Nothing spoils a fabulous meal like an expensive post-prandial taxi to a lacklustre bedroom, which is why the rise of restaurants with rooms is such a joy. There are so many talented chefs in the UK who are much less interested in formal rigmarole than in giving guests the kind of good time that leaves ends dinner with a warm feeling, whichthat has nothing to do with alcohol (although the best of these places tend to have great wine and beer, too).
Their food is delicious yet hearty, unpretentious yet innovative; their ingredients are local and so fresh they practically tap-dancetapdance on the plate. But dDinner aside, the canniest thing these restaurateurs are doing is to ensure that the kitchens they run have bedrooms within staggering distance, so there’s no issue with designated drivers or how to find that cute little cottage down the unlit lane.
Instead, there is a beautifully decorated room, often with views and maybe a bathtub. There’s a great breakfast and an array of ways to spend the lazy hours between one meal and the next: walking, sightseeing, bar-hopping or just reading by a roaring fire.
Our experts have chosen places across the UK, from Falmouth to the Isle of Skye. Some are brand new; others have been around for decades. Each is unique, because each concentrates on maximising the potential of athat particular combination of people and place. But each is alike in aiming to give the best time imaginable to visitors in search of a luxurious, frictionless, superlatively well-fed weekend the best time imaginable.
There are no Michelin-starred properties here, though several of those do offer rooms as an adjunct to their fine dining; instead we have chosen establishments that balance the pleasures of the table – and elsewhere. Much depends on dinner, as the saying goes, but dinner itself depends on many things: our preference is for restaurateurs who understand this, and who work to make dinner one feature in a gentle, 48-hour stream of uninterrupted pleasure. So happy weekending – wherever your fancy takes you.
Nina Caplan
The Mash Inn
Radnage, Buckinghamshire, England
Nick Mash’s pub, built in 1745, resembles a Dickensian snow globe scene: inviting on the outside and snug and sociable inside. Chef Jon Parry – a constant sight front of house – serves hearty meals that weigh towards local meats like Medmenham lamb and vegetables from their bountiful kitchen garden. It’s too cosy to leave after dinner, so thank heavens for their six comfy rooms and Parry’s mercifully light breakfast, which includes homemade granola with smoked pineapple. Bring wellies to explore the rolling Chiltern Hills.
From
£
110
per night
Freemasons at Wiswell
Clitheroe, Lancashire, England
This Ribble Valley pub has an impressive number of awards for its imaginative food. Dishes, such as head-to-toe pressing of pork with piccalilli and a crispy hen’s egg, are beautifully presented – if you dine in the kitchen, you can watch chefs meticulously piece them together – and combine bold flavours. The addition of four rooms means you can retreat after a meal to your roll-top tub. Wake the next day for an indulgent breakfast, with mini-tasters before a hot main. Walks nearby include Pendle Hill, famous for its witches.
From
£
160
per night
Inver
Barnacarry, Scotland
Come for chef Pamela Brunton’s sensational Nordic-inspired cooking in this rustic hut of a dining room, and stay in one of four modernist bothies that her father Rodger designed. The views from your room, out across Loch Fyne to the ruins of Old Castle Lachlan, are absurdly pretty. Spend an afternoon sipping complimentary sloe gin after a stroll along pathways of wild flowers. Noma alumni Brunton works magic with aged beef, seafood and foraged vegetables, taking advantage of the best of Scottish produce. Breakfast is memorable – the bacon fat ‘rowie’ is a wonder.
From
£
255
per night
The Grandtully Hotel by Ballintaggart
Grandtully, Perth and Kinross, Scotland
This small hotel has put sleepy Highland Perthshire on the gastronomic map. Colourfully cosy rooms all have roll-top baths—blissful after a day spent fishing, white-water rafting or walking in the glens —although you’ll not want to sacrifice time spent sipping nasturtium martinis by the fire, never mind risk missing a meal. You’ll find chef Chris Rowley and his team cooking red deer carpaccio with Strathtay honey and chocolate fondants with vanilla ice cream and gorse. Breakfast is seasonal and superb.
