The Tawny Hotel review

As far as weekend getaways go, this 70-acre estate offers a peaceful country escape with all the best elements of a traditional hotel experience. Staffordshire, arguably, is not yet on the map for luxury and leisure but set in the heart of the beautiful Staffordshire Moorlands, The Tawny surely is a beacon of things to come.  

A ‘deconstructed’ hotel where you have your own secluded space away from the central building, lodgings range from luxury treehouse retreats and lookouts to glade huts and romantic boathouses with floor to ceiling windows looking out onto the lake. Breathe deeply in nature, whether walking through the magical and extensive grounds or soaking under starlight in your own private outdoor hot tub.

The Tawny presents a carefully curated experience – a place to freely dwell rather than simply rest your head. You’ll want for nothing…except maybe to return again.

Image courtesy of The Tawny Hotel

Stay

The Tawny spans two neighbouring estates, in a particularly beautiful part of Staffordshire’s Churnet Valley. In the Fledglings Collection, concierge-serviced cottages and houses with pools can be privately booked for parties of between six and ten people. Spanning the length and breadth of the Consall Estate, the Wingspan Collection is for the more traditional hotel experience, with the Tawny’s distinctive Shepherds Huts, Treehouses, Lookouts, Boathouses, and Retreats – some including family-sized accommodation options and / or dog-friendly stays. Each is thoughtfully positioned within the natural contours of this spectacular setting, which features five lakes and rolling valley views.

The Hillside Treehouses – which we experienced during our stay – enjoy an elevated position, up high on the Western ridge of the valley. Decorated in a style to combine rustic charm with contemporary design, the treehouses feature a super king size bed, freestanding bathtub beside floor to ceiling windows looking out across the picturesque valley, lake and grounds. The ensuite features a walk-through shower, opening out to your own private veranda, with seating, additional shower and outdoor William Holland eco-friendly spa bath with artisan tin finish – the ultimate experience in bathing luxury, fitted with water jets forultimate relaxation.

All of the private lodges are dotted across the sprawling Tawny estate, but an evening stroll to and from dinner at hotel’s main restaurant, The Plumicorn, is an absolute delight. If the weather isn’t faring well, borrow a pair of Hunter wellies and an umbrella – or, for those needing assistance, the Tawny’s fleet of Land Rovers and golf buggies can also help you get around.

Image courtesy of The Tawny Hotel

The facilities 

Embrace wellbeing – The Tawny’s outdoor pool gives you an elevated view of the rolling hills and valleys, and bikes are available to explore the winding paths. Book a private yoga session, wander freely through the folly trail, or take in some forest bathing. A secluded thatched cottage on the grounds is home to the GAIA Spa offering bespoke treatments, and guided activities throughout the year include on-site foraging, stargazing, raku pottery lessons and art workshops.

 If you do feel the need to leave the estate – but why would you? – then the world-famous Peak District and its wild open spaces is only a stone's throw away, while thrill seekers can hop over the hills to Alton Towers. Staffordshire’s cultural scene is also gaining momentum, with the Stoke on Trent centenary celebrations running until the end of the year and a welcome resurgence of the ceramics industry being championed by contemporary artists and curators. Read our recent review of the British Ceramics Biennial 2025.

Image courtesy of The Tawny Hotel

Dining

Within The Tawny’s impressively modern central structure, with its impressive double-apex proportions, coloured zinc and glass to open the dining area straight into nature, is The Plumicorn restaurant, where the team’s passion for seasonal produce and incredible local ingredients is reflected in the menu. From your table, look straight down past the landscaped and ornamental gardens into the wild meadows, lakes and forests further down the valley. Look to the side and you will also see The Tawny’s abundant kitchen gardens, where most of the vegetables, herbs and aromatics are sourced, grown among charming beds of companion flowers.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you don't need to be a hotel guest to make a reservation. With a varied menu encompassing sea, sky and earth, think fresh, seasonal and experimental dishes such as Wild Mushroom,Truffle and Confit Egg Yolk, Leg of Duck with Duck Fat Bread & Butter Pudding and Beetroot, or Turbot with Smoked Eel, Champagne and Caviar. Desserts are also a must, incorporating fruits from the gardens, as well as honey made from beehives on the estate. The Tahitian Vanilla with Raspberry, Tawny Honey and Brown Butter was an absolute winner. Purchase a jar of the Tawny Honey from the reception when you check out.

For breakfast, hot meals are again served in The Plumicornevery morning, from your Full English to the famous Staffordshire Oatcake with Pork Sausage and / or Streaky Bacon. Those wanting to relax in their cabins can order a delivery of a continental breakfast instead. Through the summer months, Afternoon Tea can be taken in the stunning estate gardens, and hotel guests can even pre-order a picnic, delivered to the room or set out in a special designated spot.

Across the menu, seasonality and sustainability is at the core. Food is sourced locally, through suppliers such as Wells Dairy providing dairy products, and Dunwood Farm and SprinksFarm for their meat – all within less than a five-mile radius. It is more challenging when it comes to fish supply, however The Tawny is proud to use Celtic Fish and Game, who have their own sustainability programme.

Image courtesy of The Tawny Hotel

Explore

The Tawny is made for exploring nature, and we largely have Mr William Podmore to thank for the wonderous gardens – both meticulously landscaped and enchantingly mysterious.The story of the gardens as we know them begins in 1918 when Podmore moved to the estate as a baby with his parents– William Senior and Alberta – who owned a Potteries firm specialising in glazes and colours and made Consall Hall their family home.

Lying some eight miles or so to the east of Stoke-on-Trent, the Consall Hall gardens became the young William Podmore’s life project when he inherited the estate in the 1950s. Trained as a mechanical engineer (throughout WW2 he worked with Sir Frank Whittle on the development of the jet engine, ultimately being awarded the OBE for his achievements in this area), he had technical skill and creative vision alongside a deep love for nature, and set to transform what was an unremarkable, mining-scarred Staffordshire valley into the beautiful 70-acre gardens we now see. Sculpting lakes and building dams, he also began collecting architectural remnants from the many large country houses which were being demolished in the 1960s – giving them a new home in what now sprawls across the hotel’s folly trail.

For more than half a century, Podmore worked to transform this former colliery site into an area of significant natural beauty over which The Tawny is now worthy custodian. It is unusual when reviewing a hotel to heap so much praise and focus on the bits in between, but the gardens and grounds of The Tawny Estate are an exception. Step out of time for a true moment of serenity.

Image courtesy of The Tawny Hotel

Getting there

The nearest major train station to The Tawny Hotel is Stoke-on-Trent (SOT), which is about a 20 to 25-minute drive away. From there, you will need to take a taxi to reach the hotel, as it is located in a rural area and is not directly accessible by public transport. Thankfully, Stoke-on-Trent is just an hour and half’s direct train ride from London Euston, so door-to-door you could be in your cabin retreat in just over two hours! Driving from London can take between three-and-a-half to four hours, but may be worth the effort if you take the scenic routes and have time to explore the surrounding countryside during the visit.

Image courtesy of The Tawny Hotel

Price

Rates vary depending on the season. Hillside Treehouses start at £450 midweek at low season and from £610 at high season, with a two-night minimum stay. Book now.

Location

The Tawny Hotel, Consall Ln, Staffordshire, United Kingdom, ST9 0AG.

For more information visit thetawny.co.uk

Words by Tani Burns