Lick your lips, then, and loosen your belts, for Britain is brimming with hotels where food takes centre stage. Whether it’s pioneering kitchens or resplendent kitchen gardens you’re after, here are some of the finest places in the UK and Ireland to eat – and sleep – exceptionally well.
Main Image: Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxfordshire
The Gunton Arms, Norfolk
Best for: Hearty food by a roaring fire in bohemian surrounds
Tucked into a 1,000-acre deer park just outside Cromer, The Gunton Arms is part hunting lodge, part art gallery, part classic country pub – and entirely delicious. Meat is grilled over a vast open fire in the Elk Room, where guests dine surrounded by Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst pieces. The menu champions local game and Norfolk seafood, while bedrooms in the flint-walled buildings exude laid-back luxury. It’s rowdy, rustic, and utterly memorable. Oh, and the beautiful rooms were designed by the late, great Robert Kime – and there’s no finer assurance of quality than that in our books. Get A Room.
The Felin Fach Griffin, Brecon Beacons
Best for: Laid-back Welsh charm with field-to-fork credentials
This much-loved inn at the foot of the Brecon Beacons is known for its warmth – both literal thanks to its log fires and metaphorical thanks to the smiling service. The daily-changing menu draws on the kitchen’s own garden and nearby farms to create beautifully unfussy dishes full of flavour. At the pass is head chef Gwenann Davies, formerly of Gleneagles, who grew up on a farm near Carmarthen with an innate understanding of how important farming is to the area. Bedrooms are cosy, dogs are welcome, and you’re well-placed for mountain hikes to work off that sticky toffee pudding. Eat in The Library, the Aga Room or in the bar or tack room – and if you love it, book another break at its sister establishments, The Gunard’s Head and The Old Coastguard – both under the auspices of the group’s unerring founder, Charles Inkin. Get A Room.
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxfordshire
Best for: A once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience
Raymond Blanc’s flagship hotel-restaurant is a dreamy Cotswolds manor wrapped in manicured gardens and orchards. Its two Michelin stars are extremely well deserved, with plates as artful as the wisteria-draped façade. Dining here is a ritual: multi-course tasting menus, garden tours, wine pairings, and warm hospitality. Stay the night in one of the individually styled rooms and make time for the cookery school or garden trails. One for the bucket list, you’ll never regret lunch or dinner here. Get A Room.
Locanda on the Weir, Exmoor
Best for: Italian flair in a storybook setting
Looking out over the tranquil harbour at Porlock Weir, this elegant no-waste restaurant with rooms is the love project of the Neapolitan Pio Catemario di Quadri his wife Cindy Siu. Pio’s background in fine Italian dining meets Exmoor’s wild produce, with dishes that are sophisticated yet soulful – think casual fine dining at its fuss-free best. With just a handful of rooms, each with sea views and antique flourishes, Locanda is a hidden gem that has been enchanting food lovers since it first flung open its doors. Oh and it’s do-friendly too. Get A Room.
Ballymaloe House, County Cork
Best for: Irish hospitality with a pioneering food philosophy
Founded by culinary trailblazer Myrtle Allen in the 1960s, Ballymaloe, set amid the lush East Cork countryside, is the spiritual home of Irish farm-to-fork cooking. Everything about this ivy-clad manor exudes calm: from the meandering gardens to the timeless dining room, where produce from the 300-acre farm forms the backbone of the seasonal menus. Cookery classes, wine tastings and artisan markets enrich the experience – come hungry and leave with some pro skills. Get A Room.
The Scarlet, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
Best for: Eco-luxury and clifftop calm
With its jaw-dropping sea views and adults-only policy, The Scarlet is a grown-up retreat for conscious travellers. Sustainability underpins everything from the spa to the kitchen: food is fresh, local, and often foraged, served in a sleek glass-fronted dining room overlooking the Atlantic. Our top tip: do sip natural wine in the hot tub as the sun sets – it doesn’t get better. Get A Room.
