Please note our writers visited these properties prior to the coronavirus pandemic
What could be more appealing than the epicurean informality of an inn or restaurant with rooms? These wonderfully relaxed establishments combine an emphasis on great ingredients from the area with local charm and stylish panache. There’s an insider feel that you don’t get at a more formal hotel, and there’s a foodie enthusiasm that wouldn’t be exuded quite as joyfully at a larger enterprise.
Autumn/winter is a particularly good time to seek out their gently indulgent accommodation and fabulous seasonal flavours – the likes of wild rabbit with foraged mushrooms, grouse and damsons, elderberries and more. Harriet O’Brien
Our experts round up their favourite establishments in Britain, from the Cotswolds to Cornwall, Suffolk to Skye, for feasting – and then flopping.
ENGLAND
Cotswolds
The Feathered Nest Country Inn
Oxfordshire, Cotswolds, England
Fabulous food and a superb setting above the Evenlode valley make this old country inn a hedonistic haven. The owners describe it as a pub with a twist. They’ve created an elegant restaurant that has won armloads of awards since it opened, with three stylish and supremely comfy bedrooms. The exquisite food is almost on a par with sleek gastro establishments such as Tom Kerridge’s The Hand and Flowers in Marlow – and even Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons where head chef Kuba Winkowski previously worked. There’s a stupendous wine list, too. Among the choice of 200 or so is a wonderful range of South African wines. There’s also a bar menu featuring classics such as burgers of brilliant quality.
From
£
140
per night
The Wheatsheaf Inn
Northleach, Cotswolds, England
A creeper-clad coaching inn turned arty, boutique haven. The Wheatsheaf is in a particularly pretty and enterprising little Cotswold town. The restaurant draws a regular local crowd and the emphasis is on the very best quality, from the menu ingredients to the room amenities. The sophisticated menu offers great flavour combinations, the likes of roast parsnip and fennel salad with chestnuts, and mutton and apple pie with creamed potatoes. If there’s space in the bar beforehand try an aperitif of Sloe Negroni, with sloe gin and Campari, or opt for a pint of Cotswold Old Hooky.
From
£
88
per night
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The Kingham Plough
Kingham, Cotswolds, England
The Kingham Plough is a treat of a foodie destinatio, with relaxing furnishings, genial staff and brilliantly conceived menus. Emily Watkins has won numerous awards for her modern British cuisine with a twist ‒ dishes are often based on old Cotswold recipes. Her food is also much inspired by local produce; the likes of Windrush Valley goat cheese and pork from Paddock Farm a few miles away. There’s a pleasingly short and sophisticated à la carte menu: starters might include slow braised oxtail with horseradish, and mains could feature venison wellington, with meat supplied from nearby Cornbury Park. There’s also a well-priced bar menu featuring gastro comfort food such as rabbit parfait.
From
£
145
per night
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The Ebrington Arms
Ebrington, Cotswolds, England
This hidden treasure set in a gloriously unspoilt village is a modern day version of a country tavern – it’s at once a genuine pub that brews its own very smooth ales; a lovely restaurant with real local flavour; and a charming hotel with rural-chic bedrooms. Chef Ben Dulley offers short, understated menus which reflect his commitment to freshness, with many vegetables straight from surrounding Drinkwater Farm. Dishes are beautifully presented and packed with local flavour – the likes of hot-smoked Bibury trout salad, and Cotswold lamb with stuffed tomatoes. Wines are from independent growers, including the Cotswolds’ own Little Oak Vineyard.
From
£
99
half board
Artist Residence Oxfordshire
South Leigh, Oxfordshire, England
A unique country pub with a bohemian twist and arty vibe, offering gorgeous quirky rooms, scrumptious meals and contemporary art. The food is as heart-warming as the dining room. Local game and meat, foraged herbs and flowers join vegetables from the garden. The menu could include the likes of smoky pigeon breast electrified by a pickled walnut with caramelised chicory, port jelly and smoked spring onions and plaice in seaweed butter, smoked cockles, sea vegetables and bisque. The wine list is small, selective and good value. Join locals for a pint at the bar, read the paper or play cards around the fire.
From
£
89
per night
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Lake District
L’Enclume
Cartmel, Cumbria, England
Simon Rogan’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant plus handful of rooms stay true both to the simple village location and rich surrounding land. Rooms are modest but smartly furnished, the setting picture-box pretty while the food is an exemplar of local sourcing and creativity. This isn’t Blumenthal-style magic but simply 20 (tiny) courses of exceptional skill, balance and creativity: an egg shell containing a yolk in mushroom broth; confit cauliflower in a pea and calamint sauce; a finger of turbot in nasturtium butter, the dinkiest caramel mousse sitting on compressed apple. All is presented exquisitely but without fanfare on rustic pottery, handmade glass, even a pebble. The Coravin wine system allows you to try top-rank or small-producer wines.
