Bolthole: The Double Red Duke

Playful touches, imaginative cocktails and wood-fired cooking make for a fun weekend at this characterful hotel in the Cotswolds

What makes The Double Red Duke unique?

This restaurant with rooms in the Cotswolds village of Clanfield is committed to cocktails, conviviality and the restoration of calm. From the jolly red-striped canopies on its sunny terrace to the promise of gin recovery kits in its 19 bedrooms, The Double Red Duke exudes a delightful sense of playfulness.

On the menu

Start with a Barbecue Pineapple cocktail in the bar: a zesty blend of mezcal, pineapple and lime. In the light and airy Garden Room, where bold potted plants and herbs bring the outside in, share starters of apple-glazed bacon ribs with fennel slaw; charred squid; and smoky flatbreads. Or treat yourself with larger plates including piri-piri chicken and a hearty salad. Finishing off with British cheeses Rollright and Baron Bigod is a good idea, as are the nostalgic desserts of sticky toffee and treacle tart.

Highlights

Sharing is encouraged: both with the dishes and by enjoying lively conversation with the team. Book at the chef ’s counter for ringside seats as your seafood or steaks are prepared over coals, on the spit or in the clay-fired oven. In the morning, this becomes a breakfast buffet heaving with cinnamon buns and pastries from local bakery Blake’s, along with sourdough, marmalade, honey, cheese and cold meats. The chefs will also prepare overnight oats and a much-Instagramed breakfast muffin with Ogleshield cheese, egg, bacon and sausage.

What you’ll want to recreate at home

Co-owner Georgie Pearlman has put her heart and soul into creating an atmosphere that’s both soothing and inspiring. There are stylish, modern takes on traditional bathroom floor tiles, oversized patterns on textured wallpapers, deep green and red hues, and simple floral displays. It’ll inspire you to go flea-market browsing for vintage decanters, ancient books and quirky taxidermy.

What else to do

Ask the Duke’s team about local walks – wellies provided. Visit the cute converted shepherd’s hut to enjoy a beauty treatment or massage, and keep an eye on the hotel website for details about jazz or DJ nights, plus visits from guest chefs such as Brad Carter.

And if you loved the Marmite and cheese breakfast rolls, take a three-minute stroll over to Blake’s (blakeskitchen.com) to buy some to take home for your freezer. Rooms from £150 per night; countrycreatures.com/double-red-duke

Wood-fired scallops, parsley and garlic butter

The butter can be made in advance and kept for up to three months – it’s also good with steaks and grilled prawns. We prefer to cook with medium to large divercaught scallops from Orkney. Use the shells as the roasting dish, or a cast-iron dish makes a good substitute.

15 MINUTES + CHILLING | SERVES 4 AS A STARTER | EASY

GARLIC BUTTER

flat-leaf parsley 25g, picked and blanched in hot water, plus 25g, finely chopped

unsalted butter 30g, melted, plus 220g, softened

pastis 25ml

Tabasco ½ tsp

garlic 5 cloves, finely chopped

SCALLOPS

scallops 12 medium-large

sea salt flakes

panko breadcrumbs 40g

extra-virgin olive oil

lemons 2, cut into wedges, for serving

1 To make the garlic butter, purée the blanched parsley with the melted butter in a blender, then add the pastis and Tabasco until it separates. Let it cool slightly in the fridge before mixing with the rest of the butter, 2 tsp of salt, the garlic and chopped parsley.

2 Tip the butter mixture onto baking paper and roll it into a log – the circumference of which should be big enough to cover a scallop. Twist the ends to seal and store in the fridge until it’s solid enough to slice.

3 In the meantime, remove the scallops from their shells along with the roes and the muscles that attaches them to the shells. Clean them by running under cold water and then pat dry. If you’re using the shells, they also need to be cleaned before cooking – steam or boil them for a few minutes to make sure that they’re sterilised.

4 Once the shells and scallops are clean, put the scallops in the shells or a cast-iron pan with a thick slice of the garlic butter on top of each. Sprinkle over a little bit of sea salt and the panko breadcrumbs. Finally, drizzle with a little oil.

5 Put the shells or pan in a hot wood-fired oven or under a hot grill. They’ll take about 3-5 minutes to cook, depending on how hot your oven or grill is, and the size of your scallops. The scallops should feel firm and hot when touched and the breadcrumbs crisp. Once cooked, serve straight away with some lemon wedges for squeezing over.

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