 |
|
By Beverley Nielsen | Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel is the very next stop after Donington Park race circuit. An imposing timbered building of some age, it’s surrounded by a deer park and rolling fields. And directly opposite is Breedon Church, on a site dating back to Celtic times, it’s perched atop a jutting limestone protrusion.
 |
|
Imposing and welcoming: the Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel | It’s the family home of John and Linda Shields. John’s father farmed the land where the five counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire meet in a peculiar ‘V’ shape - the tip of the heart, which they represent.
When John left home he started running hotels, but returned after his father retired when he converted their magnificent family home into a 19-bed hotel. As it’s just down the road from Donington Park it’s visited by many famous names from the world of racing – Nigel Mansell and Carl Fogarty are just two of the regulars.
 |
|
Part of the family: John and Milly next to the 2-Oven Aga | Visitors are able to enjoy one very special treat – all the food is cooked on a 4-Oven Aga. This faithful servant has been in service for 31 years, cooking breakfast, lunch and evening meals for between 40 and 50 people. John and Linda wouldn’t be without their own 2-oven Aga in their own kitchen, so this is a two Aga family.
“It’s quite weird when you get a new chef,” says John. “They look at you as if you’re out to lunch. As they’re used to cooking on gas they’re not initially sure what to make of the Aga. But they get used to it very quickly and when they leave they’re normally big converts, preferring to continue cooking on an Aga..
“It’s so easy to cook healthy breakfasts on the Aga. We use a griddle on top of the hot plate very successfully, so we don’t have to fry in lots of fat. As we have our own Deer Park we cook venison all the time - venison sausages for breakfast, venison stew or burgers for lunch and venison joints for dinner.
 |
|
Period details: the rear of the Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel | “It’s a wild herd of fallow and red deer; we have 350 head of deer roaming on 200 acres and the records date back to 1216, so it’s very special to us. The animals are shot using high powered rifles from a long way away so they don’t have any idea what’s about to happen and their meat is not tainted with adrenalin. We hang the meat for at least a week to ensure the best taste. This is a big issue with supermarket meats, which are very red as they are not hung for long enough. It’s an issue that Jamie Oliver did well to bring to some prominence recently.
“Venison stew is very easy to make. Brown off diced haunch to seal and cook onions separately. Coat browned venison in plain flour and add to cooked onions Pour in a touch of powdered beef bouillon with real ale or red wine to cover. Cook for several hours in the simmering oven until the meat is tender.”
 |
|
Man's best friend: Milly and the Aga | John and Linda are looking to install some new equipment, but they want to keep their Aga in service.
“It gives such a homely feel, I think I’ll actually put one in the dining room next time round,” says John. “We think so highly of it, it’s been such a star for us and we’ll use it to keep a warm pot of stew on the go, to welcome all weary travellers who come to stay with us with some tasty venison stew!”
For more information about Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel visit www.parkfarmhouse.co.uk
|