From
£
129
per night
The Punch Bowl Inn
Lake District, Cumbria, England
A smart but relaxed country inn, in a quiet corner of the Lake District, with a deserved reputation for its classy food. The ground floor is a semi open-plan series of dining rooms, bar and relaxed eating areas, separated by little steps. The cooking is smart-city-restaurant standard producing assured, modern British dishes that are interesting without being tricksy or fussy. No fancy canapés or pre-starters, just clean flavours. Starters might include black pudding with bubble and squeak or tomato salad with local crab and lobster while mains could be pork with ham hock croquette or cod with Morteau sausage. There’s a wide-ranging wine list, plus a couple of local real ales.
From
£
125
per night
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• The Lake District’s best pubs and inns
Peak District
The Samuel Fox Country Inn
Hope Valley, Peak District, England
This stone-built inn – which is more of a restaurant with rooms than a standard country pub – has an ever-growing reputation. Come for a great dinner, stay over in one of four comfortable rooms and spend the next day exploring the glorious Peak District. The foodie credentials are strong: chef-patron James Duckett has worked with Albert Roux, Michel Roux, Marcus Wareing and Philip Howard, and done extended stints in Australia and Spain. Now he turns out some of the best food in the area: everything from a piquant, pretty-as-a-picture starter of soused sardines to the kind of iced chocolate cherry parfait that makes you wish you hadn’t shared with your other half.
From
£
140
per night
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Crab Manor Hotel
Thirsk, Yorkshire, England
Fun and exotic, individually themed rooms combined with a well-regarded seafood restaurant and an overall madcap sense of decoration make this a hugely popular choice for special occasions. The restaurant specialises in fish and seafood serving both classics – lobster thermidor, grilled Queen scallops – as well as more modern dishes such as sea trout with samphire. It’s open for lunch and dinner, and for afternoon ‘lighter’ options (including moules mariniere), but there’s nothing delicate about portion sizes. Half the fun is the setting: jolly bar, romantic dining room or brighter conservatory, all with a bonkers decoration that includes a suite of orchestral instruments. Breakfast is also a delight.
From
£
165
per night
The Star Inn
Harome, Helmsley, England
A Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms with chocolate-box, thatched-pub looks and a bucolic farming-village location. Bedrooms, across the road, have a comfy, hunting-lodge style. Whitby-born chef-owner Andrew Pern was one of the first champions of local sourcing – and why wouldn’t you be with his ‘back garden’: moorland game and pasture-fed meat, coastal fish, Yorkshire Wolds’ fruit and vegetables. He now has a huge kitchen garden at the back of the pub. His menus are punchy, robust yet skilfully balanced and as much about texture as taste: crab stick with seashore vegetables and avocado ice, perhaps followed by roasted lamb chop with truffled faggot or honey-roasted duck with tea-poached quail’s egg.
From
£
150
per night
The Timble Inn
Nidderdale, Yorkshire, England
A food-driven village pub in a quiet, yet surprisingly well-connected location with bold, contemporary styling and smart bedrooms. Glorious views and walks are on the doorstep. A pub that does two sittings for Sunday lunch is serious about food, and has been awarded two AA rosettes for it. It’s ambitious stuff – wood pigeon with quail’s egg and black pudding; venison loin with celeriac remoulade and chestnuts. The seafood platter and chateaubriand steak are favourites. It’s not really a beer pub but offers a wide-ranging wine list – including fine ones by the glass – plus local gins.
From
£
150
per night
The Yorke Arms
Nidderdale, Yorkshire, England
A Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in an off-the-beaten-track location; perfect for walking off the spoiling food. The food is why people come here – some helicopter in from London for chef-proprietor Frances Atkins’s flavour-intense cooking. It’s not fussy or tricksy, just skilled, imaginative and full of the unexpected – quail with lychee and jasmine; brill with fennel in turmeric broth, peach and curd tart. Choose the eight-course tasting menu and everything is a surprise. Much is home-grown; the huge kitchen garden produces a summer surplus. These are meals to savour (even the lunchtime bar menu includes devilled kidneys, and gratin of seared scallops).
From
£
345
per night
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Norfolk
Morston Hall
Norfolk, England
A flint- and brick-built Jacobean country-house hotel, with large conservatory extensions that provide extra dining space. Inside, you’ll find open fires, squashy sofas and cosy corners in a hushed, fairly formal atmosphere. The food is the main reason to come to Morston Hall, one of only two restaurants with a Michelin star on this stretch of coast. Galton Blackiston’s cooking is rated highly by both visitors and locals: he offers a set dinner based on fresh, local ingredients, served at 8pm daily. Four courses usually include two meat dishes (perhaps confit of duck or beef fillet) and a fish course. Recommended wines are suggested to accompany the dishes – or you can choose from an extensive list.
From
£
340
per night
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Suffolk
The Great House
Lavenham, Suffolk, England
The five-bedroom hotel looks onto the market square of Lavenham, a well-preserved medieval village of timbered houses. It would be wrong to stay here without sampling the food, as this is primarily a restaurant – and a very good one at that. From a regularly changing menu, you might find starters of mussels with chilli, coriander and cream, tuna sashimi or wild mushroom ravioli, and main courses of pheasant supreme, grilled fillet of lamb with thyme sauce or roasted duck breast with grilled beetroot. Desserts could be dark chocolate terrine, millefeuille or maple syrup rice pudding.
