Walking through the chocolate box country village of Lyddington during the festive period, you wouldn’t feel out of place thinking you’re in a scene from The Holiday.
The beautiful village is just 30 minutes away from Leicester, just outside of Uppingham, with the beautiful stone cottages either side of the road offering a picture perfect English village. The small village is home to two pubs, one being The Marquess of Exeter, a Grade II listed pub on the site of a tavern dating way back to 1563, when Parish records began.
The pub has been under new ownership since spring 2022, and has since introduced a fine dining Indian restaurant to complement the traditional English pub.
The Marquess also has hotel rooms attached, which offers a wonderful excuse to enjoy a short mini break. For dog lovers amongst us, the hotel is also dog friendly and your pooch is welcome to stay overnight with you. The comfortable rooms are well designed, with easy access to the car park and into the pub. With a modern finish, you can enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep following a fine meal and drinks in the pub.
The pub side of the Marquess is warm and welcoming, with original stone walls and traditional pub interior. Take a seat by the open fire in the bar, or stand up to the oche with a game of darts in their snug area. Very dog friendly, it’s the perfect stop after a country walk with the pooch, and offers an excellent range of drinks to enjoy.
When dining you can either sit in the bar or in their beautifully designed restaurant, including private dining spaces. If you do decide to bring your dog out to eat with you there a special dog friendly tables reserved for this.
Without a doubt the stand out attraction at The Marquess is the restaurant. Krishna’s at The Marquess is led by Chef Krishnapal Negi, who first made his name when he launched Tangawizi in Richmond Upon Thames in 2004. Recognised at the time as ground-breaking for its innovative menus it became a regular haunt for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. He achieved a Michelin award at Tangawizi and then went on to work under Michelin-starred Vineet Bhatia at 1947 London in Fitzrovia.
His menu at The Marquess offers a high end Indian selection, with beautifully presented and flavoursome dishes, putting a refined edge on popular classics, with exciting unique additions.
Alongside the menu at Krishna’s, pubgoers can also enjoy the traditional British pub menu, with lunch and evening options.
With a choice of both Krishna’s Indian menu or the traditional pub menu, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to sample the delights from Chef Negi. Of course in Leicester we may be spoilt for choice with Indian cuisine, but Krishna’s offered a delightful experience with twists worth travelling for. Sampling a number of dishes from the menu, the stand-out selections were the Mushroom Tikki starters, the Butter Chicken and the special Dum Coconut Prawn Curry.
Served with chickpea masala, tamarind & sweet yogurt, the Mushroom Tikki offered a wonderful vegetarian starter alongside the Chicken Tikka and Fish Amritsari. However it was the main courses that stole the show. The Dum Coconut Prawn Curry from the specials menu was sublime. Served in a coconut shell and opened personally for you at your table, this creamy curry was a showstopper. Juicy king prawns mixed with a coconut gravy offered a lightly spiced dish, which was incredibly moreish. Ordered alongside the traditional Butter Chicken (quite possibly the best butter chicken we’ve enjoyed), we were wowed by the dishes.
With excellent service and a chance to meet the chef, we were really impressed by the full experience at The Marquess. Whilst pricing may set it a little apart from your favourite Indian restaurants in Leicester, the setting and atmosphere make it a wonderful choice for a special occasion, and many of the more traditional dishes remain very competitively priced.
After dinner you can settle down back in the bar by the fire for a nightcap, or take a few steps back to your hotel room.
Following a comfortable night’s sleep, the hotel experience is complete with a morning walk through the village and breakfast served to you in the restaurant. Choose from a Full English or poached eggs on toast, with cereal and tea and coffee available to help yourself.
The village of Lyddington is also located just a 5 minute drive from the centre of Uppingham, so it’s the perfect opportunity to explore the area whilst you’re there. Whether it’s a look around the independent shops and galleries or a glass of wine in Don Paddy’s, be sure to make a stop in the centre on your way through.
Rooms at The Marquess of Exeter are priced from £100 per night for 2 people sharing.
Hotel rooms and restaurant tables available to book online. You can also view the menus for both Krishna’s and the pub’s traditional British menu. Please visit marquessexeter.co.uk for full information.
The Marquess of Exeter is located at 52, Main Street, Lyddington, LE15 9LT.
We were invited to review the hotel and restaurant at The Marquess of Exeter and received our hotel stay and meal free of charge. However, we were under no obligation to leave a positive review. As always, all opinions are our own.