As autumn approaches it is the perfect time of year for a peaceful escape to the countryside characterised by country views and excellent food. From Michelin stars to kitchen gardens, here The Good Hotel Guide shares 10 of their favourite restaurants with rooms to visit this autumn…
In rural north Wales, Tyddyn Llan is a warm and welcoming restaurant with rooms, with a Michelin star that it has had since 2010 as well as a catalogue of recommendations from the likes of the Sunday Times. The hotel is family run by the Webbs; Susan ensures the smooth running of the dining room and husband Bryan are hard at work in the kitchen.
A contemporary restaurant with rooms, Hipping Hall sits at the foot of Gragareth, Lancashire’s highest peak. Surrounded by the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park, it is just a short drive from the Lake District and has three AA Rosettes for its regional food created under the guidance of Head Chef Oli Martin with almost everything sourced from the surrounding area.
In a quiet, historic village in Suffolk, The Crown and Castle takes its name from its proximity to the 12th century castle at Orford Ness. Overlooking the river, the hotel enjoys welcoming but stylish interiors and food is very much at the centre of the experience. It has two AA Rosettes to its name and its wine list has gained much praise for its reasonable pricing and carefully selected range. In the summer months, lunch on the terrace is a particular attraction.
In England’s only mountain forest, close to the market town of Keswick, The Cottage in the Wood is a restaurant with rooms that dates back to the 17th century, although it has been carefully restored since then. With a real sense of magic thanks to the surrounding lakes, its food and wine has won national awards with particular praise going to their Herdwick Hogget from the surrounding fells, freshly landed fish and shellfish from Whitehaven harbour and a host of wild foods.
An award-winning village inn in Rutland, the Beech House and Olive Branch was once three cottages knocked together to make a pub in 1890. Today it has open fires, antique tables and home made lemonade as part of its charm. It is the food however that adds the real wow-factor, using local and seasonal produce, vegetables from their kitchen garden, herbs and salad from their polytunnel, and foraged herbs and fruits from the surrounding hedgerows, woodlands and fields.
This boutique hotel in Suffolk is spectacularly designed, fusing history and contemporary design. The traditional water mill between Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge, is clearly a passion project where everything has been done just right, including the food. The gorgeous setting is the perfect backdrop for its award-winning restaurant. With exposed beams and a view of the pond, guests enjoy a full fine dining experience that reflects the seasons and combines a sense of chic and rustic charm.
Quirky, stylish and exquisitely put together, The Dial House brims with around 1000 objets d’arts, and the food is just as enticing. Attention is very much paid to the details of this seasonal menu, so while you sit by the roaring wood burner, you can dine in intimate style or have a relaxed coffee and cake on the terrace. Everything is made carefully and lovingly, so even if you’re not going for the full works, an afternoon tea is even complete with treats made fresh in the AGA.
A family-run country pub close to Edinburgh, the Horseshoe Restaurant is a peaceful retreat close to the famous River Tweed. A converted Victorian schoolhouse, it has eight en-suite bedrooms in the neighbouring inn complete with bathrobes and organic toiletries. The day begins with local honey and home made jams at breakfast, while later in the day Scottish produce and items from the herb garden are the basis for homely fare such as poached trout, buttermilk, pickled cucumber and hash browns.
From the famed Pig collection of hotels, the Pig at Combe in the village of Gittisham is just eight miles from the Devon coast and enjoys all the stylistic individuality of its counterparts. Rich in things to see, it is grand but informal, eclectic but elegant, and guests are invited to curl up by the roaring fire, sink into oversized sofas and of course tuck into the ample good food consisting of vegetables and herbs from the gardens, fresh fish and Devonshire cheeses.
Nestled into the Scottish Highlands, The Cross at Kingussie is a peaceful escape for mind and soul rejuvenation. A sense of total privacy pervades, surrounded as you are by the quintessential beauty of Scotland. Meanwhile, food is ample and local from a wide range of fruit, local sausages, fresh eggs and Scottish smoked salmon and kippers at breakfast, to a three-course lunch, afternoon tea and a prized signature tasting menu at dinner.