From
£
101
per night
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Somerset
The White Post
Rimpton, Somerset, England
At this cosy Victorian ‘pub-and-lodgings’, the elegant gastronomy is as much a pull as the rooms. Brett’s passion for foraging and elegant presentation seeps through. The best way to experience the dishes? The 10-course tasting menu, which pays homage to the West Country (pork done eight ways, served with local chilli and ginger cider) as well as international influences (spiced lentil dhal with gurnard, mango and coconut). The wine list is sufficient but it’s the local ales and ciders that stand out, particularly if you pair a pint of Dorset Knob bitter with the Sunday roast. Painted walls are interrupted only by the wide windows, long cardinal-coloured drapes and filament bulb lamps that, along with on-table candles, add just enough light during evening dining.
From
£
95
per night
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Dorset
La Fosse
Cranborne, Dorset, England
Snug in the wave-like green hills of east Dorset, La Fosse at Cranborne is a peaceful bed and breakfast as well as popular restaurant. Run by husband and wife, this simple West Country retreat, embracing both modern and traditional, feels as far from the madding crowds as possible. Owner-chef Mark is a true locavore, sourcing as much from in and around the village as possible. His passion for local, inventive cuisine has seen him named best chef in Dorset. The colourful duck dish, replete with homegrown vegetables, is a highlight, drizzled in a piquant jus. Mark’s award-winning cheeseboard is part of the experience, so save some room.
From
£
95
per night
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The Anchor Inn
Seatown, England
The Anchor Inn, sat beyond snaking lanes and tucked between scarped cliffs on the edge of a little known Dorset village, is a destination gastropub serving elevated British classics. It is also a boutique hideaway that cocoons guests amid the sound of rolling waves. If the weather is decent, expect a fight to secure a lunchtime spot, either tucked inside or al fresco. Menus from head chef Jean-Paul De Ronne — who previously worked under Masterchef winner Mat Follas — reveal commitment to seasonal fare from land and sea, such as the fresh crab salad using crustacea caught only metres away. Ales are all from Palmers, brewed four miles away, while an extensive cocktail list from former Hix bartender David Smith features a number of Dorset’s own spirits.
From
£
120
per night
Buckinghamshire
The Mash Inn
Radnage, Buckinghamshire, England
Described by its owner Nick Mash as a ‘new generation inn’, The Mash Inn’s aim is to remove the barriers between chef and diner. The open kitchen takes centre stage: a solid wood workstation groaning with ingredients and stacked plates, beneath a ceiling rack dripping with pots and pans, in front of an open fire for rotisserie cooking. Chef Jon Parry cooks up a storm, producing a delicious, earthy and inventive no frills tasting menu and a short à la carte menu. Much of the produce is from the garden or very local. Diners sit at individual tables or at a large communal table, which may sound daunting but such is the communal, friendly atmosphere that it’s a pleasure to do so.
From
£
110
per night
The Hand & Flowers
Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England
A country inn with a Michelin-starred restaurant, enticing locals to dine, and couples for weekends or nights away. It’s on busy West Street, just along the road from the house where Mary Shelley created Frankenstein. The chef-proprietor is Tom Kerridge, who gained a Michelin star within 10 months from a kitchen which was then the size of a large cupboard. These days he has a new, celadon green kitchen and a brigade of chefs. As restaurants go, it rocks. Expect crayfish scotch egg, slow cooked duck breast with duck fat chips and other earthy, deeply satisfying dishes that are also full of imaginative twists, served in a cosy and convivial dining room.
From
£
140
per night
Rocksalt
Folkestone, England
Rocksalt is the littoral culinary kingdom of Mark Sargeant of Claridge’s fame. A microcosm of London sophistication in gritty Folkestone, it’s a genuine dining destination. The recent addition of four bedrooms above “Sargey’s” adjacent Smokehouse enables visitors to abandon themselves to gluttony. His dedication to local ingredients introduces diners to new treasures, such as meaty huss dogfish and tart sea buckthorn (oozing out of a dense chocolate mousse fondant), yet dishes are refreshingly clean and unpretentious. Hunks of bread, served with beef dripping, rich butter and home-roasted salt, and nuggets of treacly fudge and slices of colourful rock bookend a perfectly executed meal.
From
£
95
per night
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The Wife of Bath
Wye, Kent, England
Another addition to chef Mark Sargeant and Josh De Haan’s portfolio of Kentish restaurants with rooms. With a superb Spanish restaurant and tiny tapas bar, its signature quirky style and authentic cuisine works surprisingly well in the bucolic setting. The restaurant serves impeccable fare: juicy scallops with spicy chorizo and earthy morcillo (black pudding); honey sweet melon smothered in Brindisa’s finest Serrano ham; succulent Galician steaks with creamy aioli and fiery paprika potatoes; and hake with radishes, Seville orange and a buttery sauce laced with Gin Mare. Save space for pudding: the bitter chocolate tart with salt and olive oil is revelatory, as is ice-cream made with raisins soaked in PX sherry.
