Best British Hotels For Foodies In 2025
By CTH Editors
4 hours ago
Gourmet getaways from Cornwall to York
When you’re browsing the web for your next staycation spot, is the first thing you look at the restaurant menu? Well, you’re in the right place. These hotels are renowned for their culinary offering, helmed by some of the country’s top chefs. Whether you’re after Cornish seafood, cosy Cotswolds pub fare or fine dining in York, we bring you the best UK hotels for food to visit in 2025. These reviews were taken from Great British & Irish Hotels 2025.
The UK’s Top Hotels For Food
The Bath Arms at Longleat, Horningsham, Wiltshire
The Bath Arms is another triumph of co-owners Dan Brod, Charlie Luxton and Matt Greenlees, whose portfolio of successful country pubs with rooms also includes The Beckford Arms. Here, the trio has reinvented an 18th-century inn on the edge of the Longleat Estate, adding 16 simple yet stylish rooms in the main building and stable block. Countryside-inspired interiors feature a muted palette, cosy blankets on the beds and sink-into armchairs; the biggest rooms, decorated in new Farrow & Ball colours, also come with roll-top baths. Local is a priority so there is gin from nearby distilleries and beer from artisan breweries (it also has its own Hornings Ale), as well as wine from the Beckford Bottle Shop in Bath, all served at the wood-panelled bar. In the kitchen, chef Jack Chapman champions seasonal Wiltshire produce, cooking up comforting, unpretentious favourites such as dry-aged Wiltshire steaks, hearty Sunday lunch and apple crumble to share. During the summer there’s nothing more lovely than settling down at cocktail hour on the sun-trap terrace looking out across the fields.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £120 / +44 (0)1985 844308; batharmsinn.com
The Beckford Arms, Fonthill Gifford, Wiltshire
On the Fonthill Estate, the stylish yet immediately welcoming Beckford Arms combines country pub, restaurant and comforting place to stay in equal measure. Eat in the animated bar, elegant dining room, pretty conservatory or in the quiet sitting room, with its crackling log fire, comfy antique chairs and tables piled with books. You eat well: pickled quails’ eggs and homemade sausage rolls at the bar, washed down with their own Beckford Phoenix ale, hearty but imaginative lunches and dinners as well as peerless breakfasts. You sleep well too: there are eight lovely bedrooms in the inn and two luxurious lodges in the rolling parkland – plus you can bed down in the magnificent Grade I-listed Fonthill Arch, at the entrance to the estate. Co-owners Dan Brod, Charlie Luxton and Matt Greenlees (Beckford Group have three other country pubs with rooms nearby), have thought of everything, from deeply comfortable beds to woolly hot-water bottles, pretty throws and all-natural, locally made Bramley products in the bathrooms. There are now spa treatments too, with Bramley’s skincare range.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £115 / +44 (0)1747 870385; beckfordarms.com
The Rose & Crown, County Durham
Anyone seeking a traditional English inn should look no further than the Rose & Crown, loved by regulars and first-time visitors alike for its warmth, character, comfort and good food. Run by the Robinson family, who also own the popular County Durham hotel, Headlam Hall, this 18th-century coaching inn continues to do what it has always done so well: fine hospitality in a beautiful rural location. There are thick stone walls, beamed ceilings and stone fires, with enough contemporary touches to blend old-fashioned charm with modern comfort. Great food is at the heart of the inn, showcasing local ingredients of good provenance: typical dishes might include poached pear with burrata or loin of Teesdale lamb. The 14 bedrooms display a faultless combination of contemporary country design (including modern bathrooms) and terrific character and charm. It’s also brilliantly placed for walking in the spectacular Dales countryside, mountain biking through Hamsterley Forest and fly fishing on the Tees (tuition can be arranged). Well-behaved dogs are very welcome, too.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £150 / +44 (0)1833 650213; rose-and-crown.co.uk
