(Copyright © 1998 T Bruce Tober)
However...
One of the highlights of any tourists' visit to the West Midlands is Coombe Abbey. Within its 12th Century fascade, is situated this most magnificent hotel and banqueting facility. One gets a sense of the beauty and luxuriance of the place even on his approach to the place, up an avenue, lined by stately lime and chestnut trees. Gorgeous, formal gardens can be seen off to the sides.
It was a late Spring evening when we arrived. We were a bit early, so rather than heading directly for the banquet chamber, we strolled around the hotel lobby. From its candle-lit, cloistered entrance through to its hive of dark panel-lined passageways, the ambiance was sumptuous amdist the chandeliers, wall hangings, statuary and floral arrangements.
The lobby is huge with a variety of rooms off each of the passageways, some barely large enough for a table and two chairs, others comfortably able to seat dozens for a conference, banquet or just dining. Throughout the ground floor, regardless of where we were, though surrounded by many other visitors, we felt we had total privacy in a subdued, candle-lit other time and place.
At 7pm we walked over to the Abbeygate banquet hall where we were greeted by Brother Richard of Hereford, the Abbey's "mysterious monk". Speak of dark and foreboding, such is the Abbeygate building, and such is the tale of the estate Brother Richard tells.
The Abbeygate is entirely candle-lit. Very few windows, and those are small letting in very little light. The decor is what one might expect from a 12th Century monestary of the Cistercian Order, bare, functional, and cold.
The abbey was founded exactly 848 years from today as I sit writing this article. By the middle of the 14th Century it had, through dint of hard work in farming and wool production, become on the the most powerful and wealthy monasterys in Warwickshire. But by that time it was also beginning a rapid decline in fortune.
The Black Death, the war with France and the quite mysterious murder of Abbot Geoffrey, its leader, within the Abbey walls in 1345, all helped cause its downfall during the ensuing century. Abbot Geoffrey's brutal murder inside the Abbey itself, was never solved.
Although there was some relief in its fortunes in the 15th century, that was to be short lived. For it was at about this time that Henry VIII made his move disenfranchising the Catholic Church and establishing the Church of England and privatising the properties of the religious communities. It was this last act which led to Dr John London dissolving the Abbey in 1539, ending 400 years of religious life on the property.
Some 50 years later Sir John Harrington bought the abbey and built a new house on the property, which incorporated much of the disused monastery building. A few years later King James I sent his daughter, Princess Elizabeth Stuart to be educated at Coombe.
Finally, for the next 300 years, from 1622 until 1922 the Craven family owned the property. It was they who built the formal gardens, moat and lake. The sold the estate to a builder, in whose possession it remained until his detah in 1963.
But it wasn't until three years ago that the property was re-opened. This time it emerged as a spectacular hotel.
When Brother Richard's tale was done, we were escorted to the Drinking Chamber where we enjoyed, not surprisingly, drinks. And some rather haunting, speculative tales of the murder of Abbot Geoffrey, who, it is said, still haunts the buildings.
Now, in the proper mood, we were escorted to our reflectories in the Banqueting Chamber by the serving wenches.
Brother Richard is now back with us. He's explaining what the feast will be and who the guests are. Suddenly he's interrupted and taken into custody by some of Henry VIII's dissolutionists.
Dinner, each course served by the Abbey's serving Ladyes, while strolling minstrels do their thing. The First Remove of The Baron's Borde is The Baron's Broth, a satisfyingly thick vegetable soup with crusty bread accomaniment. Next the Ladyes brought us The Royal Ribs, swine ribs prepared with lovely sage, cider and honey marinade.
All courses, "removes", are accompanied by goblets of red wine and beakers of mead (fermented honey and water). The Third Remove is My Lorde's Chicken, a tangy-sweet (not quite sweet and sour, much nicer) quarter of the bird, roasted after being rolled in a mixture of mace, tarragon and curshed black pepper combined in a lemon and mead sauce. This is served with jacket potato and a rustic salad.
And the final course is The Courte Crumble, apple and apricot crumble served with elderflower cream.
Interspersed between courses and then following the meal is entertainment in the form of some light comedy and
much music. Traditional folk music and more contemporary sing-along type ditties are the order of the evening.
At £32.50 per person (only run on Fridays and Saturdays for the public. Private
Mediaeval Banquets can be booked for Sun - Thurs with prices on request. Group discounts available for parties
or 10 or more guests) these Mediaeval Banquets are truly a bargain well worth the investment, whether you stay
at the hotel or simply make it an evening out. The few other such banquets at other venues I looked into were about
twice the price.