From
£
110
per night
The Rose
Deal, Kent, England
This seaside gastropub is a chic assemblage of House of Hackney and Liberty prints, with small but cosy bedrooms, each with vinyl and a turntable. Everything about The Rose feels cool, from the Pol Roger served in classic coupes to the striped blue and white mugs for Yorkshire Gold tea. This is a jazzed-up trad Kent coast experience based around a menu of seasonal British comfort food. Breakfast includes bacon rolls with rhubarb ketchup, while there’s mince on dripping toast with watercress and fish pie with buttered greens for supper.
From
£
138
per night
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The Rose & Crown
Romaldkirk, County Durham, England
Everything you want in a time-served village inn – flagged floors, beams, fires, but with a slick of style that prevents it being fustily traditional. Smartly presented meals are served in the oak-panelled, candle-lit dining room. Local Teesdale lamb is rarely off the menu, or you’ll find slow-roast pork belly with pan haggerty (local potato dish). Afterwards, kick off your shoes then retire to the fire-warmed bar for one of their single malts. Breakfast, including smoked haddock omelette, will set you up for a brisk walk, several are from the doorstep.
From
£
126
per night
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The Talbot Malton
Malton, Yorkshire, England
A gastro-break in the food capital of Yorkshire. Every other establishment tempts the palate – delis, artisan bakers, distilleries – and not least The Talbot. This 17th-century hostelry has reinvented itself as a 21st-century coaching inn with old-school style – vintage furniture, decadently dark colours, art cramming walls – with robust food at its heart. Start dinner with twice-baked Yorkshire vintage cheddar soufflé, follow with bone-in rib of beef or game pie. Leave room for steamed ginger pudding with butterscotch. After breakfast try the town’s Food Tour.
From
£
102
per night
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The Drunken Duck Inn & Restaurant
Lake District, Cumbria, England
The location looks unpromising: an isolated crossroads above Lake Windermere. But from the home-made scones to the brunch-style breakfasts, you’ll feel welcome and well-fed. Bedrooms blend retro and contemporary in a country-fresh way. Most have baths; some private patios. Dinner mixes classic dishes with the unexpected: kick off with omelette Arnold Bennett, followed by crispy duck leg with white bean cassoulet. Leave room for the chocolate and peanut fondant. The next day, saunter to the lake, or pretty Elterwater. Return to a pint of their own-brew ale and toast your feet around the log-burner.
From
£
131
per night
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The Punch Bowl Inn
Lake District, Cumbria, England
Don’t come here for spectacular views or hiking – the pub is in the softer Lyth Valley – but do come for peace, cosseting bedrooms with baths and polished cooking. As the entire ground floor of this pretty, climbing-rose-covered pub is a series of eating areas, it’s clear that food is at the heart. The Modern British menu is metropolitan-sharp but anchored in the area: twice-baked Lancashire cheese soufflé, roast Lakeland venison with beetroot purée, lemon tart with damson sorbet. And there’s a smart wine list, too.
From
£
114
per night
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Llanerch Vineyard
Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
Corks are popping at Wales’ first vineyard hotel to toast the recent opening of 26 bedrooms, complementing the seven acres under vine that produce five varieties of Cariad wines. Expect wine-pairing practice with head chef Adam Aston’s seasonal menu in the bistro, drawing on local flavours such as fish from Cardiff Market and beef from the Vale of Usk. Afterwards walk off lunch to nearby Hensol Castle. Fine food, fresh air and plenty of bubbles — every week is Welsh Wine Week in South Wales.
From
£
70
per night
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The Swan Inn
Cotswolds, England
This 16th-century honey-stone pub is a rural haven with wholesome dining. The understated menu is big on seasonal tastes and inventive flourishes: starters such as duck and spiced fig, and sharing plates of flambee tart, abundant salad bowls, hearty casseroles, and tender plaice with samphire. You’ll rest easy: the eight bedrooms have king-size beds and a glam vibe with handcrafted wallpaper and swathes of curtains. Breakfast on smashed avocado and a pick-me-up from the Bloody Mary station on the bar, then walk it off in the pretty Evenlode Valley.
