Eat, sleep and drink in harmony with Sophie Farrah’s favourite gastro breaks...
1. Seafood & eat it
Love seafood? Then Cornwall is a must. I was lucky enough to spend a recent weekend in the picturesque fishing port of Padstow where I stayed in a gorgeous room above Rick and Jill Stein’s renowned The Seafood Restaurant and spent the day learning how to cook lobster and crab in their nearby cookery school, overlooking the Camel Estuary. There’s no denying that Padstow is indeed ‘Padstein’ – from the swish The Seafood and Rick’s more informal café nearby, to his impressive seafood bar and neighbouring fish and chip shop, the locally landed deliciousness never ends. Treat yourself to a Food Lovers’ break, which includes a one-night B&B stay in one of Stein’s stylish Padstow properties, with a three-course dinner at The Seafood Restaurant and a hamper of tasty treats to take home.
Rooms at The Seafood Restaurant start from £165 for a double room on a B&B basis (rooms in Rick Stein’s other Padstow properties start at £125). The Food Lovers’ break starts at £356 for two people in the summer; rickstein.com
2. Pig out at the pig
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The Pig’s collection of hip country hotels have long been a hit amongst foodies, thanks to their picturesque kitchen gardens from which nearly everything on the menu is sourced. The newest addition to the piggy litter is just outside Canterbury in Kent. The Pig-at Bridge Place is a large red brick building with a rock-n-roll past and plenty of period features, plus gorgeous bedrooms, family-friendly lodges, and unique Kentish Hop Pickers’ Huts that sit on stilts alongside a river in the grounds. The menu revolves entirely around seasonal produce, and what the hotel can’t grow or rear itself it sources locally, creating what it describes as a ‘25-mile menu’. Until the end of this month, you can experience ‘the whole hog’ at either The Pig-near Bath or The Pig-at Combe in Devon with the Veg & Bed break, which includes a three-course dinner, b&b.
The Pig at Bridge Place opens the end of May. Room rates start from £145 for a Cosy Room (room only). Veg & Bed available Mon-Thurs until June 27; thepighotel.com
3. Country pursuits
The new(ish) and exceedingly cool Heckfield Place is the place to be seen this summer, especially after Harry and Megan were recently said to have babymooned there. Nestled in Hampshire countryside, this eco-friendly estate and Georgian family home have been meticulously restored and now offer beautiful rooms and delicious food. Renowned chef Skye Gyngell (of Petersham Nurseries and Spring fame) is responsible for the hotel’s two impressive restaurants, Marle which uses produce sourced from the hotel’s farm and gardens (you can sign up for a tour of the farm while you’re there), and Hearth which specialises in fireside cooking, where a five-course flame-grilled tasting menu is cooked in front of you on an open fire. Pre or post dinner, head to the Moon Bar for imaginative cocktails inspired by the lunar phases, naturally...
Room rates start from £350 for a ‘Friends’ double room on a B&B basis; heckfieldplace.com
4. Be a new forest foodie
A stay at chic, five-star New Forest hotel Lime Wood is a must for any gastronome. The hotel’s restaurant, Hartnett Holder & Co, is run by one of the most high-profile female chefs in the restaurant world, Angela Hartnett, and Luke Holder, who together create locally sourced Italian-inspired dishes with a pleasing nod to the seasons. Head behind the kitchen scenes with cookery school chef Iain and learn how to cook the ultimate Long Italian Lunch, featuring some of Angela’s famous recipes, before swimming off the tiramisu in the hotel’s luxurious Herb House spa.
From £395 per night (room only). Long Italian Lunch class. June 19 & July 31, £195pp; limewoodhotel.co.uk
5. Georgian splendour
Tucked in the middle of the world-famous Georgian terraced row is The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa – the only landmark building in the world that you can stay in. The décor oozes Georgian splendour and modern elegance in equal measure, whilst the hotel’s three AA rosette award-winning Dower House restaurant is overseen by the England rugby team’s former head chef David Campbell. The tasting menu is an unforgettable treat, as is the vast wine list, and in the summer months, all meals can be enjoyed al fresco in the hotel’s beautiful gardens. The hotel’s Indulge Your Senses Diner’s Delight package is a must for foodies, as it includes not only a two-night stay but pre-dinner canapés with a glass of Taittinger Champagne, a six-course tasting menu, afternoon tea, and a full English breakfast on both mornings. Best to arrive hungry…
Room rates start from £330 for a Double Deluxe room on a B&B basis. The Diner’s Delight package starts at £415 per room per night; royalcrescent.co.uk
OTHER TASTY TRIPS
- Stay at Raymond Blanc’s two Michelin star Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire.
- Expect stylish farmhouse bedrooms and freshly foraged fare at North Cornwall’s Coombeshead Farm, created by chef Tom Adams (of Pitt Cue) and April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig in New York.
- The Anchor Inn is multiple award-winning gastropub on the beach in Dorset, with three boutique bedrooms.
- The Big Feastival returns to Alex James of Blur fame’s Cotswolds farm over August Bank Holiday weekend – a three-day feast of music, family fun and plenty of food.