Contact 01203-452-406, Monday-Friday from 9-6. Coombe Abbey Hotel, Brinklow Road, Binley, Near Coventry CV3 2AB
Within half an hour's journey from Birmingham International Airport East along the M6 or from Warwick Castle or Stratford Upon Avon North along the A46. Follow the signposts but make sure you have the map in the Hotel brochure rather than the one on the banquet literature, it's much more detailed.
The Baron's Borde
of Vegetables and Pearl Barley
YIELD 25 PORTIONS.
100g TOMATO PUREE
250g PEELED, WASHED, DICED CARROTS.
250g PEELED, WASHED, DICED SWEDE.
250g PEELED, DICED, ONIONS
250g WASHED, DICED LEEKS.
250g WASHED, DICED CELERY.
100g PEAS.
100g DICED MIXED PEPPERS.
125g PEARL BARLEY.
lgallon VEGETABLE STOCK.
50g MIXED DRIED HERBS. CORNFLOUR TO THICKEN SEASONING TO TASTE.
l/ Place all vegetables, herbs and tomato puree into a thick based saucepan and cover with the stock.
2/ Bring to boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.
3/ Add the pearl barley and cook for a further 60 minutes.
4/ Thicken with the cornflour.
5/ Cook for a further 15 minutes and season to taste, serve with warm stone ground bread.
Marinaded Rib of Swine with Honey
YIELD 25 PORTIONS
13lb PORK BELLY ON THE BONE (with rind removed).
1lb DEMERARA SUGAR.
150ml SOYA SAUCE.
50g GROUND GINGER.
lpnt TOMATO KETCHUP.
3 LOVES OF GARLIC CRUSHED.
(ALL ABOVE FOR MARINADE)
50g RUBBED DRIED SAGE.
8oz CLEAR HONEY.
2pnts APPLE JUICE.
lpn DRY CIDER.
CORNFLOUR TO THICKEN.
GRAVY BROWNING.
SEASONING TO TASTE.
l/ Cut pork into 25 even ribs ( about 8oz each).
2/ Make up the marinade by mixing all the ingredients together and roll the pork ribs into it covering well, place
into a refrigerator for 24 hours.
3/ Place ribs into a hot oven (200oc) for about 45 minutes, sprinkled with 50% of the dried sage, then turn down
the temperature to 150oc and slowly cook for a further one hour until the ribs are golden and crisp.
4/ To make the sauce boil cider, apple juice and honey together place in the remaining dry sage.
5/ When the pork is cooked remove from the marinade, place the remaining marinade into the sauce.
6/ Thicken the sauce with the cornflour until a coating consistency is formed add a little colouring to create
a dark brown colour.
7/ Remove all excess fat from sauce and season to taste.
8/ Coat over pork ribs and serve at once.
Roasted Fowl rolled in Mace, Tarragon
& Black Pepper in a sharp Lemon and Meade Sauce.
25 CHICKEN PORTIONS (quarters)
50g GROUND MACE
25g DRIED TARRAGON.
25g CORSE GROUND BLACK PEPPER.
THE ABOVE IS FOR THE COATING.
8 LEMONS (ZEST& JUICE).
500ml MEADE.
4pnts CHICKEN STOCK.
25g DRIED TARRAGON.
25ml WHITE WINE VINEGAR.
50g DEMERARA SUGAR.
CORNFLOUR.
SEASONING.
GRAVY BROWNING.
l/ Mix together the ground mace, tarragon and black pepper to make the coating.
2/ Roll the chicken quarters into a little cooking oil and place into a roasting tray, sprinkle with the coating
mix to form an even coating.
3/ Place into the oven at 175oc for thirty minutes then reduce the heat to 120oc for another 45 minutes until the
chicken is golden brown.
4/ Meanwhile in a thick based saucepan place the chicken stock lemon juice, zest, mead and tarragon, bring to the
boil and thicken add a little browning to colour then season to taste.
5/ Coat the chicken with the sauce and serve. A mixed salad and a jacket potato is normally served to compliment.
Apple and Apricot Crumble with Elderflower
Cream.
4kg COOKING APPLES PEELED AND CHOPPED.
1kg STONED AND CHOPPED APRICOTS.
lkg DEMERARA SUGAR.
2kg PLAIN FLOUR.
lkg UNSALTED BUTTER.
1.51t DOUBLE CREAM.
ELDER FLOWER CORDIAL.
l/ Place the apples, apricots and two thirds of the sugar into a saucepan cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer
until the apples are tender but not pureed.
2/ Rub the flour and butter together to form a breadcrumb texture, this makes the crumble.
3/ Put apple mixture into the serving dishes and evenly cover with crumble mix, place onto a baking tray into the
oven at 175oc until golden brown.
4/ In a bowl place the cream and the remaining sugar and a little cordial to taste. Whip until stiff.
5/ Pipe cream onto crumbles and serve at once.