For couples getting married in London, we’ve found a dreamy mini moon spot, less than an hour from the centre of London.
Amersham is a charming town in Buckinghamshire, complete with old world charm, thatched cottages and rolling hills. It’s the perfect place to retreat to post-wedding, to bask in newlywed joy.
We stayed the night at The Crown Inn, which film lovers might recognise from Four Weddings and a Funeral – while we didn’t spot Hugh Grant or Andie MacDowell roaming the halls, our stay was every bit as romantic as the classic rom com.
We stayed in one of the Courtyard Suites, complete with stylish four poster bed, chic exposed beams, a rainforest shower and a standalone bathtub in the bedroom – total decadence for relaxing in, post wedding. There’s something ever so opulent about reclining in your roll top bath while watching the telly.
The room opens directly onto the quaint cobbled courtyard, which is ideal for late night drinks from the pub before walking the few footsteps back to your king size bed.
Inside The Crown Inn is Hawkyns by Atul Kochhar; the twice Michelin starred chef offers Pan-Indian cuisine, with every mouthful more mouth watering than the next. Normally I’m a chicken korma kind of girl, but with such an array of amazing dishes on offer, I strayed from my usual choice, instead opting for the tasting menu, and I’ve been dreaming about it ever since.
Dishes included samosa chaat, meen moilee, and tandoori chicken, and each one of them was incredible. The meen moilee, which is a pan fried sea bass with masala mash and coconut moilee sauce, was my personal favourite, while my partner loved his erachi chettinaad, which was a grilled lamb chop with chettinaad jus.
Hawkyns is a far cry from your usual Indian take away, but rather than alienating people like me who normally stick to chicken korma, it opens your eyes to a whole new take on Indian cuisine.
The Crown Inn is a gorgeous place to spend your first few days as newlyweds, with Hawkyns making it ideal for foodie couples who enjoy exemplary food in a laid back setting.
The day after our fantastic meal and wonderful nights sleep, we walked a few yards down Amersham’s pretty, Tudor-style high street to The Crown Inn’s sister property, The Kings Arms, which holds host to a wedding venue unlike any we’ve ever seen.
The pub itself is charming, but at the back of the property is Kings Chapel, an absolute hidden gem of a wedding venue. It boasts incredibly high ceilings which allow natural light to shine through, and is based across two levels, with the upper balcony available for either guests to sit on and gaze down on your ceremony, or to host drinks on. Alternatively, if you wanted to really push the boat out, you could have a band up there – we’re picturing the iconic wedding scene in Love Actually.
The venue also boasts an outdoor pizza oven, a small but perfectly formed bar, and a dance floor that we can imagine being completely packed with overjoyed wedding guests.
Even better news – Hawkyns by Atul Kochhar can also cater for your wedding within Kings Chapel – imagine the delight your guests will feel when they find out a Michelin starred chef is creating their meal!
Kings Chapel is hard to categorise when it comes to a wedding venue; it’s neither a pub nor a hotel, though it has both of these on site – it’s a truly unique find and is easy to access from London for transport ease.