Linthwaite House, Windermere, Cumbria
Linthwaite House embodies the perfect Lake District hotel: understated and elegant, yet warmly welcoming and relaxing. The views over Lake Windermere, especially with the sun slanting across the water, are simply unbeatable. The bedrooms offer the last word in lakeside luxury. For those wanting a more back-to-nature experience, there’s a secluded tarn with a private cabin and six Fell Suites among the wooded grounds. Inside, a crackling re welcomes guests in the Hall’s carved mahogany replace, leading to e Bar & Conservatory (on warm days, nab a seat on the terrace, which faces the Coniston Fells). e inspired all-day dining menus feature seasonal and flavourful dishes, from lobster rolls for lunch to afternoon tea. For a more refined dining experience, guests can visit Henrock, overseen by multi-Michelin-starred chef Simon Rogan, who sources the freshest Cumbrian ingredients from his Our Farm in Cartmel. Linthwaite House also offers an array of activities, from croquet and outdoor chess to cycling and rowing. With wedding, events, and conferencing facilities, this hotel truly ticks all the boxes.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £265 / +44 (0)1539 488600; leeucollection.com/uk
The Grand York, York, Yorkshire
Originally built in 1906 as a Palace of Business for the North Eastern Railway Company, The Grand, York lives up to its name, retaining much of its Edwardian splendour. Located in the heart of the historic city, this five-star hotel seamlessly blends heritage with modern luxury. The 207 beautifully designed rooms and suites are split across two wings – the original building, with its grand high ceilings and architectural quirks, and the contemporary wing. Categories include Grand Family Rooms, for families of four (with space for extra beds and travel cots) and the penthouse suite, which has views of York’s skyline from the rolltop bath. Guests can also enjoy access to the serene spa facilities (and gym for the not so-serene), which include a 14m pool, Nordic dry sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and relaxation lounge. Spa treatments range from a tension-busting hot stone massage that improves circulation to a full body detox featuring a purifying mud mask and face and scalp massage. Diners are spoilt for choice. They can opt for Legacy, a three-AA Rosette ne dining restaurant oering a tasting menu focused on seasonality, locality, and that pays homage to York’s past, or The Rise Restaurant Terrace & Bar, serving modern British cuisine in a brasserie-style setting. At the latter, watch chefs preparing dishes in the open kitchen, such as crispy skin pork belly with bean and sausage cassoulet, surf and turf, lobster and prawn tagliatelle, and sweet potato and chickpea burgers. e quintessentially British afternoon tea is not to be missed either: it is a treat for both the eyes and tastebuds. Evenings begin with drinks on the terrace before winding down with a whisky, martini or Yorkshire ale at e 1906 Bar, an intimate space with comfortable loungers and live music on Friday and Saturday evenings. For hands-on foodies, The Grand, York is also home to an award-winning Cookery School where classes include everything from bread-making to beef Wellington, and from Goan curry nights to a half-day dedicated to an Italian-themed feast. Look out for the parent-child courses to get your little ones started young.
