Food is such an essential part of the hotel experience, from sumptuous breakfasts and brunches to fine dining, foraged ingredients and proudly home-grown fare. It’s little surprise that amongst those of us who truly value an excellent meal, a Michelin star is an enticing prospect when choosing somewhere to stay.
Here, the Good Hotel Guide teases the taste buds with 10 of their top recommended UK and Ireland hotels with Michelin star restaurants.
Hambleton Hall, Oakham in Rutland
Comfort, style and a sense of history are just part of the charm at Hambleton Hall, arguably one of the finest country house hotels in the UK. Just a 2.5 hour drive from London, it’s beautifully run and opulently decorated with antiques, whilst being surrounded by exquisitely curated gardens.
For foodies, the expert stylings of Michelin-starred chef Aaron Patterson results in a concise daily menu, including produce from the walled kitchen garden. When we visited, we tucked into poached halibut, cucumber, oyster leaf salad; roast venison, turnips, and braised red cabbage.
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Askham Hall, Penrith in Cumbria
A Grade I listed building constructed around a mediaeval pele tower and brimming with personality, Askham Hall has a true sense of enchantment to it. In the spring, the gardens are full of blossoms, while inside a shabby-chic feel invites you to relax by the log fire with a drink from the honesty bar.
Each of the country house-style bedrooms is different – one with a four-poster bed and an antique bath, while others are more modern. The hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant hinges on the cycle of life in the gardens and fields close by, serving seasonal ingredients ranging from garlic, which grows all along the River Lowther and fruit harvested from the garden or game from the woods and moors, to preserved fruits and vegetables that have been pickled, dried, salted or left to rest in the autumn and winter months.
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Gravetye Manor, East Grinstead in West Sussex
Once home to the pioneer of the English natural garden William Robinson, Gravetye Manor is an exceptional Elizabethan manor house and a four-star Sussex retreat. The gardens continue the hotel’s horticultural heritage, and are definitely worth exploring during your stay before sitting by the log fire in an easy chair in the evening. However, the gardens are also an instrumental part of the exceptional food served in the Michelin star restaurant. Overseen by executive chef George Blogg, the menu changes with the seasons and includes ingredients grown in their own kitchen garden.
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Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton in Oxfordshire
A place that needs no introduction, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire is where English heritage meets French flair. The 15th-century manor is home to the Raymond Blanc Cookery School, and every aspect of your stay reminds you that excellence is the name of the game. Elegant interiors, perfect flower borders and orchards and attention to detail are what it’s about.
The two-acre kitchen garden that serves the hotel gives a hint as to its most celebrated feature – the food. The candlelit conservatory restaurant has held two Michelin stars since 1985 and guests always delight in their five- and seven-course modern French menus cooked by Raymond Blanc and Gary Jones, all of which showcase heritage fruit, organic vegetables and micro herbs grown at the chefs’ request.
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Morston Hall, Holt in Norfolk
A favourite amongst those who enjoy the finer things in life, Morston Hall is a Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms in a flint farmhouse with Blakeney nature reserve on the doorstep. Friendly and relaxed, it’s an unpretentious hotel, despite its illustrious foodie reputation.
Guests stay in contemporary, country house-style bedrooms, but the focus is definitely on dining throughout the day. Dinner is a particularly special occasion, serving a seven-course, daily changing tasting menu of locally sourced or home-grown produce. In the morning, you’re treated to locally smoked fish or a full English.
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The Whitebrook, Wye Valley in Monmouthshire
Famed for its food, The Whitebrook sits in a quiet spot in the Wye Valley. The hotel has four AA Rosettes, and there’s a relaxed charm to it that instantly makes you feel at home. Rooms are pared back but with careful attention to detail and they very much let the location speak for itself, inviting you to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the region.
In much the same way, food celebrates individual ingredients. Using foraged pennywort, hedge bedstraw and nasturtium tubers amongst its prize ingredients, the Michelin star restaurant-with-rooms is run by chef and patron Chris Harrod and his wife, Kirsty. The experience is faultless, and on Sundays you can choose from a three-course lunch, or for something extra special, try their seven-course Sunday tasting menu.
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The Peat Inn, Cupar in Fife
A luxurious restaurant-with-rooms in an 18th century coaching inn, The Peat Inn sits close to St Andrews and the Fife coast. Guests are greeted with a decanter of sherry in their room, setting the tone for their stay and alluding to the proprietor’s attention to detail. Common rooms have log fires and the restaurant has had Michelin’s seal of approval every year since 2010.
Their menu is a feast of inspired dishes on a tasting menu, for example, halibut, lime and seaweed butter, scallop mousse, Jersey Royals, asparagus and caviar butter sauce. Those who wish to get outside will love to explore the surrounding landscapes as well as playing golf at the famous Royal and Ancient Golf Club close by.
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Whatley Manor, Easton Grey in Wiltshire
A five-star, award-winning, country house hotel, Whatley Manor is well known for its style, sophistication, spa and Michelin star restaurant. It has 23 rooms and suites and is often considered an ideal destination for romantic breaks.
Surrounded by 12 acres of gardens, there are 26 individual areas to explore when the weather is fine, while the Aquarias Spa provides a restorative thermal suite and beautiful treatments from the GAIA product house. They actually have a Michelin Green Star as testament to their sustainable gastronomy, which is served in The Dining Room under the direction of executive chef Ricki Weston. That said, don’t dismiss their second dining space, Grey’s, which is a more relaxed but equally as delicious experience.
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Wild Honey Inn, Lisdoonvarna in County Clare
A 19th-century inn in the Burren National Park, the Wild Honey Inn is now a Michelin star pub-with-rooms with 14 antique filled chic bedrooms and easy access for exploring Doolin, the world famous Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands.
With their Irish cheer they have re-invented the concept of the Irish pub, providing the warmth of a traditional country inn with the sophistication of an award-winning wine list and a Michelin star. Dishes are inspired by Ireland’s natural larder, and their philosophy is simple: ‘Wild food from land and sea’ – so far it seems to be working for them and their guests.
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Lympstone Manor, Exmouth in Devon
Chef/patron Michael Caines MBE’s famous labour of love, Lympstone Manor is a sophisticated foodie haven complete with its own vineyard by the Exe estuary. Enjoy a sense of old-world grandeur as you sip gin, tea or coffee in one of the lounges. Take in views of the Devon countryside from all corners of the hotel, and explore the beauty of the surrounding area.
Naturally, Caines has made food a key feature of any visit. The restaurant celebrates modern British fare and European dishes, showcasing local produce from the South West larder and with each dish matched by wines selected from a world cellar that contains over 600 bins.
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