From
£
115
per night
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Read’s Restaurant With Rooms
Faversham, Kent, England
Read’s, housed in a Georgian mansion on the north Kentish coast, is a smart restaurant with six rooms, owned and run by acclaimed chef David Pitchford and his wife Rona. Sticking firmly to their decades-long recipe for success, they deliver classic cuisine and unfussy hospitality. David won a Michelin star in 1992, which he retained for 20 consecutive years, becoming the second longest holder of the accolade in Britain. The food is hard to fault, if lacking the innovation and excitement that comes with Michelin recognition: comforting, classic French cuisine with British influence. Think ham and pea mousse; smoked haddock in cream sauce topped with cheese soufflé; Kentish lamb served with buttery asparagus and garden vegetables; and a Cassis-soaked summer pudding.
From
£
145
per night
The Dog at Wingham
Wingham, Kent, England
A medieval pub in a rural village, run by an enterprising local family, that serves exceptionally good food and features eight attractive bedrooms. Virtually equidistant from Canterbury and Sandwich, it’s ideally located for exploring the Kentish city, countryside and coast. The kitchen is overseen by the young and talented Dan Johns, who has worked at Gary Rhodes’ Searcy’s at The Gherkin and Urban Coterie. The menu changes monthly to reflect seasonality and local produce. Imaginative starters such as fragrant Thai-style chicken salad and rich pork and pistachio terrine with pineapple jam are followed by melt-in-the-mouth Moroccan spiced lamb and crisp pork collar with chorizo dumplings.
From
£
86
per night
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Devon
The Dartmoor Inn
Okehampton, Devon, England
This 16th-century coaching inn on the north-western edge of Dartmoor National Park is acclaimed for its fresh, seasonal cooking, but it’s worth bedding down for a stay in one of its three chic bedrooms. A blackboard heralds not only the breed of cattle, but also the name of the farmer it has come from. Dishes are pub classics, done to perfection: rib-eye steak and chips, confit of duck leg with toffee apple puree and roasted hazelnuts, and brisket of beef. Philip has a strong ethical policy, forging strong links with local artisan food producers, and ensures the beef has been grass fed and reared within a 20-mile radius. Breakfast is refreshingly original, with dainty portions of caramelised bananas or a daring cooked menu, including herb-crusted goat’s cheese, black pudding and bacon lardons.
From
£
99
per night
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The Lamb Inn
Sandford, Devon, England
With open fires, beamed walls, deep sofas and award-winning food, this 16th-century inn in the village of Sandford is a pub of dreams for town-dwellers. Upstairs, seven bedrooms have big beds, soft linen and powerful showers, and there’s a pretty cobbled terrace at the rear. The Lamb Inn’s menu consistently attracts rave reviews. The produce is seasonal and locally sourced, mixing upmarket dishes with pub classics: shellfish bisque, mushroom ravioli, roasted pigeon with smoked bacon and savoy cabbage or steak and chips. The perfectly fluffy sticky toffee pudding is worth a visit alone. Landlord Mark is a fan of real ale and regularly rotates his cask brews to ensure they stay fresh.
From
£
65
per night
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The Masons Arms
Branscombe, Devon, England
This dog-friendly 14th-century thatched inn, in Branscombe, on the Jurassic Coast, is one of Devon’s best. It prides itself on serving local, seasonal Devon fare on a traditional pub menu – it even has a ‘food sourcing map’ detailing exactly where the produce comes from. There’s steamed River Exe mussels and fries, steak and kidney shortcrust pie, rump steak and a seafood platter. Ales, hand-pumped from casks, are just as local. On a sunny day, the action moves outside to the pretty suntrap terrace. It’s a 15-minute walk to Branscombe Beach, a lovely, long shingle cove from where you can pick up the South West Coastal Path.
From
£
105
per night
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The Salutation Inn
Topsham, Devon, England
Eat well and rest your head at this 18th-century coaching inn in chichi Topsham: a stylish option with a truly excellent restaurant, helmed by one of Gordon Ramsay’s former protégés. Exquisite handmade petit-fours welcome guests on arrival – the first hint that your dining experience will be full of extra surprises. The wild mushroom appetiser comes accompanied by an umami-enhancing pinot noir, and the tomato gazpacho with local crab, served in a glass on ice, and followed by a rich rump of beef from Greendale Farm. Each modern dish is accompanied by diverse wines chosen by Stephen Edwardes – the unusual sake complements the beautiful strawberry dessert which is garnished with home-grown edible flowers.
From
£
145
per night
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Cornwall
The Gurnard’s Head
St Ives, Cornwall, England
A country inn offering outstanding food, fabulous sea and moorland views, situated close to St Ives and Land’s End. Popular with walkers and couples of all ages seeking a low-key, restorative break in a wild coastal location.
Locals come from miles around to dine here. The Scottish head chef, Bruce Rennie, cooks a short, inventive menu. Lunch may include beetroot risotto, octopus and white wine stew, or Merguez sausages with Puy lentils. The supper menu may include salmon and lobster tortellini, cod with pig’s trotter, and sole with Vermouth. The wine list focuses on Old World wines, notably from France, Italy and Portugal.
