Activities at Keythorpe Hall
Each stay with us is fully bespoke and we can curate a fully packed schedule or leave you to your own devises. Please see some suggestions below, which can all be tailored to any age. Let us know what you enjoy doing and we’ll create a suggested itinerary especially for you.
Curious to find out what a stay with us can look like? Please see some of our sample itineraries below:
Family Itinerary Foodie Itinerary Easter Itinerary Girls Trip
FOOD & DRINK
Wild Food Walk with our Forager and Ethnobotanist Claudio Bincoletto
Once the forager for the Italian army, Claudio has a wealth of experience teaching at Petersham Nurseries, as speaker for the RHS and doing wild food cooking demonstrations at food & country shows across the UK. He will take you on an educational tour of the grounds to explore the wild food growing around us and will finish in the walled garden where we grow the fruit and vegetables you'll be eating. What to pick, what not to pick and more importantly why not to pick! His greatest passion and speciality is the wild mushroom so be ready to learn how to identify, sustainably pick & cook them. Want to grow some mushrooms yourself? Claudio will teach you the various methods of propagating to set you up for success
Cooking Masterclass with Keythorpe Hall’s chefs
Have you always wanted to make your own sourdough or are fascinated but scared by fermentation? Or fancy perfecting your pasta or pastry? Spend a few hours with our chefs for a tailor-made cooking masterclass.
Butchery & Cooking Over Fire
Begin with a tour of one of our neighbouring farms, then to butcher/ farmer Gwilym to test your knife skills and learn all about breaking down an animal. The chefs will subsequently teach you everything about nose-to-tail eating and the preparation of different cuts of meat, some restaurant cooking secrets and a masterclass in cooking over fire.
Local Cheese Tasting with Perry from Rennet & Rind
Did you know Leicestershire is one of the three counties in the UK where Stilton can be made? In addition to Stilton there are so many other local British cheeses which are delicious and deserve a spot on any cheese plate. Rennet & Rind is Keythorpe Hall’s cheese supplier and sources the finest cheeses from the very best independent cheese makers and then ages them to perfection in their maturing rooms. Perry is head of cheese at Rennet & Rind, Certified Affineur and Judge of the World Cheese Awards. Perry’s knowledge and passion will certainly rub off during this fun, delicious & informative tasting.
Wine Tasting with Bert Blaize
Keythorpe Hall’s wine concierge Bert Blaize was young sommelier of the year in 2018 and author of the book Which Wine When. Bert is incredibly passionate about wine and food pairings and will explain the how and why of pairing the perfect wine to a certain dish. Are you interested in tasting a vertical of your favourite wine or wonder whether English sparkling wine can stand up to Champagne? Let us know and Bert will create your perfect tasting experience.
Vermouth Making & Cocktail Masterclass with Bert Blaize
Together with our wine concierge Bert you will create your very own Vermouth, made out of local Leicestershire wine and botanicals foraged on a wild food walk with Claudio. Once you have created your vermouth, Bert will show you how to put together the perfect cocktail!
Gin Making with Brentingby Gin
The Brentingby Gin Distillery is based in Melton Mowbray (12miles from Keythorpe) and founded by gin maker Bruce who trained under British gin legend Tom Nichol (of Tanqueray No. TEN). To make Keythorpe Hall Gin we took botanicals grown in our walled garden to Brentingby and together with Bruce we created our very own. For our guests, Bruce will bring his mini still to Keythorpe Hall and together you will blend your own gin with ingredients foraged during the tour with Claudio. If requested, the gin can be put into bigger production to enjoy more bottles at home.
Home Nation Whiskey Tasting & Old Fashion Masterclass with Rob Simpson
Rob Simpson is London’s best ‘Bar Chef’ and has worked in some of the finest restaurants. Rob will deliver a Home nation Whiskey Tasting in which you will taste regional artisan whiskies as a tour of the home nations of Great Britain & Ireland. He will examine current trends in the whiskey world and finish with an Old Fashioned Cocktail Master Class in which you will not only learn cocktail techniques but also about the role of bitters & sugars and their interplay with the spirit.
Gardening & Flowers
Royal Floristry with Shane Connolly
Keythorpe Hall was one of the flower growers in the UK who supplied flowers for the Coronation of King Charles III in May 2023. The flowers in Westminster Abbey were arranged by Shane Connolly, who also arranged the flowers for the wedding of The Prince and Princess of Wales in 2011. Shane is known for his spectacular but sustainable flower designs, championing British and seasonal flowers.
