A trip to Ynyshir is the foodie equivalent of the Camino de Santiago. It’s worth every second of navigating sweat-inducing corners and kamikaze pheasants you encounter as you head deeper into the Dyfi Valley, especially when chef Gareth Ward informs you that his 227-day (and counting, there’s a giant clock at the bar) aged wagyu is on the 19-course tasting menu. Unashamedly meat-obsessed, this is not the place to bring your vegan friends. Flavours here dance between Japanese and British – think: crab katsu curry and a sinfully good miso-treacle tart that replaces the butter with dripping. Full, retreat to one of the garden rooms, where rooms are devoted to raising freestanding tubs, roaring fireplaces and forest views.

The Bradley Hare is a traditional village pub with rooms, yet somehow the expensive paintwork and draped linen carries a whiff of urban cool. The pub is in the historic grounds of the Duchy of Somerset Estates, just over the county border in Wiltshire – Frome, Bruton and Longleat are all nearby. Bag a table in The Snug for a relaxed pub supper with squishy sofas and open fires. Head Chef Jake Shantos is fanatic about reducing food waste, and works tirelessly to ferment, pickle, cure or make stock with every last scrap.

Owned by British art dealer Ivor Braka, The Gunton Arms is as zany as you might expect. Rooms are bedecked with paintings by the likes of Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon, while sketches by Damien Hirst rest alongside Tracey Emin’s fluorescent creations. Each room oozes fun, creativity and a smattering of madness, while rich Persian rugs, antiques and wooden beams point to the inn’s antiquity. For supper, the fare is more simple. Produce is local and seasonal – expect venison from the park and Cromer crab caught by local fishermen – and the best seats in the house are fireside.

Midway between Stratford-upon-Avon and Chipping Norton,
Shipston-on-Stour is the kind of quaint market town that could have
inspired nursery rhymes. You’ve got a butcher, baker and a
watchmaker (call it creative licence), plus an award-winning deli
that peddles the Cotswolds’ finest produce. Add to it a
five-bedroom bolthole – situated just next door – that’s taken
interior influence from Soho House and added its own retro-chic
(Roberts radios and tiger-and-palm-print wallpaper) and you’ve got
a weekend escape fit for even the fussiest of urbanites. The Blue
Room is our pick thanks to the freestanding bath, views of the
Market Square and the drinks tray laden with local spirits.

With floral displays to rival the Chelsea Flower Show and locals selling homemade jams and pickled chutneys on every corner, it doesn’t get more quintessential than Mells. The Talbot Inn – a renovated coach house – sits right at the centre of this pastoral setting. Bedrooms are refined and calming; think four-poster beds, tweed accents and a roll-top bath. Food is hearty and long communal tables in the Coach House Grill are a gateway to local chatter. Earwig over classic Brit gastropub fare; it’s a toss up between the fennel cured Brixham hake and the Cornish pollock for dinner.

The brainchild of renowned chef, Emily Watkins (a former pupil of Heston Blumenthal), it’s unsurprising that you’ll get more than your standard pub lunch here. The well-crafted menu at this Oxfordshire staple features locally sourced British dishes and some Cotswold delicacies – the rich goat’s cheese and succulent pork are sourced just a mile or two down the road. Despite the owner’s culinary prowess and the inevitable foodie crowd it attracts, The Plough has a relaxed atmosphere, and from dachshunds to dobermanns, dogs are more than welcome (and children too). Expect bedrooms in varying shapes and sizes with pared-back decor and a hint of Laura Ashley.

An affordable alternative for city dwellers looking to drink in
that Cotswold charm, The Stump is best suited for those looking to
bed down, dig in and get out in the great outdoors – a smattering
of trails start outside its door. Bypassing typical gastropub fare,
childhood friends Baz and Fred (aka Harry Henriques and Fred Hicks)
have brought their hit stone-baked pizzas from London’s Flat Iron
Square to just outside Cirencester – though, with ingredients flown
in from Italy, plates hand-painted in Puglia and a proper
wood-fired oven, you’d be hard-pressed to guess you’re not in
Calabria. Other toppings are foraged locally or picked up from
Chedworth Farm Shop. Each of the 10 rooms has sink-in-me bathtubs,
gaping showers and a private terrace. Contemporary, comfortable and
not too-try hard is the vibe. Like this? Check out the duo’s latest
venture, The New Inn.

Taking inspiration from the surrounding chalky cliffs and acres of farmland, Hugo Guest and Olivia Chittenden run a foodie retreat with six bedrooms in the beautiful countryside of East Devon. Hugo earned his culinary stripes at The Marksman and Sorella in London, and has created a seasonal menu based around the incredible ingredients found on their doorstep. There’s more than a nod to Italian cuisine, with hand-cut pasta, hearty ragu and foraged mushrooms making a regular appearance. Home-grown veggies and edible flowers also feature on the menu, as well as the smallholding’s rare-breed livestock. Guests can enjoy tennis courts and a swimming pool in the summer months, as well as workshops and cookery classes in the on-site bakery and charcuterie room.