Locals come from miles around to dine here. The Scottish head chef, Bruce Rennie, cooks a short, inventive menu. Lunch may include beetroot risotto, octopus and white wine stew, or Merguez sausages with Puy lentils. The supper menu may include salmon and lobster tortellini, cod with pig’s trotter, and sole with Vermouth. The wine list focuses on Old World wines, notably from France, Italy and Portugal.
From
£
125
per night
Padstow Townhouse
Padstow, Cornwall, England
A handsome listed townhouse on Padstow’s high street that has been superbly renovated and opened as a six-bedroom luxury guesthouse by chef Paul Ainsworth to complement his Michelin-starred restaurant, Paul Ainsworth at Number 6. Head there for amusingly-presented, delicately-flavoured meat and fish dishes and a fun and informal atmosphere, or to his even more informal restaurant, Rojanos, for superior pasta, pizza and hamburgers. Breakfast is served at the latter. The guesthouse owns an electric BMW in which guests can be transported if they don’t want to walk around.
From
£
240
per night
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St Petroc’s Hotel
Padstow, Cornwall, England
A sociable, intimate townhouse with a labyrinth of gorgeously styled sitting and reading rooms – as well as a buzzy bistro. St Petroc’s Bistro opened along with the hotel in 1988. It’s a lovely room – with an engaging selection of original art on the walls – and a relaxing, happy place to eat at either lunch or dinner. Pride of place on the menu goes to the 30-day dry-aged steaks, but there are fish, chicken and vegetarian options as well – all of them classic Rick Stein recipes (try the grilled hake with Serrano ham, succotash and chives). Ruby’s Bar is the new Stein pub – a great place for a local beer or cocktail.
From
£
165
per night
Kota Restaurant with Rooms
Porthleven, Cornwall, England
With a fantastic Asian-Cornish fusion restaurant downstairs, and Porthleven’s picturesque harbour on the doorstep, the Kota’s two simple, homey rooms are proof that sometimes substance can win over style. The vibe in the restaurant is casual, with a long room overlooking the harbour and a waterfront lawn on which you can dine in good weather. New Zealander Jude, who is part Maori, part Malay-Chinese, brings Asian spices and cooking styles to fresh, meticulously sourced Cornish produce – squid with green mango salad, scallops with miso dressing and seaweed salad, and Laksa with prawns, mussels and fish. There are also some very creative burgers – tempura fish with wasabi tartare, and satay chicken with Asian slaw.
From
£
75
per night
Driftwood
Portscatho, Cornwall, England
Sitting on a hill above the rugged coastline of the Roseland peninsula, Driftwood is nautically furnished in soft creams and blues. A Michelin-starred restaurant, private sea-facing terraces, and a private beach make this the perfect venue for pretty much everyone. There are wonderful coastal path walks for miles in each direction. This is Cornish cooking at its finest: unfussy and focused on bringing out the flavour of fresh fish and seafood and locally reared beef and lamb. Dinner in summer comprises a six-course tasting menu with complementary wines. For children there are early suppers with proper chef-made food.
From
£
170
per night
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Coombeshead Farm
Lewannick, Cornwall, England
This is the joint venture from chef Tom Adams of London restaurant Pitt Cue and April Bloomfield, English born chef/proprietor of The Spotted Pig in New York. Both wanted to get back to the roots of food and hospitality and the result is this relaxed communal dining farmhouse b&b. Tom and his partner Lottie Mew live off the land and share their fresh, foraged, pickled and harvested produce with their guests. Tom cooks a three-course feast, kicking off with plates of delicious nibbles from 6.30pm onwards, which is shared at a communal table by all the guests. Tom’s own rare breed Mangalitza pigs feature large, plus perhaps a cep and walnut broth, lamb shoulder and mushroom porridge, with madeleine, whey and prune for pudding. Wines are unusual.
From
£
180
per night
Sussex
Crouchers
Chichester, West Sussex, England
An unassuming motel-like exterior belies a foodie haven a short drive from the Witterings. Relax on the patio of a garden-facing room, head to the beach, or explore the cultural and sporting highlights around Chichester but leave room for dinner in the impressive restaurant. Proximity to the coast ensures good seafood. The squid-ink pasta starter is light and delicate and a showy dessert of white chocolate and saffron mousse with edible flowers, caramel and orange ice-cream is a multi-sensory delight. A strong wine list includes an emphasis on the owners’ native South Africa.
From
£
118
per night
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Crab & Lobster
West Sussex, England
Herons can be seen on the doorstep of this modernised 350-year-old pub beside a bird sanctuary, where guests can stay in cosy bedrooms or an adjoining cottage. Tuck into locally caught seafood in the bar-restaurant and plan nature walks or trips to nearby beaches. The menu, as this gastropub’s name suggests, makes good use of locally caught seafood. Baked Selsey crab with a salad or crab cakes is a highlight. Meat, like rump of lamb (on an autumn menu with garlic Pommes Anna, butternut squash purée, confit tomatoes, baby leeks and Madeira jus) is also locally reared. There’s an extensive wine list and takeaway fish and chips.