For this masterclass, Shane will come to Keythorpe to share some of his flower magic. Shane and Keythorpe Hall’s owner Barbara will guide guests through the onsite cutting gardens where guests will get to cut their own flowers and learn about how to harvest for the longest vase life. Back at the house we will turn our hands on arranging and creating a fabulous table scape. Expect to be surprised by the unexpected plants Shane uses in his arrangements - you will never look at your own garden in the same way again…
Garden Design - How to build your own vegetable garden, cut-flower patch or formal borders
There is nothing better than homegrown vegetables or flowers Learn how to plan, sow and maintain your very own patch from the experts at Keythorpe Hall. We’ll talk about varieties, succession sowing, using organic principals and mistakes to avoid.
Beekeeping & honey tasting
Join Claudio when he inspects the Keythorpe hives and learn more about bees and how honey is produced. Claudio will collect fresh honey from the hives for a tasting session afterwards. He will explain the flavour profile of different plants the bees foraged on and the difference between spring and summer honey, and more importantly – let you taste the difference for yourself!
Dawn chorus
For any early risers we will take you on a magical sunrise walk listening to our resident birds sing to the awakening day. Your guide will tell you all about the birds’ habitats, lifestyles and how to identify each unique song.
Art, Interiors & Design
Interior architecture masterclass with Edward Bulmer - Architectural historian & interior designer
Edward Bulmer is one of the UK’s leading interior designers and architectural historians, specialising in the restoration and decoration of historic buildings. After studying History of Art at university, Edward trained under legendary designer David Mlinaric CBE, as well as working for Alec Cobbe, and Gervase Jackson-Stops OBE, who was architectural advisor to the National Trust. Alongside running his own paint company, Edward Bulmer Natural Paint, Edward has led a highly successful design team for over 30 years, working on some of England’s greatest country houses as well as a range of private and commercial projects including Goodwood, the Tower of London, Chequers and the Arts Club.
Contemporary Art Talk by Mark Godfrey
Dr. Mark Godfrey is an art historian and curator. Having taught art history at the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, from 2007-2021, he was a Senior Curator at Tate Modern where he organised retrospectives of Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Olafur Eliasson, Richard Hamilton, as well as 'Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power', which was listed as the most important exhibition in Tate Modern's first twenty years. Since leaving Tate, he has organised exhibitions at the Fondation Van Gogh in Arles, the Wexner Center in Ohio, at Thomas Dane Gallery in Naples, and LGDR Gallery in Paris. He speaks regularly at many museums and universities globally including the Guggenheim, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Broad Art Museum in Los Angeles, and Secession in Vienna. He has written essays in over 50 catalogues and was awarded the Absolut Art Criticism prize in 2015. He was a jury member for the Venice Biennale in 2017. An expert on contemporary art, he is currently working on exhibitions for the Whitechapel, the Fondazione Prada, and for the Royal Academy.
Textile Design Masterclass with Rediscovered By
Charlotte Krone (Rediscovered By) is a textile designer and screen-printer based in Rutland, UK. Trained at Goldsmiths University and the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, Charlotte rediscovers historical and traditional textile techniques and applies these in unexpected ways to diverse range of interiors, from historic homes to contemporary spaces. At Keythorpe Hall, Charlotte has designed various prints with flowers from the garden, used her foxgloves print for a dreamy bed head in one of the bedrooms and has created amazing printed table linen for Keythorpe’s dining room.
Charlotte has delivered various masterclasses at Keythorpe Hall - varying from experimental screen printing to butterfly painting techniques. Regardless of the chosen technique, you will learn how to mix dyes and create layered prints on fabric which can be turned into lampshades, tote bags, t-shirts or anything else desirable.
Best of British Craft
Hand & Lock are the UK’s premier embroidery house providing embellishment services to the Royal Family, top European design houses, the Royal Armed Forces, Savile Row and others. They also house the Royal Archives, which includes pieces from previous coronations, Princess Diana’s wedding veil and military ceremonial garments. They were awarded the Royal Warrant in 1972.
For this experience, Lucy Martin, one of Hand & Lock’s embroiderers who has worked on some of the most high profile projects including the Coronation of King Charles III, Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour and frequently works with four prestige’s Savill Row tailors, will lead a workshop at Keythorpe Hall. Lucy will help guests design their own embroidery, while given a behind the scenes look of couture textiles. She will also bring pieces from the Royal Archives. This can be combined with the design of a tailor made garment by one of the UK’s top fashion houses or one of the Savill Row tailors.
Outdoor & Country Sports
Bushcraft with Ed Stafford
Ed is an internationally renowned explorer and holds the Guinness World Record as the first person to walk the length of the Amazon. He is now a presenter of TV shows such as First Man Out & Naked & Marooned. We can tailor a bushcraft experience hosted by Ed himself, where you’ll learn to survive & thrive in the wilderness. An amazing combination with Claudio’s wild food walk and a cooking over fire masterclass with the chefs!
