September 2011 – This is the seventh in our monthly series on independent shops and businesses in Sherborne. We take a look at The Eastbury Hotel, Sherborne’s boutique town-house hotel in Long Street.
Every town needs a place for special occasions, a place to have a special meal, a place to celebrate an important event, just the place for a Christmas lunch party or Sunday brunch or even a fully-blown afternoon tea. In Sherborne, this is most likely to be at the Eastbury Hotel. The moment you walk through the door, there’s a feeling of relaxed comfort, a living room with plushy sofas on your right, straight ahead the garden with its bubbling fountain and outdoor tables and chairs, further along the conservatory dining area, the crisp white linen softened by a peaceful garden view.
Nicky and Paul King, the owners, have set up something very personal right from the moment they took possession in the year 2000. They wanted to create the sort of house you would like to live in, not stuffy, but stylish and welcoming, offering something that most people would like to experience and take delight in. When they arrived they concentrated their efforts on refurbishing the bedrooms and re-styling the public rooms. The need for good food was also a prerequisite and they spent a lot of time building up that side of the business so that today the restaurant has 2 AA Red Rosettes and a Gold accolade from the Taste of the West heats (2010), something only ever achieved by two restaurants in Dorset.
Gradually, the hotel capacity has increased from the original 15 bedrooms to the current 23 bedrooms, with something for everyone including four-posters and modern garden suites. Weddings and functions actually make up a good part of the business but The Eastbury also attracts business visitors and a short-break clientele. Furthermore, Nicky and Paul have always realised the importance of providing something for Sherborne area residents and they play an active role in the town’s life, creating and hosting special events.
In September, for example, the restaurant is putting on one of its gourmet supper club evenings, show-casing seasonal Dorset food and consisting of about six or seven courses (17 September / £35 per head) and later in the month the hotel will run one of its occasional jazz brunches, allowing you to enjoy a lazy day with jazz playing in the background and the newspapers to linger over (25 September / £17 per person).
Last year, the hotel opened its Bistrot restaurant, an outdoor area with its own, more informal menu. Particularly popular at lunch-time, this area is set up from early Spring to late Autumn with cosy lap blankets for those fresher evenings.
Nicky and Paul are most proud of their loyal, mostly local staff who receive on-going training – not surprisingly as training is an area that Nicky specialised in before taking on the hotel. Good service is at the heart of the business and Nicky feels that her greatest satisfaction is when people tell her they have had a good time.
Before buying The Eastbury, Nicky and Paul had searched through most of the southern counties for a property and Nicky feels that The Eastbury and Sherborne just felt right. “Our children have access to a good secondary school and have freedom here that wouldn’t be possible anywhere else,” says Nicky. She loves being able to walk anywhere in town and even if she misses going to the theatre, she admits there is a huge amount going on. Asked what next, Nicky replies enigmatically, “Well there is still lots of potential and room for expansion.” So keep watching, The Eastbury still has a surprise or two to offer.