Inspiration

Introducing the restaurant with rooms

Sawday's Expert

5 min read

There are pubs with rooms and there are hotels with restaurants, so it was only natural that there should arise the restaurant with rooms. These are sophisticated places to eat that just so happen to have a way of saving you the drive home. That means more wine pairings, more “why not?” cheeseboards and more sitting and savouring after dinner. Here are a few where we love to dine and doze.

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Food and drink

Holm, Somerset

Holm feels like the manifestation of everything that’s great about the south west. The building, a former bank, is all beautiful yellow stone and high ceilings, with the surrounding village awash in picturesque country charm. In the kitchen, a passion for local, seasonal sourcing leads to menus that have you tasting your way around the region and loving every minute. No less care has gone into the drinks selection, which is packed with ales from nearby brewers and wines perfectly chosen to compliment the food. The team is laid-back and friendly and the whole thing combines to form a setting so perfect you’ll be glad you can wander upstairs to bed.

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The Moorings Hotel, Jersey

The perfect way to enjoy this place is to wander downstairs from your room to a Scandi-style breakfast, take a little stroll along the coast and then come back for a long, lazy lunch that’ll keep you going until dinner. The menus take a little from the owners’ love of all things Nordic and are take inspiration from all over the world, but there’s no escaping the two major influences – France and the sea. The island setting means the seafood is some of the finest and freshest you’ll come across, while simple, strong gallic flavours dominate the dishes.

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Coruisk House, Isle of Skye

If the first bite is with the eye, as they say, then you might well arrive at Coruisk House too full of beautiful landscape to eat a thing. It’s at the end of a long road out onto one of Skye’s less-travelled outcrops, with beautiful views over Loch Scavaig from Elgol harbour if you overshoot a little bit and treat yourself to a sunset appetiser before dinner. Owners Claire and Iain are passionate about food and wine. They use the finest ingredients, from wild venison and hand-dived scallops to Scottish cheeses and Drambuie and Claire bakes rich dark treacle bread that’s worth the trip alone.

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The Harper, Norfolk

Norfolk’s growing popularity as a refuge for city-tired Londoners and anyone seeking peace and natural beauty has led to the rise of a gourmet scene to rival anything in the country. As with all the best places, sourcing is impeccable and focused on highlighting the enormous variety that the county produces. You can sip a cocktail in the homely space of The Bar, before sliding over to Stanley’s for “fine dining without the frippery”. That’s also where you’ll eat a superb breakfast or you can have it delivered to your room if you fancy a lazy start to the day. You are on holiday, after all.

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The Yan, Lake District

The Yan is so very Cumbrian, in that it caters just as well to those in search of a first-class lunch as it does to those picking the mud of their hiking boots and paws before they come in to refuel. It’s a mile or so outside Grasmere, which makes it an easy walk, but enough to feel like you’ve earnt a scone. This being The Lakes though, there are many more spectacular and arduous options for the serious hiker. Whether you’re crashing in windblown from scaling peaks or driving with the top down, the family-run bistro will do you proud and rooms with views of the fells are the perfect place to sleep it off before you take to the hills again.

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Coombeshead Farm, Cornwall

You’ll pretty much have to stay here in order to try everything they make on site. The organic farm produces its own sourdough bread, ales, wines, meat, honey and much more. It means the fresh, seasonal menu can be measured in food metres rather than miles and the atmosphere, with inspiration taken from the warm, welcoming agriturismo tradition in Italy, makes it all the more enjoyable to browse and choose. Rooms upstairs are spacious and done out in classic country house style, including the delicious experience of waking to the smell of freshly baked bread.

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Christopher Wilson-Elmes

Sawday's Expert

Chris is our in-house copywriter, with a flair for turning rough notes and travel tales into enticing articles. Raised in a tiny Wiltshire village, he was desperate to travel and has backpacked all over the world. Closer to home, he finds himself happiest in the most remote and rural places he can find, preferably with a host of animals to speak to, some waves to be smashed about in and the promise of a good pint somewhere in his future.

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