From
£
85
per night
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The Ebrington Arms
Ebrington, Cotswolds, England
At this halcyon Cotswold inn you tuck into the goodness of the land. With three-star organic accreditation from the Soil Association, it offers such full-flavoured delights as lamb ratatouille with bulgar wheat, and melt-in-the-mouth pea and broad bean fricassee. It produces its own organic beer, Yubby ales, too. After a bucolic feast head upstairs to one of the five country-chic bedrooms – complete with captivating views across rolling fields. Try the blueberry pancakes for breakfast before heading out on a two-mile walk to handsome Chipping Campden.
From
£
99
per night
The Wild Rabbit
Kingham, Cotswolds, England
The Wild Rabbit isn’t so much a gastropub as a sybaritic experience. This 18th-century inn sits across the fields from sister enterprise Daylesford, the posh ‘farm shop’. Clad in dreamy creams, the boutique pub offers an idyllic take on farmhouse style. Here chef Nathan Eades offers fabulous taste adventures with exquisite dishes such as venison with celeriac, puy lentils and pomegranate. Serene accommodation is in 13 bedrooms (wonderfully, most bathrooms have tubs panelled with little drystone walls) and five luxury cottages. After a beautiful breakfast, stride out to picturesque Bruern.
From
£
140
per night
Artist Residence Oxfordshire
South Leigh, Oxfordshire, England
There’s a boho vibe at this thatched pub; it’s a visually exciting space with a robust menu. You dine beside neon works by Andy Doig and felt groceries by Lucy Sparrow, enjoying flavoursome dishes such as salt marsh lamb, and rack of suckling pig (to share) from the robata grill. The nine bedrooms feature antiques and random artefacts – the Barn suite has a four-poster fashioned from fallen branches. Breakfast can be brought to your room; porridge honey and berries will set you up nicely for a day in nearby Oxford.
From
£
95
per night
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The Bell
Ticehurst, East Sussex, England
A whimsical pub in the Sussex Weald. Chef Oscar Fonesca brings South American flavours to the gastropub menu with rib-eye steak with chimichurri, salmon ceviche with avocado and tiger’s milk and a tender lamb rump with saltado. Hunker down in one of four lodges in the garden, inspired by local oast houses. The Love Nest has curved wooden walls, a roof terrace and a deep copper tub. Breakfast is worth waking up for, especially the ‘Kitchen toast’ with smashed avo, poached eggs and crispy bacon, preferably pimped up with a Bloody Mary.
From
£
79
per night
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The Bull Ditchling
Ditchling, East Sussex, England
A well-lit haven in a dark, rural village. They serve a meat-led menu that uses mainly seasonal ingredients – meat from local butchers and estates, and fish and seafood from Norfolk’s nearby coast – but the long-serving chef is French so you can expect the odd twist too. Afterwards, tumble into one of six comfortable bedrooms in the beautifully converted flint barns next door, which come complete with smart TVs, homemade shortbread and sloe gin. Breakfast is a buffet, supplemented by an excellent full English, which will set you up for days exploring the countryside around.
From
£
125
per night
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The Brisley Bell
Norfolk, England
A well-lit haven in a dark, rural village. They serve a meat-led menu that uses mainly seasonal ingredients – meat from local butchers and estates, and fish and seafood from Norfolk’s nearby coast – but the long-serving chef is French so you can expect the odd twist too. Afterwards, tumble into one of six comfortable bedrooms in the beautifully converted flint barns next door, which come complete with smart TVs, homemade shortbread and sloe gin. Breakfast is a buffet, supplemented by an excellent full English, which will set you up for days exploring the countryside around.
