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HIGH LIFE
Taking the bull by the horns A relaxing train ride and home-away-from-home hotel off London’s Bishopsgate make for an enjoyable trip south for BQ Scotland editor Peter Ranscombe
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NE of the oldest clichés about hotels is that they always lie just a “stone’s throw” from a railway station – but if I had a rock in my hand then I think that even me with my lack of hand-eye coordination would have a fair chance of hitting The Bull & The Hide from London’s Liverpool Street terminus. After a relaxing journey from Waverley to Kings Cross in one of Virgin Trains East Coast’s first-class carriages – complete with new leather seats and a menu developed by television chef James Martin – and then a short hop on the tube to Liverpool Street, staying at The Bull & The Hide puts you in the heart of the action in the City, with the Bank of England, the Gherkin and Lloyd’s of London all within striking distance. Staying at the hotel isn’t all about business though. If you’re down in the big smoke for any length of time then you’ll want somewhere you can properly relax and unwind, and often the big chain hotels just don’t tick those boxes. Tucked away off Bishopsgate on Devonshire Row, the hotel consists of The Bull pub on the ground floor, with The Hide dining room on
the first floor and seven boutique bedrooms above. The accommodation includes two suites – the Devonshire and the Hush Heath – each with its own balcony, with table and chairs to soak up the hubbub of the City. The Hush Heath suite has a giant bed, with the branch of a tree suspended from the ceiling as a clothes-rail-cum-wardrobe. It has a separate lounge, while the en-suite bathroom has underfloor heating, as well as a doubleended bath and a separate rainwater shower. The Bull & The Hide is billed as a homeaway-from-home and part of the attraction is the pantry to which guests have access to make tea and coffee or help themselves to soft drinks from the fridge or crisps or biscuits from the cupboard. Sadly, the beer on offer in the fridge was a dull European lager and not one of the scores of British craft beers, but that’s a small complaint when the pantry is complimentary. That home-away-from-home feeling is helped by the selection of Sky channels available on the massive televisions in the suite’s bedroom and lounge. Although it’s in the centre of the City, Devonshire Row was
surprisingly quiet. What impressed me most about The Bull & The Hide was the food. The menu is split into three, featuring dishes inspired by the Smithfield meat market, fish and seafood from Billingsgate and fruit and vegetables from Spitalfields. It’s a concept that works really well and the classic British fayre is delicious, from a homemade sausage roll with thin pastry and plenty of meat through to whitebait served in a paper bag. Game pie and a trio of desserts that included apple crumble were other culinary highlights. The hotel is owned by Hush Heath Estate, the vineyard in Kent that makes Balfour sparkling wine, along with still wine, cider and apple juice. That means there’s a superb selection of English wines available by the glass – a real treat, and it means you can try different tipples without splashing out on a whole bottle. n Rooms at The Bull & The Hide start from £150 per night. Find out more at www.thebullandthehide.com or by calling 020 7655 4805. Details about Virgin Trains East Coast’s first class tickets are available at www.virgintrainseastcoast.com