There’s something “thrilling” about looking down at the “perfectly plump strawberry” atop your dessert at dinner, and knowing it was picked just steps from the table, said Lizzie Frainier in The Times. Throughout the UK, you can stay in an array of beautiful places that have a kitchen garden brimming with fresh produce, from broad beans to radishes. Here’s our pick of the best.
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxfordshire
Raymond Blanc’s luxury hotel and two-Michelin-starred restaurant has “one of the most revered vegetable gardens in the world”, said The Telegraph. The two-acre plot is a “riot” of veg and herbs, spanning everything from heritage squash to Swiss chard and leeks. It’s also home to a gardening school where you can take half-day courses to learn how to grow your own herbs and prune summer fruits. Throughout the day, you’ll spot gardeners tending to the produce, as well as the “odd chef popping out” for ingredients “for the menu du jour”. Expect light, tasty dishes like garden beetroot terrine with horseradish sorbet or poached Cornish turbot with garden peas, broad beans and lemon verbena.
belmond.com
Cowley Manor, Gloucestershire
This 19th-century manor house near Cheltenham underwent an extensive refurb in 2023 to cater to a “cool young crowd”, said House & Garden. “Superstar” French designer Dorothée Meilichzon is responsible for the new interiors, and the rooms are filled with references to Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” (rumour has it that Cowley inspired his beloved children’s book). Be sure to book dinner at the grand, wood-panelled restaurant. Head chef Jackson Boxer has crafted an ever-changing menu using plenty of vegetables and herbs from the hotel’s kitchen garden.
cowlyemanorexperimental.com
Gravetye Manor, West Sussex
Once home to the revered Irish horticulture writer William Robinson, this “Elizabethan gem” is now a charming country house hotel, said Condé Nast Traveller. Head gardener Tom Coward has been overseeing the 30-acre grounds surrounding the grand manor house for over a decade. “The garden works in symbiosis with the Michelin-starred kitchen”, where head chef George Blogg builds “exquisitely beautiful” plates of food around fresh produce from the kitchen garden. After dinner, walk (or roll) upstairs to one of the “cosily comfortable” rooms. The Robinson Suite boasts sweeping views over the gardens but “the lure of the outdoors is too strong to stay inside”.
gravetyemanor.co.uk
The Newt, Somerset
Set amid apple orchards (“for all that crisp cider”) and lush green gardens, this “eco-chic” hotel is perfect for a foodie break, said House & Garden. Hadspen House is the “showstopper” – the sandstone Georgian mansion is home to a collection of “gorgeous” suites complete with marble-lined showers. Both The Garden Cafe and the Botanical Room restaurant make full use of the “extensive” kitchen garden. Highlights from the veg-focused menu include chilled courgette soup, pea risotto and a strawberry and elderflower fool. Guests can take a stroll through the tranquil gardens or opt to take one of the many courses available, from beekeeping to forest bathing.
thenewtinsomerset.com
The Black Swan at Olstead, North Yorkshire
The “details” are what make chef Tommy Banks’ tasting menu so special, said The Times. From picking strawberries just before dinner “so they retain the warmth of the day’s sun” to removing the corn from the cob just before plating to “keep its sweetness”, the utmost care has been taken over every ingredient. It’s little wonder that the passionate chef has scooped a Michelin star and four AA Rosettes. Consider booking a tour of the two-acre kitchen garden, where you’ll discover a bounty of fresh produce including red Russian kale, chives and beetroot.
blackswanoldstead.co.uk
Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
Sat Bains’ two-Michelin-starred eatery is located just outside the city centre in Nottingham but that hasn’t stopped the chef from establishing a kitchen garden. “We love it because it shows how much you can do with a smaller space, even in an urban setting,” said The Times. Dishes on the tasting menus change with the seasons, enabling Bains and his team to “show off the garden’s character”. Ingredients are used creatively: take, for example, the pelargonium leaf ice cream, which is served with honey straight from the restaurant’s beehives. If you want to make a weekend of it, book one of the “stylish” rooms for an overnight stay.
restaurantsatbains.com
Feast on seasonal produce straight from the veg patch at these country retreats