From
£
88
per night
The Gunton Arms
Norfolk, England
There’s nowhere quite like this pub, situated on a rural estate. Owned by an art dealer from London, its walls are crammed with occasionally risqué works by some of the biggest names in British art, while its main dining room focuses on a large open fireplace where chef Stuart Tattersall works his magic on the very best local produce, including the deer you may see grazing outside. Sixteen rooms are divided between traditional doubles in the main building and contemporary affairs with spacious bathrooms in converted outbuildings. Spend your time exploring the wonderful nearby North Norfolk Coast.
From
£
95
per night
Coombeshead Farm
Lewannick, Cornwall, England
Savour chef Tom Adams’ homegrown-produce at this stylish countryside retreat, set within 66 acres of woodland. Sample Mangalitsa loin from pigs bred and reared on site; swede and kale from the garden; and freshly baked sourdough, before sinking into rustic-styled bedrooms with garden views and treats of homemade fudge and choux buns. Downstairs, relax in the living space with its log-burner, wine cellar, snug library with board games and honesty bar. You can help yourself – whatever-time-of-night – to the farm’s fruit-gin infusions. Wake to a memorable breakfast, including Coombehead’s own bacon, sausage and eggs.
From
£
180
per night
The Lord Poulett Arms
Hinton-St-George, Somerset, England
Combining fashionable rooms with serious food, this thatched, 17th-century pub sits in the characterful village of Hinton St George. It was opened by a group with links to Soho House and their superior eye for style (artfully crumbling walls and candelabras) sets the place apart. The food is confident, with elements cured or smoked in-house. Try the peach and Glastonbury burrata salad or the sea bream with fennel kimchi and a Korean barbecue sauce. Not far from either Devon or Dorset, there is plenty to see, with rural walks, cider farms and striking Montacute House nearby.
From
£
90
per night
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The Milk House
Sissinghurst, Kent, England
The Milk House, set in the rolling Kent Weald 20 minutes’ walk from Sissinghurst Castle and dating back to the 16th century, blends pastoral charm with style. Chef-patron Dane Allchorne serves refined British cooking in the restaurant and crowd-pleasers in the pub, using seasonal ingredients sourced from a 20-mile radius. The venison carpaccio with juniper croutons is the essence of crisp Kentish winter days. Read the papers by the Tudor fireplace, soak in your bath overlooking orchards (there are four rooms) and linger over breakfasts of local sausages and smoked kippers.
From
£
95
per night
The Wife of Bath
Wye, Kent, England
While a listed building in the Kent Weald seems an unlikely spot for tapas, chef Mark Sargeant makes it work, adding five bedrooms to luxuriate in after feasting on 12-year-old Galician steak, Serrano ham and Iberico presa. Whether you cosy up at the bar or linger over a tasting menu in the restaurant, don’t miss Sargeant’s signature bitter chocolate tart with salt and olive oil. Best of all: stay two nights and do both, working up an appetite for the latter with a walk to the Wye Crown for sweeping country views.
From
£
115
per night
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Llys Meddyg
Pembrokeshire, Wales
After a bracing walk along Newport’s dune-flanked beach, find a nook in this Georgian coaching inn’s low-ceilinged restaurant for homegrown and locally sourced ingredients cooked with panache. Ed, one of the owners, is a keen forager and runs half-day hedgerow and seashore courses that round out with lunch in the garden or on the beach. His passion shines in menus that whisk you from wood-fired mackerel with carrot, labneh, honey and foraged sea vegetables to Solva crab with confit yoke, pickled kohlrabi and coriander. Retire to one of the eight boutique bedrooms.
From
£
92
per night
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The Millbrook Inn
South Pool, Devon, England
A refined Gallic nose-to-tail menu sets this wonderfully intimate creek-side pub in South Pool apart from the crowd. The Butcher’s Block menu offers unusual cuts of meat, alongside pigs’ trotters, smoked pork, cuttlefish, grilled octopus and fish landed in nearby Brixham. The vibe is rustic and convivial, with low lighting, flagstone floors, beamed walls and a cosy Inglenook fireplace. Upstairs, the Loft studio offers a soulful space decorated in ethically sourced, artisanal products from local interiors store Nkuku. A short drive takes you to the South West Coastal Path and some of Devon’s finest sandy beaches.
