Kate Houghton spends some quality time at a country retreat in Staffordshire

Who doesn’t dream of escaping to a Spa with your BFF and indulging in some serious me time? I do, so last weekend I did just that, to Moddershall Oaks in Staffordshire, to be precise.

It’s impossible to just up and leave on a Saturday morning, not when you have children to get to various sporting events and household errands to be run, but by noon my spa buddy Amanda and I were on the road to Staffordshire and within an hour had arrived at our destination.

From the moment we stepped into the scented reception area of this countryside spa and wedding venue we started to relax. Neom candles dot the space and warm smiles and personal service from the desk team means you can immediately put your dream of escape in their capable hands.

The spa area is split into two parts. An indoor pool, with a hydrotherapy pool adjacent and a steam room alongside, is at one end of the hotel and a huge outdoor hot tub with a sauna beside it accessible some walk away, via a fabulous relaxation room, with a real fire burning and lots of sofas upon which to curl up and doze or read a magazine.

We had booked a treatment apiece; with Amanda opting for the Neom De-stress massage and me choosing the Elemis Couture Technology face and body treatment. Amanda positively floated out of her treatment, her first experience of a full-body massage, and with a room filled with the scent of Neom De-Stress aromatherapy oils, possibly the very best way to try it out. My treatment included a hot stone back and shoulder massage, followed by a comprehensive Elemis facial, including a session with Elemis Biotec, which in addition to a deep cleanse and moisturise, uses two wands to run microcurrents through the skin. My therapist covered my chin and mouth with a thin mask before applying the galvanic micro-currents, designed to tighten the area. Afterwards my skin felt lush and plumped out, glowing with all the attention.

After some more doing nothing in our room, we headed for dinner, and perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend: the most fabulous food. Some spas expect you to be all healthy and dine on superfoods and smoothies all weekend. Moddershall Oaks encourages you to eat super food and drink wine, before you head back to sleep it off in a super comfortable bed.

I started with an artichoke tart – chilled and tasty fresh prepared artichoke hearts on thin as thin pastry strips, with a rocket salad - and Amanda with wonderfully fresh and fragrant Thai Crab cakes. To follow I opted for Chicken Supreme with a sweetcorn and sage risotto, butternut squash and crispy kale. So good! Portion size definitely man-size, but I gave it my best shot as it was too good to waste. Amanda’s Rump of Lamb, with honey glazed root vegetables, carrot puree and tarragon jus was declared fabulous too, and it’s worth noting here that neither of us offered to share! We swerved past puddings (though the Sticky Toffee Pudding with a cinnamon-banana fritter and banana-poppy seed ice-cream did give me moment’s pause) and headed back for a full, undisturbed, eight hours sleep. Bliss.

Starting Sunday without a demanding child in sight is a treat in itself, but add fresh made coffee and Eggs Royale and I’m completely sold. I think we may well be heading back to Staffordshire once the madness of Christmas has passed!

moddershalloaks.com