BOOK IT:
Classic Room from £209 / +44 (0)1904 380038; thegrandyork.co.uk
The White Hart, Mersea Island, Essex
This pub with rooms reopened in June 2022 after a nine-year closure and following a seven-month refurbishment. It is part of the same family as cheerily yellow-fronted The Sun Inn, Dedham. On England’s most easterly inhabited island, it sits opposite the church green and minutes from the beach. Six cosseting, colourful rooms (one has a sea view, others look over the green) all have superking beds, huge walk-in showers and contemporary local art. The seasonally changing menu features local ingredients: oysters and seafood, fruit and vegetables grown on the island and meat from East Anglia. Highlights are Mersea skate with samphire, Jerusalem artichoke, caper and butter; wild mushroom ravioli with black cabbage; wild duck with mulberries; and Sunday roasts. Relax in the snug or head out to explore, from beach strolls to a circuit of the island (around four hours), boat trips to watersports and bird watching. There are also bikes to borrow and car charging on site. Do check the hotel website before setting off – high tide cuts the island off from the mainland once a day.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £185 / +44 (0)1206 583212; whitehartinnmersea.co.uk
The Felin Fach Griffin, Brecon, Powys
The first of Edmund and Charles Inkin’s three wonderfully unpretentious and enjoyable establishment, The Felin Fach Griffin turns 25 this year. Set amid magnificent scenery between the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons, the old inn has become a sanctuary for food lovers, walkers, and bookish visitors to nearby Hay-on-Wye, famed for its annual Hay Literary Festival. Guests love the honest simplicity and warmth of welcome, along with the colourful and comfortable interiors. Ground-floor rooms – such as the Library, Tack Room, and Aga Room – over cosy retreats, while upstairs, the bedrooms boast some of the best beds and linens around. Curl up with a book, listen to your Roberts Radio, or simply gaze out at the hills, and you’ll feel truly enveloped in a big embrace. Room Eight, at the top of the building, offers a glorious vantage point over the elds beyond. After a refined dinner cooked up by head chef Gwenann Davies, featuring the finest Welsh ingredients, you’ll head for bed with a big smile on your face.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £182.50; from £275 including dinner / +44 (0)1874 620111; felinfachgriffin.co.uk
Photo: Drew GibsonThe Idle Rocks, St Mawes, Cornwall
Perched on the rocks in the heart of St Mawes on the beautiful Roseland Peninsula, The Idle Rocks, a Relais & Châteaux hotel, features 19 individually designed suites providing the ultimate seaside escape. A home away from home, this intimate hotel offers spectacular views over the harbour and Fal Estuary from its beautifully designed rooms. Head Chef of the Reef Knot Restaurant, Carla Jones, has launched a new menu with a strong focus on seafood. You can expect the freshest of seasonal dishes crafted from local ingredients and the catch of the day from the hotel’s dedicated sherman Gareth Austin. Whether you seek long coastal walks, wild swimming or sailing lessons, the hotel is perfectly positioned for swashbuckling adventures. Reflecting pure Cornish style and understated elegance, this is a boutique haven to retreat to throughout the year, where time is dictated by nothing but the tide. The hotel’s sister property, St Mawes Hotel, is a short walk away and equipped with seven unique bedrooms, plus a hidden cinema, for dinner and movie nights.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £320 / +44 (0)1326 270270; idlerocks.com
The Dabbling DuckThe Dabbling Duck, Great Massingham, Norfolk
In picturesque Great Massingham, The Dabbling Duck is a successful village pub, run with great warmth by experienced, hands-on owner-manager Mark Dobby and his wife Sally, a professional photographer whose prints decorate some of the walls. As soon as you walk in the door, you’re struck by the cosy, rustic decoration: wooden floors, tables, and bar; hops hanging from beams; and shelves of books. There are 13 bedrooms (some dog-friendly) – including three garden rooms – plus Duckling Cottage, a few doors away, which sleeps six. Sally and Mark have also renovated the house next door, adding four spacious bedrooms with roll-top baths and walk-in showers. The pub has a well-deserved reputation for its own Mucky Duck gin, real ales, and a well-curated wine list. The terrific food is made using local produce and prepared by skilful chef Dale Smith. There’s also a beautiful oak-beamed barn with a cosy wood burner, an outdoor bar, and a kitchen serving pizza and tapas on Fridays and Saturdays. The barn opens up onto the lovely pub garden, which has a play area for little ones.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £110 / +44 (0)1485 520827; thedabblingduck.co.uk
The Gunton Arms, Thorpe Market, Norfolk
Art dealer Ivor Braka’s recreation of a particularly delightful 19th-century coaching inn, with the help of designer Robert Kime, has been wowing guests ever since it opened in 2011. ‘In the words of Dolly Parton,’ Ivor says ironically, ‘it took a lot of money to look this cheap.’ Inside, the 16 bedrooms are decked out with sumptuous furnishings, printed wallpaper and traditional dark wood furniture, contrasting with the edgy, sexy art on the walls by all the big names: Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Lucian Freud… the list goes on. In the bathrooms, the marble was sourced in Egypt from derelict mansions in Alexandria. The hotel’s eclectic look is helped by the quirkiness of the gabled flint building itself, which sits inside vast, deer-filled Gunton Park. In the kitchen, Stuart Tattersall presides over delicious, imaginative dishes, including grills on an open fire that guests tuck into at sharing tables – the seafood and Cromer crab are all caught by local fishermen and fresh organic produce is sourced from the hotel’s very own walled garden. If you stay in Ellis (named for gamekeeper James Ellis), don’t miss the old prints by the dressing table – unless, that is, you objected to Emin’s naughty plates above the bar.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £145 / +44 (0)1263 832010; theguntonarms.co.uk
The Wild Rabbit, Kingham, Oxfordshire
This beautiful 17th-century inn built from golden Cotswold stone is an idyllic place to dine, drink and sleep. Slow luxury is at the heart of The Wild Rabbit – which comes from the Daylesford Stays stable – with sustainability and nature woven through every detail of its pub and cottages. The bar is welcoming with open log fires and comfy armchairs, and is generously stocked with wines from independent vineyards, craft beers and local ales. With a menu of signature seasonal cocktails, settle in by the log fire or take your drink on to the sunny terrace on warmer days to while away an afternoon.
