Living like lords in Suffolk

I BRUSHED food from my skirt and blushed as my son squished pasta between his chubby fingers then dropped it over the side of the high chair with the inquiring look of an experimenting scientist.

The diner next to me, glamorous in an immaculate Diane von Furstenberg designer dress and feeding her uncomplaining baby without mess or fuss, smiled at me with motherly understanding, only adding to my shame.

This was not, I thought ruefully, how guests in a country house hotel are supposed to behave.

The Ickworth is the Suffolk jewel in the von Essen’s Luxury Family Hotel crown, full of yummy mummies and their well-behaved offspring.

The hotel occupies the east wing of stunning, honey-coloured Ickworth House, commissioned in 1795 by the eccentric 4th Earl of Bristol. He wanted somewhere special to show off his art collection. 

Set in 1,800 acres of land, with 70 acres of garden designed by Capability Brown, the half-mile drive leads guests through copses of oak and cedar trees. 

Fifteen pairs of little muddy pink and blue wellies suggest the Ickworth’s relaxed  atmosphere. There is no traditional reception desk, just a warm welcome from the easy-going staff. 

It is all rather like turning up at the country estate of a very wealthy and rather dotty uncle who has summoned the family for the weekend.

Inside, marble floors, high ceilings, ornate cornicing and impressive chandeliers provide the backdrop for antique furniture mixed with iconic modern pieces from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies.

Home to the infamous Hervey family for 200 years, Ickworth House was sold to the National Trust in the Fifties and the east wing was converted into a 27-bedroom hotel in 2002, with 11 more apartments in the grounds.

The majority of bedrooms are traditionally styled, although the hallway to ours contained an eclectic mix of Hervey memorabilia, from family portraits of Ladies Victoria and Isabella to slippers and spoons, old Midland Bank cheque books and a Rolling Stones album.

Inside was an antique bed, a window seat with a view of the clipped gardens, a spotless bathroom, flat-screen TV and DVD player.

Unfortunately it also had an alarming marble coffee table, at perfect head-bruising height for an 11-month-old child.

The first night we ate in Frederick’s Restaurant, the only room exclusively for grown-ups, and left our son with a babysitter. 

The intimate Modern European restaurant has candlelit tables and we enjoyed a bottle of crisp sancerre along with sumptuous starters of pan-fried scallops in a pea purée with pork belly, apple and capers, and wood pigeon pappardelle with ceps and oregano.

Mouthwatering main courses followed of roast rump and sweetbreads of Suffolk lamb, fondant potato and flageolet purée and pan-roasted fillet of seabass with a wild mushroom and asparagus risotto.

In the name of research, I ordered a creamy vanilla panna cotta, figuring I could work off some calories the following day.

We went for two long walks around the grounds and tried out the bicycles with baby trailers.

Family wildlife tours are on offer and there is a stable of horses, built for comfort rather than speed. We enjoyed an hour’s hack around the estate. 

There are tennis courts and an indoor swimming pool with floats, arm bands and even baby seats for the youngsters.

The Ofsted-registered Four Bears’ Den nursery in the basement allows parents to try out some of these activities alone or mix and match by leaving the baby behind while taking the older children out.

The nursery is open from 10am to 5pm and charges can be left for up to two hours with the very friendly staff.

Family meals can be enjoyed together in the Victorian Conservatory, where lunch and breakfast are also served. There are child menus for main meals and breakfast.

The Aquae Sulis Spa is based on Roman bathing rituals.

The treatments include pedicures, facials and massages combining minerals, essential oils and plant fragrances. I opted for the best de-stress massage I have ever had.

In short, the Ickworth is proof that quality does not need to be sacrificed in the pursuit of a family break. For a short time you and your brood can live like lords.

INFORMATION:

The Ickworth Hotel (01284 735350/ www.luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk) offers doubles from £210 per night (two adults plus one child sharing) including breakfast and three-course dinner.

Large family rooms start from £310 per night (five sharing) including breakfast and three-course dinner.

Babysitting service costs £7 per hour. An hour’s hack around the estate costs £47pp. Spa treatments start from £40.

Visit Suffolk: www.visit-suffolk.org.uk.