Take Three: UK breaks for foodies
The UK supplies some of best regional produce in the world, not to mention a concentrated cluster of incredible chefs and enough Michelin stars. From an English country house and a French food extravaganza to the best seafood on the coast, we've cherry picked our favourite foodie stays for fans of the pinnacle of posh nosh.
Driftwood Hotel, Cornwall
Best for: seafood fanatics
Candlelit wooden verandas and panoramic sea views over the private cove make this the perfect spot to enjoy the Michelin-star food prepared of Cornwall's premier chefs. Driftwood is afood-lovers beach retreat.
Lie back in a steamer chair and feast on locally caught lobster and crab cooked by head chef Chris Eden or take the kitchen staff up on their offer of a freshly prepared picnic hamper and head for the Cornish coast or to the nearby tiny fishing village of Portscatho.
Doubles with a sea view start from £260 in low season and include dinner in the restaurant. Rustic cabins overlooking the beach are priced at £225 per night or £215 for stays of three nights or more.
The Great House, Suffolk
Best For: Historical foodies
The Great House in the medieval village of Lavenham provides fine French and English cuisine in a heritage house. Built in the 14th and 15th centuries and refurbished with an imposing Georgian façade in the 18th century, the hotel offers just five bedrooms and a restaurant serving classic French food with a modern twist.
Expect traditional French favourites including foie gras and moules as well as delectably British addictions such as Suffolk shin of smoked pork with confit caper berries and lemon sauce. The bedrooms mix brocade, beams and exposed brick with modern bathrooms and amenities.
Double rooms start at £210 for two nights while others are priced at £310 and a deluxe double costs £350. There's a two-night minimum stay for weekends and breakfast is extra.
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxford
Best for: Serious gourmands
Enchanting and luxurious, the two Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons is the quintessential gourmand's escape. With Verdant gardens, extravagant rooms, a cookery school and a softly lit foodie's dream of a restaurant, Raymond Blanc's country paradise offers the ultimate culinary experience.
This mecca of modern French cuisine makes use of a two-acre kitchen garden stocked with more than 150 varieties of vegetables and herbs and offers a selection of ridiculously pretty rooms ranging from deluxe courtyard rooms in toile de jouy and pastels to Provencal-style garden suites.
The Manoir's prices start at £635 per night including a fruit basket, madeira wine and a full breakfast. But for a full (and full-priced) foodie experience, try The Decouverte, which comes with luxury accommodation, fresh fruit, Madeira wine, a half-bottle of Le Manoir Chateaux de Boursault, breakfast and a nine-course dinner for two and will set you back £970.
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