As the gold winner, Combe House has been automatically fast-tracked into the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in November, and then possibly on to the national Enjoy England awards in spring 2011.
The seven award categories celebrate the cream of Devon’s tourism industry and are designed to raise the profile of the county’s high performing tourism providers. Sponsored by Clockwork Marketing & Direct Mail, the Hotel of the Year category is for town, country house and metro hotels of excellent quality.
Combe House Devon is a wildly romantic Grade I Elizabethan manor hidden on a 3,500 acre wooded estate in the thatched village of Gittisham. The stunning country hotel and restaurant has been run privately by Ruth and Ken Hunt for the past twelve years. During this time, the Hunts and their team have transformed the house and its gardens into a truly memorable place to stay.
Thrilled with the award proprietor Ken Hunt said: “This unexpected honour for our small, country house hotel reflects back on our wonderful, welcoming, happy and hard working team. We are fortunate to be in a stunning location with a wealth of the West Country’s quality food producers on our doorstep”, concludes Ken.
Combe’s two resident Master Chefs of Great Britain, Hadleigh Barrett and Stuart Brown, are ardent about sourcing the freshest and best quality local ingredients. Around 70% of the fruit and vegetables in season is also provided by Combe’s own kitchen gardens – the chefs talk food metres, not miles.