Falconry
Full falconry experience both thrilling and educational with up to 6 different birds of prey (owls, falcons, eagles and hawks). An amazing interactive experience flying the birds, handling and feeding them! Alternatively, opt for a night time Owl experience and see owls fly in their natural setting and marvel at their skills of flight by night. This activity is suitable for the whole family.
Outdoor Cinema
Imagine a balmy summer evening, watching your favourite movie between the roses in the Sunken Garden.
Massages & Forest Bathing
We can arrange any type of massage therapy or reflexology. When the weather is good we recommend an outdoor experience, enjoying the undisrupted views and sounds of the countryside.
Cycling
There are lots of cycling routes around Keythorpe Hall. Explore the local chocolate box villages by bike and stop off at a traditional British pub. Rutland water, which is 15min away, has very safe cycling paths which loop around the lake - perfect for families. For the more advanced cyclist we can arrange a challenging loop with a picnic lunch en route!
Watersports & Wildswimming
Sailing, windsurfing and open water swimming can all be arranged at Rutland Water. We can arrange private tuition and there are frequent regattas during the year for all classes and abilities.
Shooting & Fishing
Depending on the season and level of experience we can organise driven game days in the local area. Outside of the season, experience all the thrill and excitement of a driven day with a simulated game day using clay pigeons. A range of different drives can be offered, representing pheasants over woods, partridge over steep banks, grouse and even duck or pigeon flighting. This comes with all of the first class hospitality you would expect! Fly Fishing can be found nearby on Rutland Water and the Eyebrook reservoir and there is excellent coarse fishing at Eye Kettleby towards Melton Mowbray.
Horse riding & Polo Lessons
We can arrange horse riding lessons or tours, depending on ability. For the more confident riders a private Polo lesson at one of the Polo Clubs in the area would be an exciting way to spend the afternoon.
Point-to-Point Racing & Burghley Horse Trials
Point-to-Point races are horseraces over fences in rural settings which are held various times a year. It is a great opportunity to experience rural British tradition, enjoying a sumptuous tail-gate picnic while watching the races. During the first weekend of September Burghley Horse Trails takes place - this annual three-day event is one of the leading 5* equestrian events in the world and only 40min away from Keythorpe Hall.
Driving Experiences
Landrover Experience
This off-road experience from Landrover pits machine against the seemingly impossible terrain! You get to learn more about off-road driving, obstacle handling and how to assess different environments. They also have a program for 11-17 year olds to get behind the wheel and try their hand on off-road driving on a specially designed assault course.
Supercars
Keythorpe Hall is a ‘Club Hub’ for AutoVivendi, the world largest private member supercar club. We can arrange private driving experiences in any of their cars. A great way of exploring the stunning countryside roads around us!
‘The Italian Job’ Car Rally
Inspired by the classic movie ‘The Italian Job’ each team will get the keys to their own Mini to follow the trail of clues and completing a range of enthralling challenges which will reward successful teams with information and equipment to aid their mission.
Teams will also meet shady characters on route, some may help, some may hinder. They all play parts in a brilliant extreme fun script which runs through the events and finishes in a dramatic pyrotechnic climax, where you’re “only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!”. This is a great activity to discover the Ruland & Leicestershire area surrounding Keythorpe Hall.
F1 British Grand Prix
Keythorpe Hall is perfectly located for a weekend at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone.
Children & Family
The woodlands in the grounds of Keythorpe Hall are a wonderful natural playground for children. If you prefer more organised fun, most activities can be adapted to suit children and we have great relationships with some of the country’s best children entertainers. Please find some other ideas below.
Collecting Eggs from Keythorpe’s Chickens
Go say hello to Keythorpe’s own flock of chickens and find out what colour eggs they have laid today!
Harvest & Cook
Explore the Walled Garden with our head grower Perry, where the kids can dig potatoes, pull carrots or pick raspberries - a great way to learn where food is coming from. They can deliver their harvest straight to the chefs through the ‘secret’ kitchen door, to find it on their plates moments later (guess who eats their vegetables now?) If they want to get their hands dirty in the kitchen we can organise anything from pizza making, scone baking to biscuit decorating with our chefs or organise a family cook-off MasterChef style.
Flower Crowns
Get creative with flowers from the garden by making beautiful flower crowns with our florist. The very little ones can create magic flower wands that will guarantee hours of fun.
Children Dance Masterclass
Jess, the owner of children’s dance school Core Dance will create a fantastic dance performance together with your children! Jess will lead a dance session every day of your stay leading up to the grand performance on a real stage on your last day.