From
£
190
per night
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Mr & Mrs Smith
Wingrove House
Alfriston, South Downs, England
Yards from the South Downs Way and the half-timbered, candlelit pubs of Alfriston, this swish 19th-century boutique hotel with a modern country restaurant delivers roaring log fires, low-slung sofas and top-notch food, and draws city dwellers craving an easy country escape. Matthew Comben, formerly of the Hungry Monk in Jevington, heads up the kitchen and has brought with him the Monk’s original banoffee pie recipe. Highlights from the seasonal menu include cauliflower fritters with Brighton blue cheese mayonnaise, and a soft beef fillet with tarragon. There’s an impressive gin menu with 11 different options, including Brighton Gin, and a refreshingly reasonable wine list.
From
£
110
per night
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The Roebuck Inn
Mobberley, England
This French-influenced bistro with rooms is perfect weekend break material, with lashings of character, great food and a beautifully designed garden. The bistro menu, tweaked with the seasons, is European in style, and everything comes in generous portions, whether it’s ‘small plates’ of cassoulet, caponata and crostini; mains such as saffron risotto, venison bourguignon and moules marinière; or puds of tarte au citron, profiteroles and crème caramel. On the drinks front, you’ll find an interesting selection of local ales, old-world wines and a vintage dresser filled with classic aperitifs and digestifs.
From
£
120
per night
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County Durham
Lord Crewe Arms
Blanchland, County Durham, England
A lord-of-the-manor building, in a pin-neat estate village, that oozes atmosphere at every stone-flagged turn. A reputation for honest, British cooking, plus its rural location, makes it popular with walkers and foodies as well as the country-sports fraternity. Expect punchy, robust, British cooking, rich with flavour and unusual combinations: devilled lamb’s kidneys on roasted cauliflower; grilled sea trout and mixed alliums; sea buckthorn posset. There’s an element of fun, too; eggy bread with fried bacon or Bloody Mary tomatoes on toast for breakfast. Some ingredients come from the kitchen garden. Eat on the terrace in the summer. The atmospheric, barrel-vaulted bar has local ales including a custom-made Lord Crewe Brew.
From
£
166
per night
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The Rose & Crown
Romaldkirk, County Durham, England
A foodie destination country inn that has smartened up while still maintaining a sense of village pub: country-comfortable rooms; horse-brasses and dogs in the bar. Surrounded by the sheep-dotted fields and moors of the North Pennines, you come to eat, relax and then walk it off. The modern British menu shows confident cooking that lets the ingredients shine through; no fuss but definitely interesting: honey-glazed goat’s cheese with beetroot, hazelnuts and gingerbread, perhaps, or pan-fried fillet of sea trout with roasted baby gem and crushed peas. There’s good local sourcing with Teesdale lamb rarely off the menu. Eat in the candle-lit dining room or buzzier bar; the latter offers three real ales and a good selection of single malts.
Single rooms from
£
131
per night
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The Henrietta Hotel
Covent Garden, London, England
An 18-bedroom boutique address in one of Covent Garden’s most attractive streets, owned and run by the Paris-based Experimental Group, with a cocktail bar, Ollie Dabbous restaurant and quirky interior design by Dorothée Meilichzon. The food, is delicious – clean, clever and uncomplicated – with highlights that might include the sheeps’ milk curds with pistachio, beef tartare with nasturtium and rye, and wonderful freshly baked warm madeleines with Chantilly cream. Don’t miss a cocktail, which can be chosen à la carte or with a consultation from the barman.
From
£
199
per night
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The Ginger Pig
Hove, Brighton, England
This 11-bedroom guesthouse above Hove’s highly-acclaimed Ginger Pig Bar and Restaurant is ideal if you want a quieter seaside base. Spacious and elegantly understated rooms include thoughtful beach bags with towels and well-stocked minibars. Always buzzy, this sprawling gastropub serves up highly delicious grub and excellent Sunday roasts. Look out for seasonal specials like asparagus with brown crab and chipotle mayo, or seabream with samphire. The adjoining Orangerie is where breakfast is served (there’s an outdoor area for sunny days), offering imaginative dishes such as baked eggs with hummus, chorizo and peppers, Irish rock oysters and rarebit with roasted tomatoes and mushrooms.
From
£
100
per night
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Simpsons Restaurant
Birmingham, England
The cooking is superlative at this gastronomic powerhouse, which also offers three individually styled – and great value – rooms. Throw in the added draw of the Simpsons Cookery School and you pretty much have Michelin-starred, Brummie food nirvana. The winning team of owner Andreas Antona and chef director Luke Tipping, one of Britain’s finest sauciers, has weathered fashions and trends. The three-course à la carte menu features plump marinière-style mussels on a delicate, buttery skate wing, while refined hipster influences are showcased with a barbecued beef cheek with a rich, silky bone marrow sauce. The pastry section’s take on a Belgian Speculoos cookie, with caramelised white chocolate and coffee granite, is fabulous.