The Wild Rabbit’s elevated dining room reflects an intimate connection to the produce on its doorstep, serving thoughtfully crafted and imaginative dishes. Constantly evolving and changing with the seasons, the menu is designed to make use of fresh ingredients at their peak, with as much emphasis on local provenance as possible. The high-ceilinged dining room is light-filled and bright and has been featured in The Michelin Guide. The kitchen is open so that diners can experience the theatre of the chefs at work, creating an atmosphere that feels dynamic and lively. Thirteen pub rooms have been designed to feel warm and welcoming, with hand-picked antiques, books on the shelves and playful linocuts by Hugo Guinness. They offer all the considered touches you would expect from a stay: fine linen sheets, botanical products in the bathroom and other thoughtful additions to ensure a comfortable, memorable experience.
There are also 34 traditional Cotswold stone cottages, each one within a two-mile radius of Daylesford Farm, including 13 in Kingham – a short walk from The Wild Rabbit. During your stay, explore Daylesford Farm with walking trails ranging from 40 minutes to two hours. Discover Daylesford’s farmshop and retreat in the Bamford Wellness Spa, which offers pampering spa days, massages and facials, plus yoga and pilates classes.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £152 / +44 (0)1608 692866; thewildrabbit.co.uk
The PIG – at Bridge Place, Canterbury, Kent
Every PIG hotel in this magnificent litter has its very own personality. Bridge Place on the leafy outskirts of Canterbury has a rock’n’roll vibe that’s immediately evident. The 29-bedroom, Grade II*-listed Queen Anne manor house is set in the Nailbourne valley, part of the Kent Downs. It sports a handsome red-brick façade and ornate Jacobean interior, while also containing a colourful recent past. The likes of Eric Clapton and Pink Floyd have gigged and partied here, and now it’s your turn to have a ball, amid a wealth of period features, secret stairways, panelled rooms and endless nooks and crannies, all brought to life by THE PIG’s now-retired founder Robin Hutson and his renowned designer wife Judy, with her eye for effortless, laidback chic. As with every other PIG, the kitchen garden and restaurant are the beating heart of this revitalised property. If you’ve pigged out on the others, this delightful locale (just 56 minutes by train from central London) should be next on your list: you’ll be seduced, charmed and ready to party, all at the same time.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £225 +44 (0)3452 259494; thepighotel.com
The Pig – near Bath, Pensford, Somerset
This may be just one of several rural-themed PIG hotels, but its launch back in 2014 broke new ground for the Home Grown Hotels group: a proper, grown-up hotel that has all the country house attributes (space, proportions, dreamy views), but none of the drawbacks (staid, formal, eye-wateringly expensive). It’s fun and glamorous without ever losing sight of comfort. Once again Judy Hutson created the look: Belgian tiles, quirky wallpaper, velvet curtains, oil paintings and chandeliers, plus a wonderfully louche private dining room based on the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet: ragamuffins feasting in a castle. As at all THE PIGs (except for the city-centred THE PIG-in-the-wall), the kitchen garden is the heartbeat of the hotel, with the gardeners and chefs working hand in hand to create plates brimming with seasonal flavours. What they can’t grow on-site is sourced from the best local farmers, shermen and foragers, the foundation of their signature 25 Mile Menu. And keep an eye out for dishes flavoured with honey from their very own hives – you can even pick up a jar to take home with you.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £330 / +44 (0)1929 450288; thepighotel.com
