I recently had the pleasure of staying at The Salutation, nestled in the heart of Sandwich, Kent. New friends were made, great people were met, but all came together wonderfully thanks to the building that is The Salutation, the hosts, the staff and food. One of the more memorable of accommodations on my travels that is for sure.
It was actually my first time in Sandwich itself too, and although I saw most of it passing through I made a mental note to return. It was plain to see that it had retained much of its original medieval centre and listed buildings. So much more to explore in the future.
Yes this is the town of Sandwich that gave its name to the ever so popular now bread snack. Lord Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich is said to have decided to place beef between two slices of bread and it caught on.
The Salutation itself may ring a bell in the minds of some as being the home of Steph and Dom when they were on the TV show Gogglebox. It has since been transformed within, into a gorgeous place to stay as a hotel and fine place to dine. Remember the bar they had behind them on the couch? That is still there and upgraded with the decor in the lounge…
Today it is a luxury boutique hotel and I was lucky enough to stay here thanks to the men’s clothing company Jacamo, whom I was working with here for a couple of days.
The Salutation was completed in 1912 by Edwin Lutyens on behalf of the Farrer family (solicitors). The design is Queen Anne. In 1950 it became the first 20th century building to be given a Grade I listing. As you can see in the overhead pic further up there is so much more than the building itself and the grounds in total cover nearly 4 acres. I was here in November but the gardens still looked wonderful. I can only imagine how fantastic they are in Spring and Summer.
Instead of being in the main building for accommodation we were lucky enough to be in one of the oldest buildings on the property, The Gardener’s Cottage. A self contained 3 bedroomed cottage that felt homely yet luxurious immediately upon entering.
More treats awaited us inside the main building though, as well as some absolutely wonderful and naturally happy staff. Always happy to help, not in your face at all, creating a lovely ambience around the place.
I must also tip my hat to the chef. I had a few meals here and each one, whether from lunch or for fine dining was perfect as far as I was concerned. I had spent some time in the kitchen watching all going on and can say that there is so much experience, dedication, passion and attention to detail going on.
Breakfast was also a joy to get up to. So much choice and so much flavour, wonderfully presented all round.
I said I was here in the background doing some work with Jacamo and thus got to meet some remarkable people. I got to watch and join in with a great bunch of guys enjoying some time in the hotel. Even cooking. Here with Jermaine Jenas, Jamie Lomas, Ben James and Brad Howard.
Later on we were joined by Wretch 32 for dinner that topped of what was already a fantastic day.
In my short time here at The Salutation I was busy with all the goings on so did not get the time to even touch the sides of all the place caters for. There is so much more to it I could see. Next time I will explore the gardens, more of the menus, more of the area and most definitely enjoy my stay.
