Luckily for us Brits we are simply spoilt for choice when it comes to romantic and regal countryside abodes. Our landscape is simply awash with beautifully preserved historical lodgings that you can nip away to for a relaxing weekend. What’s more, many of these hotels have some of the best chefs in the world waiting to make your getaway all the more delicious. Here are five characterful country houses that offer relaxation dished up alongside dangerously delectable menus.
Painswick, Gloucester
This eclectic boutique hotel is set into an 18th Century stone mansion. With 16 modern suites, a beauty salon and an ever-exciting eatery to boot, it’s more than worth the two-hour drive from London.
Chef Jamie McCallum heads the restaurant, where you can expect to find mouth-watering plates like Cornish crab salad with mango and pineapple; and hand-dived Orkney scallops with cauliflower purée and shimeji mushrooms.
After gorging on your fill of seasonal delights, you can stumble back to George’s Suite – a spacious room flaunting a four-poster bed, its own cosy sitting room, plus a log burner and balcony.
Inverlochy Castle Hotel, Scottish Highlands
This stunning castle set into rolling green hills boasts modern grandeur in lavish historical settings. Expect waterfall showers and flat-screens slipped in beneath Venetian chandeliers and intricate fresco ceilings. Nestled under the peaks of Ben Nevis, it’s particularly beautiful in snowy times.
Dining at ‘Albert and Michel Roux Jr at Inverlochy Castle’ is a culinary experience to savour, with the legendary father and son team taking the helm of the seasonally driven kitchen. Choose from three elaborate dining rooms, each decorated with period furniture gifted to the castle by the King of Norway.
Gravetye Manor, West Sussex
Besides its Michelin-starred restaurant, this spectacular house’s piece-de-resistance is its extensive blooming gardens that supply the kitchen with everything from apples to asparagus. Expect to see chairs reminiscent of 16th Century thrones, gargantuan fireplaces and grand oak furnishings.
The restaurant, headed by George Blogg, is one of the finest places to dine in this country with its extensive views over the flower garden. Come the new year, however, Gravetye will undergo a four-month makeover, with the restaurant reopening in May 2018 under the same renowned chef and gardener.
Gliffaes Country House, Brecon Beacons, Wales
On the edge of the River Usk and beneath the lofty Black Mountains lays 33-acres of heavenly grounds. Gliffaes is a little slice of Welsh luxury just waiting to be explored. Described as an Italianate Victorian Manor, the house is furnished with rustic wood, Welsh tweed and tile-rimmed fireplaces.
Head chef Karl Cheetham ensures just about everything at Gliffaes is homemade, home-grown or sourced locally – from the Meusli and Black Mountain salmon at breakfast, to the Welsh rarebit bon-bon and Breconshire lamb at dinner.
Hambleton Hall, East Midlands
The beautifully restored Hambleton Hall is surrounded by views of manicured gardens and Rutland Water. Each room displays a similar sense of calm, sporting exquisite luxury without feeling overly theatrical.
Head Chef Aaron began his career as a Sous Chef at Hambleton, aged just 16, and by 1982 he had earned a well-deserved Michelin Star. Today you expect to try dishes like pheasant pithivier with root vegetables; and chocolate truffle jersualem artichoke ice cream.
Written by Thea Carley
