UTLT ~ The Mindful Place to B & Be!™

There’s something for everyone here at UTLT! We’re lucky enough to look out across our fields and down the land to our own woods, to the river, and to the valley beyond. The bigness and openness of the view, with the spire of Saint Claud church nestling perfectly amongst the trees in the far distance is breathtaking. Everyone can’t help but feel inspired and impressed by the view from the terrace, especially from the hot tub, which has a virtually 360 degree panorama of ‘chocolate box’ scenery - beautiful meadowlands; wonderful hedgerows; undulating pastures; arable farmland; substantially wooded areas; magnificent skies. It just makes you want to wind down, relax and forget all your troubles!

You can stay up at the terrace and admire the totally natural surroundings from a hammock or meander through the meadows making your way slowly to the woods. Here you’ll find acres of ancient hazel and hornbeam, interspersed with oak, alder, field maple, poplar, willow and walnut. They were once properly managed and coppiced, but years of neglect meant that it took us 7 years to cut through bramble bushes the size of tower blocks to get to the end! Now you can enjoy a leisurely stroll through these ancient woodlands, taking your time, listening to the bird life, having no agenda, bathing in the beauty of the forest and simply being!

If the woods don’t appeal, then the river might tempt you to go paddling and splashing about to play and keep cool, or alternatively, you might want to sit still long enough for the Kingfishers to come swooping through, or the frogs to come up to the surface, the dragon flies to land, or the deer to sneak up on you! It’s a peaceful spot. It’s very safe and exciting for kids who need to run around and expend some energy but also ideal for those who simply need to get away from it all.

The wildlife and insect life is wonderful, so let the land look after you while you’re here! Let the natural beauty and tranquility of the surroundings contribute to your sense of wellbeing so that you can enjoy your holiday in a peaceful state and with renewed vigour!

Learn How We Cultivate Shiitake Mushrooms

The french are generally more than a little obsessed and very secretive with mushrooms and it is fascinating, though normal, to see solitary locals emerging from the woods with a covered basket during the autumn.

A walk in the woods uncovers a wide variety of edible and delicious wild mushrooms in the forest. Whether wild or cultivated, mushrooms are well worth the effort to add flavour, nutrition and interest to our Vegetarian Evening Meals. Most species of mushrooms are highly nutritious with many of them, including the shiitake, classed as medicinal. Combined with his love for growing things and our ideal location, Sean can successfully create a natural habitat for shiitakes, adding an exotic and unusual dish to our organic supply of fresh food. Fabulous!

If you are visiting us during the right season, normally spring or autumn you could be lucky enough to learn how we cultivate our shittake mushrooms on oak logs, how we prepare them and how we cook them.