From
£
110
per night
Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms
Powys, Wales
Yes, obviously you’ve come all this way for the food, but Ynyshir’s location is pretty special, too. Queen Victoria even acquired the handsome white-painted house as a hidden retreat. The undulating grounds, stippled with rhododendrons and eucalyptus trees, are as peaceful as can be. Menus prize fatty meats, fermentation and gutsy flavours – and chef Gareth Ward has one Michelin star under his belt and is surely gunning for a second. His surprise 19-course, four-hour-long tasting menu is an ode to Japanese-meets-Welsh flavours. Top billing goes to the secluded garden rooms, with high ceilings, exposed beams, impressive slate fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling windows that bring the outdoors in.
From
£
190
per night
The Walnut Tree Inn
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales
The Walnut Tree Inn, sidling up to the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons, shines with one Michelin star and alluring country views. It’s a peaceful spot for holing up in a cottage for a few days, clambering up the Skirrid, and savouring Shaun Hill’s stellar cooking. Hill has his own unique cooking style, which can’t be pinned to one country but relies on excellent ingredients, seasonality and culinary know-how. Bistro seating, subtle lighting and pops of bright art set the backdrop for starters like richly aromatic Kerala fish curry. Mains like venison with braised haunch and savoury scone and sea bass with masala mash, tomato chutney and lentil sauce strike a perfect balance. The cottages are reached via a winding path through kitchen gardens fragrant with herbs.
From
£
100
per night
Rooms at James Sommerin
Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
James Sommerin works culinary magic at his Michelin-starred venture right on the seafront in Penarth, with broad views out across the Severn Estuary. Come for the sensational tasting menus, strolls along the Victorian pier and easy day trips into Cardiff, just a pebble throw away. The tasting menu is the way to go, with dish after intricately created dish revealing imagination and deep, integral flavours – be it butter poached lobster, meltingly tender Welsh lamb cooked three ways, root vegetable lasagne with aged parmesan or the lightest raspberry soufflé you will ever taste. Uplifting sea views give the rooms their wow factor.
From
£
145
per night
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Llys Meddyg
Pembrokeshire, Wales
A cosy hotel in the small town of Newport, on the Pembrokeshire coast, offering colourful interiors, reasonable rates and an exceptional restaurant, which has gained a reputation in Pembrokeshire and beyond as one of the best and most reasonable fine dining establishments. Chef Daniel Jones does wonders with local produce – such as Newport bay crab and lobster, Preseli lamb, Welsh beef and West Wales cheeses – in two separate dining areas: the romantic basement-level Cellar Bar, which has a slate floor and leather settees, and a wood burning stove in an inglenook fireplace; and, on the ground floor, the recently refurbished main dining room. Ed smokes salmon in a shed in his house just next door.
From
£
122
per night
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Tyddyn Llan
Denbighshire, Wales
A modest Georgian house just outside Llandrillo, with a complementary extension using local slate and stone. The house was once a shooting lodge belonging to the Dukes of Westminster, but now places food centre stage. The views are spectacular, with the Vale of Edeyrnion’s meadows and the slopes of the Berwyn Mountains beyond. The dining room is decorated in Wedgewood blue with tall windows on three sides. Bryan Webb is considered one of Wales’s foremost chefs, with a long-held Michelin star and a commitment to local produce, such as melting Welsh black beef, and quality seasonal ingredients. The menu changes daily.
From
£
195
per night
The Old Rectory on the Lake
Tal-y-llyn, Gwynedd, Wales
A sun-trap hideaway on the shores of a huge lake, and at the foot of the mountain, Cadair Idris. It’s elegant and relaxing with free-standing roll-top baths, an outdoor hot tub and locally sourced food perfectly cooked to order in the restaurant. The food, courtesy of the self-trained chef, Ricky, is outstanding. There may be freshly-caught trout, or local Bala lamb on the menu, along with perfectly-cooked vegetables and perhaps Dauphinois potatoes. The chocolate fondant is a signature pudding. The terrace is the perfect place to enjoy the sunset over the lake with a Welsh gin and tonic.
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Harbourmaster Hotel
Aberaeron, Cardigan Bay, Wales
Beach chic comes into its own at this forget-me-not-blue boutique hotel on Aberaeron’s harbour wall. And you won’t likely forget it with these killer sea views, glam rooms and imaginatively thought-out menus. The restaurant has a serious foodie bent in the evening – try to snag the cwtch (cubby hole) for intimate dining. Go for Carlingford oysters, a plump, sweet burst of the sea, and the perfect prelude for well-cooked Welsh fillet of steak, followed by an oozy chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice cream. For a buzzier vibe, head to the bar-lounge to nurse a Brecon gin or nibble bar snacks like crispy cockles with chilli vinegar.
From
£
150
per night
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Jabajak
Carmarthenshire, Wales
Jabajak is a former drover’s farm, now a fine vineyard and boutique bolthole, serving home-grown food and wines with a slice of history, rustic elegance and first-class service. The restaurant has scooped awards for its locally sourced, home-grown approach. A drink in the lounge bar piques the appetite for dishes prepared with garden herbs, fruit, veg and edible flowers, ramped up flavour-wise by foraged ingredients such as nettles and wild garlic when in season. Starters including basil-marinated bruschetta with gooseberry and elderflower chutney prelude mains such as butter-soft Celtic steak with local Moody Mabel cheese. There are many nods to local produce at breakfast, too, and the cooked Welsh option with a side order of cockles is bang on the money.
