Eileen Wise spends a week at Combe Grove near Bath to see if the wellness centre can change her life.
A few months ago, I was idly flicking through the weekend papers when I came across an article written by a journalist whose writing I admire – and whose opinions I trust. She wrote a glowing account of a wellness centre that had changed her life for the better, so I wondered, could it do the same for me?
For some time I had been on the lookout for ways to lead a healthier lifestyle, so I promptly booked myself into the subject of the article, Combe Grove just outside Bath, the UK’s very first metabolic health wellness centre. Along with a like-minded group of eight other women and one man I set out to learn about metabolism, and how it could refresh my body and mind.
Combe Grove – Rest, Restore, Reset
Combe Grove is an elegant Georgian country manor house set in a stunning valley. This and converted barns on the estate would be the venue for all the lectures, workshops and medical consultations. But exercise is a key plank in the centre’s philosophy, so on the first morning before the serious work began I found myself on a delightful guided walk. Not long after sunrise, we meandered through an ancient forest with 400-hundred-year-old massive oak trees.
We were having what our guide termed a “forest bath” – a glorious way to start the day and be at one with nature, peacefully watching the autumn leaves fall to the ground while listening to the chirping of wild birds and catching sight of a pair of shy deer disappearing over the hill.
Combe Grove’s motto is ‘Rest, Restore, Reset’ and that is what I was encouraged to do in my six-night stay. The centre’s mission is to teach people how to lead a healthy and balanced life by following a precise metabolic diet and regime – with the food intake primarily one of low carbohydrates and very little sugar. At the heart of the philosophy are five roots – nutrition, movement, sleep, environment and mindset – and during my stay there we had a variety of talks and workshops on all of those.
Helen Aylward Smith
Helen Aylward SmithCombe Grove is the brainchild of entrepreneur Helen Aylward Smith, a successful businesswoman with an interest in and passion for innovative techniques and lifestyles which improve health and well-being. While Combe Grove is open for private individuals like myself who want a week’s immersive education in the subject, Helen is also keen to reach as wide an audience as possible, with ideas about metabolic health percolating into the NHS.
Indeed, it was a fortuitous meeting with local GP Dr Campbell Murdoch, an expert in metabolic health, that helped the birth of Combe Grove. Helen has since set up an impressive apprenticeship programme and there are numerous trainees working on the estate – in the office, learning about marketing, in the kitchen, housekeeping and in the gardens and managing the land. She plans to introduce bursaries in the future and hopes that NHS GPs will refer people who can benefit from the programmes on offer. With her philanthropic approach to life she has set Combe Grove up as a business held within a charitable trust, thus protecting it from ever being bought up by a big corporation.
Nutrition
Combe Grove is not your classic health spa with the accent on sheer relaxation – although two of the classic spa ingredients, massages and a pool, are available here. On arrival everyone meets individually with Dr Murdoch and his team, and your weight and blood pressure are taken enabling them to get the clearest picture of your health.
You are urged to embrace the idea of the five roots, with nutrition being the most important. All week we were told we must eat real food with some fat and good quality high protein. Carbohydrates can be consumed but in smaller amounts, and sugar should be limited. A big part of the Combe Grove routine is time-restricted eating with long gaps between meals, which allows the body to rest and go into what is called ‘repair mode’, which means not digesting food many times a day. This helps with blood pressure and also insulin levels.
The majority of people coming for a week’s retreat here are looking to improve their general health and maybe lose a bit of weight, but more specific courses are offered for people on the subjects of prediabetes, fertility issues, gut health, people recovering from surgery and there is one for the menopause.
Fasting and Diet
We ate two meals a day. The first, “brunch”, was at 10.45 am, and then supper was served at 5.30pm. So from 6.30 pm onwards there was a sixteen-hour gap where we could only drink water or herbal tea! This was not too difficult for me, and I only felt hungry when I awoke in the middle of the night. Some of the group found it more challenging, but after a few days they too became accustomed to the regime.
