure>



<p>Lainston House also has a state-of the art on-site cookery school, Season. Open to hotel guests and visiting foodies, step-by-step classes are geared to food lovers of all abilities and include everything from baking, tapas, knife skills and fabulous fresh pasta, as well as sessions led by Lainston’s <em>Masterchef The Professionals</em>-winning Head Chef, Tom Hamblet.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>In summer months, alfresco oven cooking in the hotel’s Kitchen Garden using top-notch Gozney wood-fired ovens is a real highlight. If you want to raise your BBQ game, expert tuition and Big Green Egg kit will surely elevate you to King or Queen of the grill.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-vibe"><strong>THE VIBE</strong></h2>



<p>Cosy, country house cool. You know, the kind of place with flagstone floors, sash windows, vases of freshly cut flowers and open fires, where a line of wellies greet you in reception and you wouldn&#8217;t be surprised to find a Labrador asleep in the lounge (four-legged friends are welcome at Lainston). </p>



<p>Calm, chilled and unpretentious, guests are sure to return home feeling rested, and fuller (the food here&#8217;s fab, more of which later). it&#8217;s also family-friendly, with  dedicated family suites available, though I mainly saw couples during my one-night stay.  </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scoff-amp-quaff"><strong>SCOFF &amp; QUAFF</strong></h2>



<p>Reopened in late 2024 after a beautiful refurbishment, dining at The Avenue is chef’s kiss delicious – locally sourced (including produce plucked straight out of Lainston’s kitchen garden), imaginative and bursting with flavour.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/05/Lainston-House-the-Avenue-Linden-dining-room-1000x667.jpg" alt="Lainston House The Avenue" class="wp-image-37189"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Avenue </figcaption></figure>



<p>Heading up the kitchen, <a href="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/life-2/people/chef-tom-hamblet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">former Masterchef The Professionals winner Tom Hamblet</a> loved his residency here so much he came back as Head Chef and has elevated the menu to a fabulous fine-dining affair. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/05/Lainston-House-Venison-loin-dish.jpg" alt="Lainston House Venison loin dish" class="wp-image-37188"/></figure>



<p>Make sure you come hungry for the full tasting menu experience with popular signatures such as venison loin with beetroot, onion caramel and duck liver ganache sauce really hitting the mark with regulars and foodie locals.</p>



<p>In keeping with the grown-up, fine-dining atmosphere, The Avenue is open to adults and only 12s only. If you’re here with younger kids, or you’d rather a more laidback vibe, <a href="https://www.exclusive.co.uk/the-wellhouse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Wellhouse</a>, which also houses the hotel’s cookery school, dishes up tasty fresh meats, fish and homegrown veg cooked over woodfire and smokers in the walled kitchen garden. Not just for summer suppers, the foodie-looking two or three-course Sunday lunch here has looks incredible (we’ll be back!).&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pillow-talk"><strong>PILLOW TALK</strong></h2>



<p>Like everything else at Lainston House all 50 bedrooms are enormous and spoiling, from Cosy Rooms through to Suites with a private hot tub. We stayed in Ruby, a huge open-plan Junior Suite which was all crisp white linen, soft rugs, comfy chairs plus a wooden desk and towering four-poster bed. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Lainston-Ruby-Room-1000x750.jpg" alt="Ruby junior suite at LAinston House " class="wp-image-89963" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Lainston-Ruby-Room-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Lainston-Ruby-Room-600x450.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Lainston-Ruby-Room-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Lainston-Ruby-Room-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>We pulled on our white robes and slippers asap and made full use of the suite&#8217;s kitchenette area, complete with coffee machine, tea, biscuits and Le Creuset mugs, though we didn&#8217;t get to try out room service – next time. </p>



<p>Our spectacularly large bathroom was another welcome surprise, think double sink, whirlpool bath, television, large walk-in shower and Molton Brown goodies. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="750" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/molton-750x1000.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-89968" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/molton-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/molton-450x600.jpg 450w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/molton-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/molton-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/molton-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /></figure>



<p>If you&#8217;re travelling with little ones, cots are available free of charge and Z-beds for children at an additional cost, per night, per child (this does include breakfast). Children 13+ will be charged £75 per night.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Of course, no country house hotel stay would be complete without a sumptuous breakfast – and you won’t be disappointed at Lainston. Served in The Avenue, you can graze from the buffet or order off the a la carte menu, which includes a mouth-watering Eggs Benedict. My husband couldn’t resist the Full English (included in the stay price), which arrived piled high with food supplied by local producers.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-accessibility"><strong>ACCESSIBILITY</strong></h2>



<p>Lainston House&#8217;s public areas are accessible for wheelchair users via a ramp. Some ensuite bedrooms have been adapted. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dog-friendly"><strong>DOG-FRIENDLY?</strong></h2>



<p>This is very much a pooch-friendly hotel. If you do want to take you hound on holiday, it&#8217;ll cost an extra £40 (per dog), which includes a comfy&nbsp;dog bed, bowl and treats. </p>



<p>Four-legged friends aren&#8217;t allowed in the restaurant/dining areas, but are welcome in the bar and lounges, plus there&#8217;s plenty of outdoor space for you and your mutt to enjoy.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-out-amp-about"><strong>OUT &amp; ABOUT</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Winchester-Cathedral-scaled-e1715673469267.jpg" alt="Winchester, England UK - September 28 2023: The Gothic interior of historic Winchester Cathedral also known as Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun." class="wp-image-93116"/></figure>



<p>Lainston House lies just outside the village of Sparsholt, about two miles from Winchester city centre, which is worth a visit to see stunning Winchester Cathedral and to load up on seafood at Rick Stein&#8217;s restaurant. Travelling with littles one? You&#8217;re just a 20min drive away from Paulton’s Park, home of Peppa Pig World, and the New Forest.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<p><strong>Good for:</strong> Romantic getaways, special occasions, family stays, pet-friendly breaks, weddings or large events.&nbsp; Foodies will love the Season cookery school and gourmet restaurants.</p>



<p><strong>Not for</strong>:&nbsp;Anyone who thinks weekend breaks shouldn&#8217;t include kids and dogs. A lack of pool or spa might be off-putting for some, though the gorgeous grounds and activities make up for it. </p>



<p><strong>The damage: </strong>Doubles from £255 per night. Plus additional £50, per night, per child, if you require a Z-bed and £40 per dog.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.exclusive.co.uk/lainston-house/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lainston House</a>, Woodman Ln, Sparsholt, Winchester SO21 2LT. Tel: <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&amp;rls=en&amp;q=LAINSTON+HOUSE+ADDRESS&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8#">01962 776088</a>.</p>


Muddy stays: Lainston House, Winchester

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