The Tawny, Staffordshire
Best for: Design-led countryside cabins and modern British food
A new breed of hotel for the style-conscious traveller, The Tawny reimagines the country escape. Set on the sprawling Consall Gardens estate, it offers a scattering of shepherd’s huts, treehouses and boathouses with outdoor baths and serious views. The restaurant, The Plumicorn, is a sleek space serving seasonal, creative dishes – think Staffordshire lamb with pickled garden beets or elderflower panna cotta. A beautiful coming together of comfort and cutting-edge. Get A Room.
Morston Hall, Norfolk
Best for: Michelin-starred coastal indulgence
Just moments from the North Norfolk coast, Morston Hall has long been a destination for food lovers. Galton Blackiston’s Michelin-starred menus are meticulously crafted each day using local seafood, game, and garden produce. Note: there’s no choice – all diners are served the same dishes at the same time, which we regard as a sign of confidence but may not be to everyone’s taste. Stay overnight in one of the country-chic rooms and take a boat trip to see the Blakeney seals in the morning. Get A Room.
Hambleton Hall, Rutland
Best for: Classical elegance and serious culinary clout
This lakeside Victorian mansion sits above Rutland Water and boasts one of the UK’s longest-held Michelin stars, and a reputation for understated excellence. Expect precise, seasonal French-British cooking, slick service and beautiful, traditional interiors. The wine cellar is vast, the gardens are pristine, and the mood is delightfully grown-up. Get A Room.
Grays Court, York
Best for: Dining with a side of medieval history
Hidden beside York Minster, Grays Court is a 900-year-old house with a contemporary, chef-driven restaurant. Led by Michelin-starred chef Ian Doyle, the kitchen focuses on bold, seasonal dishes served in the serene Bow Room overlooking the city walls. With just a handful of historic bedrooms, it’s an intimate escape in the heart of York. Hands down, one of our most memorable meals for all the best reasons. Get A Room.
Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Perthshire
Best for: World-class dining in a legendary hotel
The late Andrew Fairlie’s restaurant remains Scotland’s only two-Michelin-starred destination, tucked inside the iconic Gleneagles Hotel. It’s quietly luxurious, serving French-influenced Scottish cuisine like home-smoked lobster and Highland venison. Guests can stay in one of the estate’s refined rooms or suites and make time for the spa and whisky bar. Get A Room.
The Pig Hotels (Various Locations)
Best for: Kitchen garden-led dining with relaxed luxury
The Pig brand has become synonymous with stylish comfort and seasonal food. Every property has a walled garden, foragers, and a hyper-local menu that rarely travels more than 25 miles. Robin Hutson’s ever-burgeoning chain show no signs of getting old – in fact, they mellow like the roster of full-bodied wines on the menu. Get A Room.
The Bull, Charlbury, Oxfordshire
Best for: Farm-to-fire cooking in a Cotswolds inn with buzz
This reinvented coaching inn in the cosy Cotswolds village of Charlbury offers wood-fired cooking, natural wines, and rooms that marry rustic charm with the deepest of comfort. Under the auspices of new head chef Sally Abé, it seems to tick both the comfort food and the stellar cuisine boxes with enviable ease. Plus, the whole place, lit by the flicker of candlelight, looks like a 16th-century Dutch Old Master painting. Get A Room.
Gravetye Manor, West Sussex
Best for: Garden-to-table dining in a glorious English manor
Set in a picture-perfect Elizabethan manor house, Gravetye is surrounded by one of the most beautiful and productive kitchen gardens in the country. Originally designed by famed gardener William Robinson, the grounds now supply a Michelin-starred restaurant where head chef George Blogg creates sophisticated modern British dishes rooted in what’s freshly picked. With crackling fires, oak-panelled rooms and just 17 elegant bedrooms, this is country house hospitality at its most refined – and delicious. Get A Room.
