dinners

IF you love the countryside but prefer something glam over actually getting mucky, this one’s for you.

Silchester Farm in Hampshire delivers all the charm of a country escape without you ever having to ruin your shoes.

This rustic retreat was even featured on Made in Chelsea, which tells you something about who you’ll be rubbing shoulders with here.

From where to eat to local history, here’s everything you need to know about staying at Silchester Farm in Hampshire.

Where is Silchester Farm?

This stay is in Silchester, a small village close to Basingstoke in Hampshire. The farm is less than an hour’s train journey away from London.

If travelling by car, the farm is well-signposted through a series of pleasant country lanes, crossing over wooden bridges and past old-fashioned country pubs and pretty churches.

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What’s it like?

A popular wedding venue, Silchester Farm is a stylish rural retreat set among fields of quietly grazing sheep and calm countryside.

The site centres around a series of manicured flower and vegetable patches, vine-draped arbours and an outdoor barn kitchen.

What are the rooms like?

Framing the outskirts of the vegetable patches you’ll find the Pyggies, nine giant, self-contained pig arks.

There’s room on the steps outside to drop off your wellies and brolly from your day at the farm. Once you open the door, you’re met with cosy warm orange lighting, a relaxing wood scent, and a giant bed you’ll immediately want to jump on.

The Pyggies are equipped with kitchenettes, which have lovely touches like glass-bottled milk in the fridge, posh teabags as well as matching cup and saucer sets.

In our Pyggy, Rosemary, a large telly sat above a cosy wood burner, opposite a large sofa to sink into. The bed was piled up with cosy throws, and behind a wooden screen was a roomy bathtub complete with the Silchester Farm’s own soaps and body creams.

A spacious rainfall shower, cosy curved ceiling and giant glass doors letting the sunlight pour through were the cherry on top of this chic countryside accommodation.

Rooms start from £252 per night for two, with great rates on last-minute bookings in particular. See SilchesterFarm.co.uk.

What is there to eat and drink?

The Trough Farm Shop on-site is a great spot for brunch, with coffee, sausage rolls, cakes and pastries available, with indoor and outdoor seating.

As for dinner, you’re best off booking in at a nearby pub, as the restaurant here is usually reserved for wedding guests.

The Plough Inn is a pretty, restored 18th century pub serving food and local ales, while The Calvella Arms does a spectacular sticky toffee pudding.

There are, however, food events you can book yourself onto at the farm. The Sunday Club offers fantastic roasts with giant yorkies (from £22) while the Harvest Feast sees the outdoor kitchen come alive with seasonal produce served by a roaring fire. Check dates here.

What else is there?

Silchester is a Roman village, and is a short walk from well-preserved, third century walls as well as amphitheatre ruins. Reception will happily direct you on the walking route.

While there’s no gym at a rustic retreat like this, there are bicycles available to hire, as well as a tennis court facing the pristine country gardens.

Is it family friendly?

Each of the Pyggies sleep up to two people, equipped with king-sized beds fit for two adults.

This retreat is best for couples’ escapes or friends getaways.

Is it accessible?

While there are ramps available for accessing the farm’s buildings and gardens, the site is made up of pebble and grass pathways also.

Silchester Farm recommend disabled visitors are accompanied by a companion where possible. For more information, see their website.

On Monday, the GMCA released a statement about Burnham’s meetings with Man City in his role as mayor for the region for almost a decade.

The statement said he had a formal meeting with Al Mubarak in October 2021 at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit, arranged by the Department for International Trade; and that he met the club chairman “informally in the stands” at a testimonial match in 2019 for former player Vincent Kompany.

It also said that “in his capacity as mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City at home matches on a small number of occasions”.

But the statement did not specify that this referred to, external two hospitality dinners he had with the Manchester City chairman at separate matches.

A previous GMCA register of declarations for Burnham, seen by the BBC, detailed a “dinner with [then-Manchester City Council leader] Richard Leese and Chair of Man City” for an Everton match at the Etihad stadium in August 2017, valued at £300 for hospitality.

Below is another entry for “dinner with the Chairman at the Man City/Man Utd derby at the Etihad” in April 2018, valued at approximately £699.

Burnham previously declared those dinners, alongside a £150 pair of tickets to see Ed Sheeran perform at the stadium in May 2018.

But the register of declarations has since been deleted from the GMCA website, as first reported by The Sun. The BBC understands it is the authority’s policy to only publish entries from the current mayoral term.

BBC News has asked GMCA for more details about this policy – given its website has entries dating back to 2022, despite the current mayoral term beginning in 2024.

Downing Street has defended the two dinners with Man City’s chairman, saying this was hospitality received at home games, which had been declared, rather than separate meetings with the club chairman.

But political pressure on Burnham to be clearer about any former discussions with Man City is continuing to mount.

Tory shadow sports minister Louie French said: “Andy Burnham promised the country and House of Commons full transparency on his dealings with Manchester City.

“This was essential after his inappropriate intervention into football.”

And Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick said “this saga stinks” as he accused Burnham of having apparently “concealed his extensive links to Man City’s owners”.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has demanded for several days that No 10 release all details of meetings between the prime minister and senior figures at the club.

Burnham told the Rest Is Politics podcast last week he was “happy” to do this and would “quite clearly put out there everything that I have done working with them in my previous role as Mayor of Greater Manchester”.

“None of it is recent, actually, in terms of the meetings I had. I only had one significant meeting, actually, and that was in 2021.”

Asked at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday whether anyone at the club had raised the charges they were facing with him or his team, Burnham said: “They did not raise those issues with me.”

With the PM continuing to face pressure on the issue, he told MPs he was happy for “everything to be set out in full”, referring to the GMCA’s statement as “a full statement of my key dealings with the owners of Manchester City Football Club”.

When asked by reporters why the statement did not refer to the two dinners, and what the difference is between “everything” and “key dealings”, the PM’s press secretary referred back to the GMCA statement.

The list of meetings, which was published by the GMCA on Monday, did not include detail on what was discussed. The BBC has asked GMCA why the two dinners were not specifically mentioned.

In September Man City – which has dominated the top flight of English football for years – was found guilty by an independent commission of breaching Premier League financial regulations.

The commission found City had broken rules over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018 by creating “sham” contracts with commercial partners to secretly funnel more than £830m into their football operations.

Sanctions are yet to be announced and City, which denies any wrongdoing, has lodged an appeal against the verdict.

Earlier this month, Sir Richard Leese – who was head of Manchester City Council for 25 years until 2021 – defended a decade-old deal between the council and Man City owners Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG).

Under the partnership between the authority and the company, which is linked to the United Arab Emirates royal family, land was leased to ADUG at “below comparable rates”, according to a University of Sheffield report.