The food at Combe Grove is all homemade and delicious – much of it grown in the estate’s very own, enormous organic vegetable garden. Surprisingly perhaps, the portions are very generous and on a few occasions I found I could not finish everything on my plate. We were offered a varied menu for both brunch (two courses) and supper. We ate all our meals in the attractive Orangery, which at night time was lit by candlelight, making it a very cosy atmosphere.
I was very impressed with the food produced by the chefs each day – inventive, tasty and appealingly presented. Given diet is such an important part of Combe Grove’s philosophy there was much talk about food both in our lectures by the nutritionists – and amongst my fellow guests. A sample supper menu might include a starter of rosemary roasted squash, smoked trout, capers, red onion, and cavolo nero (kale) with a dill dressing. Then for the main course we would be spoilt for choice – braised lamb shank, free range chicken breast, roasted salmon fillet, fish pie, lightly spiced monk fish or grilled hispi cabbage with tofu.
Towards the end of our stay we all enjoyed a cookery demonstration by Oliver Pratt, one of the nutritional therapists, designed to help us return home armed with the knowledge of how to prepare the healthy meals we had been eating all week.
The rooms at Combe Grove are situated a few minutes’ walk up a hill from the main house, in a large, attractive refurbished barn. They are all modern, light and airy – mine overlooked the valley and had a balcony, although sadly for most of the week there was a lingering fog so I didn’t get to the appreciate the full majesty of the view.
Combe Grove Spa
No health retreat would be complete without some relaxing treatments and Combe Grove is no exception. A selection of different massages and reflexology was on the menu, but there is much more on offer – osteopathy, craniosacral therapy, person-centred counselling, acupuncture, emotional freedom technique, kinesiology, naturopathy, physiotherapy, reiki and shiatsu.
There really is something for everyone and all the practitioners and therapists are first class. I had one of the best massages I have ever experienced with Bethan Jennings – firm, relaxing and so pleasurable. But as I’ve said, if you’re looking for the staples of a traditional health spa – facials, manicures or pedicures – then Combe Grove is not the place for you!
There are, however, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, both heated all year round and both big enough to swim laps. I enjoyed swimming in the indoor pool and finishing off with a relaxing stay in the steam room.
Movement and Exercise
Movement and exercise are important in Combe Grove’s regime and I found a personal one-to-one session with Graham Eastgate, the lead metabolic health coach, to be most enlightening. He designed a bespoke programme for me to undertake at home, to help strengthen my muscles without being too strenuous – unlike what some instructors in gyms might suggest. These exercises are not complicated – I have been doing them successfully since I got home and can certainly feel the benefit.
Most evenings we all retired to our rooms shortly after supper as we were tired after a full day of lectures, meditation and yoga. But on one evening it was arranged for a talented young guitarist to entertain us. We sat in front of a roaring log fire in the drawing room and enjoyed a combination of classical guitar sounds and old favourites like the Beatles and Dire Straits, and a few more recent pop songs.
On our last evening Jon Main, who had been hosting and looking after us all week over brunch and supper, put on a different hat. He gave us a fascinating talk about the history of Combe Grove – but it didn’t end there. Jon is a detectorist and with his tools has explored Combe Grove and other local estates. He gave us more than just an explanation of his art – he also produced his extraordinary collection of Roman and pre-Roman jewellery and artefacts, and some Roman coins. It was a real treat to see and handle his rare finds.
Setting Yourself up for Success
On our last day Adam Johnston, one of the nutritionists, advised us how to go out in the big wide world and keep up all we had learned during our stay. The talk was called Personalise Your Plan and Setting Yourself up for Success. The challenge for all of us now is to see if we can follow through to make substantial changes to our eating habits and lifestyle. Most of us are optimistic we can.
The Combe Grove experience does not end when you walk out of the front door. Those attending the retreat are offered support for a full year, with regular access to the specialists who can check on how you are getting on and offer advice if necessary. You are even sent your own blood test kits.
Since getting home I have stuck to the diet and not found the adjustment too demanding. However, I refuse to give up my early morning cup of tea.
Combe Grove
Prices from £2,900 for the year-long Metabolic Health Programme with a six-night Retreat. For more information click here. Main image: Combe Grove, Photographer, Liane Ryan.
