We Tried Beaverbrook’s Hot Air Balloon Dining Experience

If you love the idea of being in a hot air balloon but can’t quite face the actual floating mid-air bit, Surrey hotel Beaverbrook offers the perfect compromise. The country house grande dame has brought back its hot air balloon dining experience for summer 2026, and C&TH’s Ellie Smith gave it a try.

Review: Beaverbrook’s Balloons in Bloom

With its wedding cake-style Victorian facade and perfectly manicured, sprawling lawn, the front view of Beaverbrook mansion is a thing of beauty. But tucked round the corner, six artfully designed hot air balloons are giving the house a run for its money. 

Styled by luxury homeware brand Summerill & Bishop, the ultra-Instagrammable, purple balloons are set beside a trickling fountain, surrounded by manicured greenery. The balloons themselves are dressed in the brand’s purple Still Life 1815 pattern, while the wicker baskets below are decked out into little private dining spaces fitting up to four. And this year it’s all about florals, with motifs of roses, peonies, irises and daffodils featuring throughout both the design and the food. 

There are three menus to choose from: Standard, Pescatarian and Vegetarian, all offering a five-course, Japanese-inspired feast. As I’m currently pregnant and raw fish and rare meat is a no-go, I opted for the veggie, and was prepared to have food envy as my partner tucked into yellowtail and rare steak. But it quickly became apparent the same amount of care and creativity goes into the vegetables as it does the meat and fish thanks to the wizardry of chef Wojciech Popow and his team.

After a welcome cocktail made with Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky, peach, jasmine and citrus (fresh lemonade for me), a little amuse bouche arrived: juicy pickled tomatoes in a chilled, bright green elderflower sauce, paired with some pretty nasturtium (an edible flower) and sorbet. 

The ‘Taste of Botanicals’ starter

This artful approach to food continues in the second course, which sees a giant bowl of crushed ice studded with lots of little tartar bowls filled with diced fish or vegetables. For me, the platter included cucumber with yuzu and ginger pearls, artichoke with juniper miso, and an aubergine and wasabi dip (plus crackers for scooping). The Standard menu, meanwhile, includes dry-aged tuna laced with truffles for a touch of decadence (a highlight) and salmon with green chilli, crispy leeks and pink pepper.

It’s just enough to whet your appetite, but ensure you’re still hungry for the main event: a yakiniku feast, which sees every table presented with their own mini grill. With such premium ingredients and some helpful pre-seasoning, even the most amateur of chefs can whip this spread into a delicious feast – plus the interactive element makes the meal all the more fun. 

The yakiniku course

Veggie-wise there’s corn on the cob, confit leek, sweet potato and some surprisingly tasty crispy tofu skin; on the standard menu you’re presented with melt-in-the-mouth wagyu sirloin, Iberican pork, Spanish octopus and Cornish lamb cutlet. To go with it all, there’s sticky steamed rice, pickles, sauces and a seasonal salad with rhubarb and sake kasu jelly for a dose of freshness. 

As the sun began to set, we were presented with another work of art: an iridescent, multi-coloured bowl shaped like a bird filled with a yuzu gel, matcha and buttermilk white chocolate feuilletine (a kind of crispy dessert made from thin crêpes). Nice and light, but just enough to satisfy the sweet tooth.

There’s no need to leave the ground for this dining experience to feel special and romantic. The magical setting, paired with top-quality food and slick service ensures a memorable dining experience, particularly if you’re lucky enough to get a balmy summer’s evening. Better still if you extend the evening with an overnight stay, sleeping in one of Beaverbrook’s historic bedrooms – we spent the night in the place where Rudyard Kipling would retire during nights at the estate. Don’t miss a trip to The Coach House spa, and be sure to squeeze in a stroll around the hotel’s glorious gardens for the British country house hotel stay of dreams.

BOOK IT:

Balloons in Bloom is available Wednesday – Sunday for lunch and dinner. £165pp for the Standard and Pescatarian menu, £135pp for the Vegetarian. beaverbrook.co.uk