“Est. 1688” reads the sign of this historic coaching inn, which has been proudly serving farmers, fishermen and smugglers ever since. The menu changes weekly, but is driven by produce rather than frills; you won’t catch Head Chef Stuart Wyllie tinkering with a proper old-fashioned Sunday roast. There are 10 individually-designed bedrooms, each honouring the charm of the old building, as well as three cottages for those wanting a bit more space.

With large wooden beams, golden-hued stone and oddly shaped rooms (as to be expected of an historic building) The Old Stocks Inn is a sensitive conversion of a 17th-century building. Bespoke furniture, a brass-topped bar and free-hanging light bulbs give this Stow-on-the-Wold bolthole a modern lift, while maintaining its rustic edge. Expect luxury without the pomp and a menu that mirrors this. Food is moreish, coffee is artisan and ales are hand-crafted.

The Rose is the flake atop the Mr Whippy that is this revived
seaside town. This 200-year-old pub has been transformed with
eccentric finds (think vintage vinyl players and antique dressing
tables), Farrow & Ball-decorated walls and striking velvet
headboards. It’s an IRL Pinterest board. We’ve got our eye on Room
Four – we have a thing for its bath – but there are no thorns here.
Better still, the mod-British restaurant requires as much attention
as the rooms – rump steak, braised rabbit and roast hake often
pop-up on the menu. For breakfast? A riff on the humble bacon
sarnie, served with rhubarb jam. If The Rose’s interiors have you
feeling inspired, nip into nearby Mileage or Delpierre
Antiques.

Cobble stones, flower-filled window boxes and a smattering of Parisian elegance, this petite hotel and neighbourhood bistro is the oldest inn in the village. Wake up in a mirage of repurposed woods, mismatched patterns and gilded frames – no two rooms are alike, so pick yours with care. Post breakfast, set out for a day of countryside gallivanting, with four National Trust sites in the locale to choose from. On your return, make a beeline for the terraced garden for an idyllic evening tipple – or soak walk-weary limbs in your freestanding copper bathtub.

Once home to Virginia Woolf, Firle offers countryside splendour and village niceties. Made for a weekend of R&R, the Ram Inn – fitted with only five bedrooms – is a particularly covetable spot. Blending the contemporary and the antique, rooms are simple and clean with nothing too ornamental. Downstairs, the restaurant’s focus is on local seasonal ingredients. Lamb and beef are sourced from Place Farm and the fish comes courtesy of the village vicar, who in summer months brings back buckets of prawns and mackerels after a day spent angling. If that wasn’t quaint enough, meals are served in the converted stable room.

Perhaps one of the quirkiest hotels in London – who wouldn’t want to stay at a hotel in a gin distillery? Home to Portobello Road Gin, this unique destination offers a small number of comfortable guest rooms with retro furniture and vinyl record players, making it an ideal place to rest your head after distilling (and drinking) your own blend at The Ginstitute. Overlooking Portobello Road, its GinTonica bar and restaurant serves tapas-style small plates using the finest Spanish produce combined with seasonal ingredients.

You can’t get any more pastoral than The Duke William. Surrounded by thatched cottages and overlooked by an 18th-century church, this quintessentially Kentish pub is a lovely place to rest (and eat) between long Jane Austen-esque walks in the countryside. With low-timber ceilings, an open fire and plenty of candlelight, The Duke William ticks every proverbial box in category of “cold season getaway”. When hunger strikes, order a piping-hot pie with lashings of gravy – a surefire hit at this chef-owned spot.

Harboured in the Cotswold Hills, open fireplaces, vaulted ceilings and original wood panelling welcome you upon arrival at this cosy hotel. Steeped in history, the Lygon Inn dates back to the fourteenth century – the hotel famously served as a base for both armies during the English Civil War. Choose between The Cromwell Room, where the military leader spent the night before the legendary Battle of Worcester, and The King Charles I Suite, complete with the king’s original coat of arms. Spend your day admiring recently restored antiques, original paintings and period features, or finding true tranquillity in the Lygon Arms Spa, a peaceful sanctuary next to the hotel’s three-acre private garden. Be sure to check the guest book before departure, which has been signed by Prince Phillip, the Queen and other iconic guests included Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor who retreated here during the scandal of their affair.

Where 17th-century coaching inn meets aristocratic manor. Chef and meat-aholic Richard Turner (of Hawksmoor and Pitt Cue fame) has created a menu that’s all about cooking over an open fire. Expect large hunks of local meat and fish, expertly charred over Richard’s bespoke rotisserie and wood-fired grill. Downstairs is a warren of snugs and lounges, while upstairs in the 19 individually decorated bedrooms you’ll find exposed beams, roll-top baths and funky fabrics galore.