From
£
130
per night
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SCOTLAND
The Three Chimneys and The House Over-By
Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, Scotland
This destination restaurant with rooms is back doing what it does best, with a new chef, updated look and reinvigorated sense of discipline and purpose. The essential ingredients are there: attentive service, attractive rooms with mesmerising views and a talented young chef. Choose from a three-course à la carte menu or the epic Skye Showcase Menu, served at the ‘Kitchen Table’, right in the heart of the action. Dishes on the latter menu might include the likes of Dungvegan crab, seaweed and miso-cured halibut, Orbost Farm beef and pot-roasted young grouse. A road (albeit single-track and quiet) runs between the House Over-By and the shore of Loch Dunvegan, slightly eroding what would otherwise be a feeling of privacy, but not unduly distracting from the peaceful views.
From
£
345
per night
Inver
Barnacarry, Scotland
A remote, internationally feted restaurant on the banks of Loch Fyne with four luxury bothies for guests to stay in, featuring spectacular views and interior design elements by local artisans. The restaurant has a stripped-back farmhouse look, with vintage Ercol furniture and a record player spinning contemporary Scottish folk vinyl. It’s also one of the best restaurants in the country; Brunton is an alumnus of Noma and Faviken, and she has brought to Loch Fyne the same attention to produce, innovative technique and foraging that those restaurants are known for. Main courses might include a bright green hedgerow soup with pheasant egg and seaweed, and the best cut of aged beef from Bute, accompanied by scurvy grass.
From
£
255
per night
The Peat Inn
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
A long-standing gastro-destination lying between the ‘town and gown’ of St Andrews and Fife’s East Neuk fishing villages, this is well worth a detour. It’s a short stagger from restaurant to homely split-level suites: a calm, comfortable place to sleep off the fabulous Michelin-starred food. The rustic-chic restaurant, all tender taupes with amber and deep sea-blue accents, is a fittingly sophisticated setting for the triumphant cooking. You come here for the food and you won’t leave disappointed. From the home-made butter to the unusually good petit-fours, everything is a reflection of chef Geoffrey Smeddle’s joyous approach to food, with dishes like a starter of smoked beef tartare with wasabi puree raising your eyebrows and your expectations simultaneously.
From
£
235
per night
The Taynuilt Etive Restaurant with Rooms
Taynuilt, Scotland
This historic rural hotel has been reinvented as a restaurant with rooms with a young Scottish chef leading a bright and creative team. It’s at the heart of a small community that makes an ideal base for exploring Argyll and the isles. The Etive restaurant is the axis here, a genuine foodie oasis and arguably the finest place to eat in the region. John McNulty works wonders with the ultra-local produce, whether it be the Mull Pig’s Heed or the salmon he smokes using local larch from Loch Awe. Sound provenance ripples through the Etive even as far as breakfast, where local fish stars.
From
£
79
per night
21212
Edinburgh, Scotland
The four bedrooms above this Michelin-starred restaurant are no afterthought; there is a confident hand at work in rooms that are as striking as the food, displaying a sometimes surprising but always sensual contemporary/baroque style and unexpectedly leafy views. Michelin-starred chef Paul Kitching is a maverick who likes to tease flavours, building fantastic creations that sound impossible, but work, like silky pink trout served with artichokes, pasta, almonds, chickpeas, kidney beans, oriental mushrooms, warm coleslaw and feta cheese. He’s utterly serious but there’s an edge of play – such as a pre-dessert of porridge, milk and cinnamon poured from a china cow.
From
£
95
per night
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The Bridge Inn, Ratho
Edinburgh, Scotland
This 18-century coaching inn – now an award-winning gastropub with rooms – is on a leafy canal in a tranquil village just 20 minutes away from Edinburgh’s city centre. Four pretty bedrooms are each individually decorated. The cooking is exceptional, with talented head chef Ben doing wonderful things with good Scottish fish and game, properly hung beef, and pork from their own fat and sassy pigs. They grow their own vegetables, herbs and fruit too, in an old walled garden a short walk away down the canal path. Breakfast is a fine indulgence. You can have a hair of the dog as well: Champagne, Prosecco, Buck’s Fizz or a Bloody Mary.
From
£
60
per night
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• The best castle hotels in Scotland
Contributions from Ros Belford, Suzy Bennett, Sophie Butler, Gill Charlton, Kerry Christiani, Fiona Duncan, Suzanne King, Gabriella Le Breton, Linda Macdonald, Richard McComb, Robin McKelvie, Harriet O’Brien, Ben Parker, Helen Pickles, Louise Roddon, Cathy Stebbings, Sarah Stirling, Anna Turns, Debbie Ward and Antonia Windsor.
This article was originally published by Telegraph.co.uk. Read the original article here.