Birch (Cheshunt)

Birch

"Set the scene It’s a co-working space and members’ club of sorts, yes. But one that adds ceramics workshops in the pottery studio, sourdough-making lessons in the bakery and beekeeping, glass-blowing and wild yoga sessions to the usual line-up of cultural events. This isn’t an elite creative club, so it isn’t easily compared to anything currently out there. It’s styled as a permanent festival where anyone’s welcome, and hotel guests and restaurant diners get access to everything without having to sign up for membership. There’s also an on-site farm and music and art rooms, as well as a wood-paneled drawing room-turned-cinema kitted out with navy-and-white-striped deckchairs. What’s the story? This first Birch (handle.silk.comet) – named using the What3words location system – has set up camp in the 55-acre Georgian Theobalds Estate in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, 30 minutes from London’s Liverpool Street Station. It’s the brainchild of former Ace Hotel London managing director Chris Penn and serial entrepreneur Chris King, who plan to roll out more Birches around the UK for stressed-out urbanites. Previously home to Victorian socialite Lady Meux – who reportedly rode through Mayfair in a zebra-drawn carriage and created the now-wellness space as her personal roller-skate rink – the Grade II-listed building has undergone a two-year renovation, with artworks commissioned in some spaces, and the walls as the canvas in others. Original paintings have been uncovered on some ceilings and tiled floors painstakingly reclaimed from below layers of concrete and carpet. The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery, kintsugi or ‘golden joinery’, has been built into the long-term ethos to continue the story of the hotel – as something breaks, it can be fixed, rather than replaced. The two Chrises are already in search of their next Birch site south of London. What can we expect from the food and drink? The main event is the Zebra Riding Club, named in honor of the hotel’s matriarch Meux and a short walk from the main house in the old stables. Robin Gill is known for his farm-to-table cooking at London restaurants The Dairy, Sorella and Darby’s – this is his first on-site farm and a dream come true. Cocktails are infused with birch sap or fresh pear, and a tasting menu takes you on a tour of the vegetable garden with crisp courgette tartlets and pan con tomate draped with a chunky anchovy. ‘The Coop’, a hearty corn and grain spicy soup topped with a perfect soft-boiled hen’s egg, is a sensation and salt-marsh lamb served on a tahini and sunflower yogurt is flawless. Meanwhile, Gill’s casual all-day restaurant Valeries will dish up weekend brunch and guests can pop into the bakery to help roll his famously buttery pain au chocolat or cheese and Marmite swirls. On the back lawn are 10 or so tables for groups – set under trees or surrounded by fairy lights – which can be booked for barbecues or picnics. There’s also a pretty serious Texas-style offset smoker meant for overnight cooking waiting to see some action. What to do while you’re here During ceramic classes with in-house potter Emma Louise Payne you'll learn three different techniques and leave with a pot or three, while more targeted courses for members or return guests are in the offing. Wannabe bakers can book in for a session with head pastry chef Sohail to learn the craft of making soda or sourdough loaves and guests can carve their own spoon in a wood-whittling workshop. Planting tips are on offer from farmer Tom Morphew, and you can book the children into Forest School classes. On top of music and art rooms there’s a games room, or arcade with video games, ping-pong, darts and foosball getting just as much attention from the grown-ups. The bedrooms They are pretty basic, with features from Birch’s previous life as a De Vere hotel making them feel a touch dated, though ceramic hooks and key rings from Emma Louise Payne and carpentry by Jan Hendzel Studio elevate the look somewhat. Be sure to ask for a room in the main mansion where the original details, and sash windows you can actually open, mean things are less stuffy and more interesting. Anything to say about the service? Chances are you’ll encounter an artist illustrating a wall, or installing paintings in the monthly-rotating gallery; catch a carpenter bringing stools up to the house; or come across a baker shipping fresh sourdough through to one of the restaurants. This feels like a mad relative’s house (should they live in an enormous house in Hertfordshire) where you’ll never quite know everything that’s going on. What sort of person comes here? Couples with young children playing on the lawn, multi-generational family meet-ups and local media types not currently commuting into London but looking for a place to work. The old mansion has some amazing event spaces so we’d expect parties making the most of the resident DJs on weekends. Anything we missed? The Lido (which should be glorious, in the old walled garden) has been a casualty of coronavirus, and members will have to wait for summer 2021 for the chiringuito-style pool parties (adults only after 3pm). Anything you'd change? The landscaping is still a little rough around the edges and the addition of some outdoor lighting might mean that evenings on the back terrace are able to go on a little longer. A final note: is it worth it? Yes. Membership is a relative bargain given the free access to sweat and yoga classes in the wellness space once you’re in, as well as access to the rest of the house. An exciting opening – is this the future of the hotel?" - Tabitha Joyce