Alice in Wonderland Lawn Games with Rhubarb Theatre
Join Rhubarb Theatre for a wonderland experience as you shrink into the gardens of the Queen of Hearts to find yourselves amongst her large lawn games. Once there you might get knotted up in the Alice-themed twister, go crackers with the croquet, or become champions of the chequers board. But watch out for her court jokers, they visit bringing mayhem and madness as the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter and even the Queen herself tumble into play. This is a great interactive experience for the whole family, combining theatre & family games.
Circus School
Have you always wanted to try your hand on the trapeze, aerial hoops or fancy learning some clown tricks? This is a great workshop ran by real circus professionals - improving balance, strength and learning some great new tricks.
Camp Out
An exciting outdoor adventure for kids in the woodland at Keythorpe Hall. While the adults dine and sleep in the house, the kids have their own adventure outdoors - lighting campfires, building shelters, wilderness first aid, games, outdoor cookery and much more. The whole family can join for a bush breakfast the next morning.
Games & Sports
We can arrange private tennis tuition, a rugby session with one of the players in the England squad or football with an amazing private coach. Even learn how to play cricket…
Laser Tag
A private laser tag game in the grounds of Keythorpe Hall. Fun for the whole family and no obstacles needed when you have a woodland of mature trees to hide behind!
Organic Farm Visit
Our neighbour is one of the largest Organic dairy farms in the UK. Farmer Will and his daughter Jess (who runs her own farm) are extremely knowledgeable and hands on. We can organise a tour of the farm as an educational activity for the whole family. Alternatively, during lambing season in spring, visit to our friends at Launde Farm to watch or even step in and help!
National Space Centre
This amazing science museum is home to the UK’s largest planetarium and is only 30mins from Keythorpe Hall. The Centre is full of interactive galleries and hands-on elements and is a wonderful experience for the whole family.
Local, Cultural & Historical
Keythorpe Hall has an enviable position in the centre of the country, and is ideal as a base to explore many of the historical towns and houses around the UK. We are just over an hour’s travel by train from London, under two hours to York and just over an hour by car to Cambridge and Stratford upon Avon. Locally you can visit historic market towns of Uppingham, Oakham and Stamford or the forgotten burial place of King Richard III in nearby Leicester.
We are on the border of Leicestershire and Rutland and in the heart of an area of natural beauty called High Leicestershire, typified by rolling hills and broad ridges and chocolate-box stone villages. Think of the Cotswolds but without the hoards of tourists. The local towns have art galleries and antique shops and there are fantastic local village pubs. This is an area of productive farmland networked with ancient trackways and quiet roads. There are historic stately homes and Iron-age settlements, and Norman conquest castles – some mere archeological sites and others still thriving homes.
Rutland Water – Europe’s biggest man-made lake is on our doorstep and is not only a place for sailing, paddleboarding or wild swimming but is an internationally recognised Site of Special Scientific interest (SSSI), Special Protection Area (SPA) and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. It is one of the best places to enjoy birds and wildlife in the UK. Search for rare spring migrants, admire fishing ospreys in the summer, enjoy the autumn wader passage and marvel at huge flocks of winter wildfowl. With events year round, walking trails and two visitor centres, you'll be sure of an immersive wildlife experience for the whole family.
There is a wealth of local historic houses & gardens to explore from the grand Elizabethan Burghley House to the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton at Woolsthorpe Manor and beautiful stone market towns to explore. We can arrange guides, transport and of course a fabulous picnic!
Browse the antique shops and boutiques of Uppingham and Stamford with an expert guide.
Cycle along green lanes and visit Saxon churches and 17th century historic Inns.
Explore Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon, just over an hour’s drive away. We can arrange a private guide to bring Shakespeare alive in the historic town where he was born.
Visit Cambridge or Oxford and see the world renowned colleges and beautiful architecture. Combine a trip to Cambridge with the stunning medieval cathedrals at Ely and Peterborough, or a shopping trip at Bicester Village if you are visiting Oxford!
Historical
Cambridge * Stratford upon Avon * Ely Cathedral * Peterborough Cathedral
Bosworth Battlefield * Burial place of Richard III * Battle of Naseby
Stately Homes and Historic Houses
Burghley House * Kelmarsh Hall * Althrop * Belton House * Deene Park * Rockingham Castle * Warwick Castlle * Belvoir Castle * Boughton House * Doddington Hall * Grimsthorpe Castle
Woolsthorpe Manor * Stoneywell * Cambridge Colleges
Gardens
Coton Manor * Barnsdale Gardens * Kelmarsh Hall * Burghley House * Easton Walled Garden
Everything we do at Keythorpe Hall if fully bespoke - please contact us for personalised itinerary suggestions.