From
£
75
per night
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The Three Chimneys and The House Over-By
Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, Scotland
When Eddie and Shirley Spear took over this former crofter’s cottage on the wild shores of Loch Dunvegan in 1985, they made it something else: a place both elegant and cosy, with food so fresh that you go to bed thinking you’ll never need to eat again, and wake relieved that you’re having breakfast. Expect local beef in Skye craft beer accessorised with Isle of Barra snails, or crowdie (a Scottish curd cheese) with raspberries and fennel. Book early to nab one of the luxurious bedrooms in the House Over-By next door. The Spears sold it earlier this year but head chef Scott Davies remains in post and new owner, hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray, has promised not to change anything.
From
£
345
per night
The Talbot Inn
Somerset, England
In the honey-coloured stone village of Mells, a sensitively restored 15th-century coaching inn is your temporary home. Through a cobbled courtyard lie a series of rooms, many with open fireplaces; upstairs, there are eight rooms with four-poster beds, exposed beams and in two cases, a free-standing bath. Food is pub grub done really well, the steak dry-aged and from a local farm, the hake in white wine and chili broth, the black pudding from Trealy Farm, across the Severn in Wales. On weekends, the Grill Room serves meat on the open fire.
From
£
100
per night
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Mr & Mrs Smith
St Petroc’s Hotel
Padstow, Cornwall, England
Part of the Rick Stein empire – most of seaside Padstow seems to house one of his restaurants, including his flagship Seafood Restaurant. But St Petroc’s is more casual: simple seafood, caught along the Cornish coast, an open charcoal grill, good chips, fresh vegetables, meat from a Launceston butcher and the occasional fancy touch such as Padstow lobster. There are 10 rooms in the main house, plus four in an annexe in the gardens; several have freestanding baths and all have home-baked cookies. Thirsty travellers in search of a digestif can head down to the basement Ruby’s Bar.
From
£
165
per night
Star & Garter
Falmouth, Cornwall, England
On Falmouth’s harbour since 1892. Unusual cuts of meat come from Cornish butcher Phillip Warren and fish is fresh off the boat, all transformed by head chef Robert Bunny with such bold touches as nectarines accompanying pork belly, dukkah with blackened aubergine and curry sauce and mussels on hake. There are three bright apartments (with kitchen facilities) all overlooking the water, but not much incentive to stay in them, with an open fire, excellent cocktails and Cornish ales just downstairs, and the lure of beaches outside. Don’t miss the opulent Sunday roast.
From
£
90
per night
Timbrell’s Yard
Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England
High expectations are superbly met with a menu of South West produce realised as ‘bistronomy’, whether hake fillet with Café de Paris butter or slow-roasted duck leg with puy lentils. The place is split between pub and restaurant, with the rusticity of exposed stonework and a three-metre-wide fireplace juxtaposed with Native American motifs and Farrow and Ball shades. Take a long weekend here: the medieval arched bridge, twisting streets and limestone buildings give Bradford on Avon postcard good-looks.
From
£
95
per night
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The Ollerod
Beaminster, Dorset, England
Chef-owner Chris Staines plucks from the area’s impressive local larder to conjure menus that whisk together hearty British fare with European flair and, often, a sprinkle of Asian-fired flavours (a splash of ponzu with tuna tartare or vegan san choi bao). That said, something caught off the Jurassic Coast and simply grilled is a go-to. His partner and co-owner, Silvana Baldini, handles front of house, a mastery of temptation with “just one more” espresso martini before retiring to boutiquified rooms of four-posters, abstract art and floral patterns that introduce modernity into the town’s oldest building. Don’t miss the triple-cooked chips.
From
£
120
per night
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This article was originally published by Telegraph.co.uk. Read the original article here.