The PIG – at Combe, Gittisham, Devon
As you approach this Grade I-listed Elizabethan manor down the mile-long drive, surrounded by meadows, it slips tantalisingly in and out of sight, building a sense of romance that’s utterly fulfilled on arrival. Always a special place, its latest iteration is brimful of life, bonhomie and stylish informality. With the main bar installed in the historic Grand Hall, the fun starts the moment you walk in. There’s a wonderful, double-aspect conservatory restaurant with bare wood floors, restored shutters and incredible views; cosy snugs with roaring fires; a bar with a wood-fired oven in the ‘derelict-chic’ Folly; huge, raftered bedrooms in the attic; an atmospheric private dining room in the original Georgian kitchen and so much more. In the walled herb and infusion gardens, two potting sheds are now delightful, calming treatment rooms, beyond which stretches 3,500 acres of Devonshire countryside. Close by are the wide-open spaces of Dartmoor and the World Heritage coast to explore at your leisure. Just like all the other PIGs, this is a total joy of a hotel.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £260 / +44 (0)1404 540400; thepighotel.com
The PIG, Brockenhurst, Hampshire
Many hotels boast kitchen gardens, but few are as central to operations as that of THE PIG in the New Forest. Here, the garden is an imaginative edible paradise from which the chefs source much of their daily produce, the rest coming from within a 25-mile radius. This local and seasonal food-centric ideal is the inspiration for the original concept of THE PIG and its subsequent litter of hotels in the Home Grown Hotels stay, founded by British hotelier Robin Hutson in 2011. Here at Brockenhurst, the hotel, which is in its 14th year, is located in a handsome Georgian shooting lodge that stands in a clearing in the New Forest, with walking, foraging and spa treatments on offer. There’s a wonderful Victorian-style conservatory dining room, glamorous bar and outdoor courtyard. Calm, countrified and deeply comfortable, the hotel’s seductive shabby chic aesthetic comes in a palette of soft greens and chalky greys. Bedrooms include rustic, romantic lodges tucked away in the woods. The walled garden leads to a lovely lily pond and wooden potting shed treatment room. Oh, and there really are pigs, too.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £345 / +44 (0)1590 622354; thepighotel.com
The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow, Cornwall
Padstow is synonymous with Rick and Jill Stein. And if a restaurant can be a hub, then Rick’s famous Seafood Restaurant, now celebrating its 50th year, is just that. Red-aproned waiters whizz about in the airy, colourful dining room and a chandelier made of bobbing white fish creates an eye-catching start to your meal. Alternatively, eat at St Petroc’s Bistro, Rick Stein’s Café, Stein’s Fish & Chips, or spend the day at Rick’s cookery school, which offers a perfect balance of chef demonstrations and hands-on learning. As for sleeping, choose from a variety of stylish lodgings, each designed by Jill and Kate Stein, and set in charming buildings around Padstow. There are stunning rooms above The Seafood Restaurant, while the simplest can be found above the café and the most luxurious in St Edmunds House, which has oak floors, American shutters and views across the Camel Estuary. Plus, you’ll find four sunny rooms in Prospect House and a further ten in St Petroc’s. For a romantic retreat, one-bedroom Bryn cottage has estuary views and a secluded garden. Finally, for the more adventurous, six warm shepherd’s huts offer bucolic bliss.
BOOK IT:
Doubles from £183 / +44 (0)1841 532700; rickstein.com
