Soho Farmhouse - hotel review

Dipal Acharya cures the January blues with an escape to Soho House’s country pile 
The seven-bedroom farmhouse
Dipal Acharya14 January 2016

January can be the very worst of times. After a month of raucous parties, free-flowing Prosecco and gluttonous overeating, the transition into ‘New Year, New Me’ mode is a daunting prospect. But those searching for the perfect way to soothe the festive hangover should look no further than a restorative weekend retreat at Soho House’s Oxfordshire farmhouse.

Set in 100 acres of sprawling countryside and less than a two-hour drive from London, Soho House founder Nick Jones’ new outpost opened to much fanfare last summer, with the likes of Eddie Redmayne, Alexa Chung and Cressida Bonas among the first lucky guests to secure a room.

The Farmhouse is a heady mix of rustic charm and stylish modern touches. The mini-village is made up of 40 spacious log cabins replete with timber beams and their own woodburners, although larger groups can be accommodated in a cottage and a farmhouse with four and seven bedrooms respectively. The site has a no-cars policy for guests, so having surrendered our car keys upon arrival on a Friday afternoon, we were ferried to our cabin in a vintage milk cart —painted in the Farmhouse’s signature teal — by James, our assigned ‘farmhand’ (read: personal butler).

The farm shop and deli

Upon arrival, we were acquainted with our transport for the weekend: four trendy Foffa bikes parked neatly beside a row of mint-green Wellington boots, each provided by the hotel according to height and shoe measurements sent over to the bookings team in advance of our stay.

The interior of the cabin was trademark Soho House — cosily familiar yet expertly tailored to its surroundings. We found stacks of logs and a pre-lit fire crackling away in the living room, and a Kirstie Allsopp-worthy kitchen stocked with fresh loaves of bread and bags of granola snaffled from the in-house deli. The bedrooms were kitted out with XXL double beds, mini Marshall speakers and en-suite bathrooms loaded with the house’s signature Cowshed lotions and potions.

With so many home comforts, we weren’t quite ready to venture outside — which proved no bad thing once we discovered the cabin services menu. A quick phone call to our farmhand and a mobile cocktail service was brought to our door, along with a tray of aromatic cheese toasties and fries.

While my brother-in-law Darragh slipped off to find the newly installed ice-skating rink, my sister Lily magicked a Scrabble board from a cupboard and my fiancé Manu stoked the fire. As this idyllic scene quickly descended into internecine Scrabble warfare, fuelled by a few too many gin and tonics, plans for a night in were quickly abandoned.

Thankfully, the Farmhouse offers a smorgasbord of options when it comes to dining. Picking up our bikes, we cycled (unsteadily) up to the main club area, a collection of converted barns housing the two restaurants, a traditional pub called the Mill Room, as well as a growing collection of homeware and fashion boutiques.

The main barn

We opted for a table at Pen Yen, a pan-Asian restaurant specialising in Japanese Robata grilled dishes, sashimi platters and steamed pork buns. Three courses, two hours and a tumbler each of Japanese whisky later, tensions were diffused and we rolled merrily on our bikes back to the cabin.

The next morning, the smell of breakfast being cooked by the Farmhouse’s mobile greasy spoon (pre-booking is advised) was enough to lure us out of our cabin at a decent hour and head for a quick dip in the Farmhouse’s heated outdoor pool before checkout.

Our escape to the country had lasted fewer than 24 hours and there was plenty more left to explore. No matter — we’d already plotted our next visit and this time we’ll be taking our detox seriously.

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Cabins at Soho Farmhouse start from £325 for non-members (sohofarmhouse.com)

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