10 of the best gourmet getaways for Christmas
Ready to ditch the Christmas dinner stress? These restaurants with rooms are ready to take you in for the festive season and do all the dirty work for you, leaving you to enjoy your seasonal holiday and figure out when to Skype the family.
10 of the best gourmet getaways for Christmas
Ready to ditch the Christmas dinner stress? These restaurants with rooms are ready to take you in for the festive season and do all the dirty work for you, leaving you to enjoy your seasonal holiday and figure out when to Skype the family.
Christmas dinner is tasty and all, but it’s not the most wonderful time of the year if you’re the one in the kitchen whilst your friends and family quaff Champagne in a sea of wrapping paper. There are loads of brilliant restaurants all over the country and most of them have rooms attached for overnight guests – so why not let them do all the cooking?
Even better, most of these restaurants do fantastic deals over the Christmas period for guests who want to wine and dine and stay overnight – you even get a good breakfast the next day to help deal with the hangover from the night before’s wine flight. So, if you fancy a festive holiday away from your freeloading uncle John, take a look at some of our favourite restaurants below – they all have fantastic overnight deals, and are ready and waiting to host your gourmet Christmas getaway.
Kinloch Lodge, Isle of Skye
If you're really looking to get away from it all this Christmas, you'll struggle to find a more beautiful, secluded retreat than Kinloch Lodge. Perched on the shores of Loch na Dal in the wilderness of Skye, this beautiful family mansion doubles as a home to Brazilian-born Marcello Tully, who uses Skye's incredible larder to produce a special Christmas feast, as well as a rustic picnic and all the mince pies you can eat.
£600 per person, three day retreat including dinner, bed and breakfast
The Goring, London
Shay Cooper’s elegant style has long marked him out as a chef to watch in the capital, and visitors to The Goring can expect outstanding classical cooking, including dishes like halibut, roast celeriac purée, chanterelles, hazelnut and truffle, or fillet of beef Wellington. The wine list is also first-rate.
£520 for dinner, bed and breakfast for two
Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
Tucked away in an industrial estate outside Nottingham, Sat Bains has made his eponymous restaurant into a British institution. Rightfully regarded as one of the best chefs in Europe, Sat’s tasting menu is a thing of utter beauty, devised and assembled with scientific precision.
£310 for dinner, bed and breakfast for two, Wednesday and Thursday only
Gidleigh Park, Devon
Michael Caines may have departed to nearby Lympstone Manor (which also does an excellent overnight deal, by the way), but Gidleigh Park has retained its two Michelin stars under Michael Wignall, confirming its status as one of the best hotel restaurants in the country.
£459 for dinner with a glass of Champagne, bed and breakfast for two
Lime Wood Hotel, Hampshire
Set in the middle of the New Forest National Park, Lime Wood is a paradise for fantastic British produce. Luke Holder’s philosophy of ‘more time sourcing, less time cooking’ is a perfect fit for Hampshire, and he produces a beautiful Italian-inspired menu that treads a careful line between simplicity and luxury.
£485 for dinner, bed and breakfast for two. Includes use of the Herb House Spa
Morston Hall, Norfolk
Morston Hall has always had an outstanding reputation for honest British cookery, holding a Michelin star and three AA rosettes for many years now. For £350, two can stay over and enjoy dinner from the set menu, a full English breakfast and homemade chocolates, but there’s plenty more to enjoy whilst you’re in the area. Galton Blackiston is a font of knowledge when it comes to food, and his cookery school is one of the best around.
£350 for dinner, bed and breakfast for two
L'Enclume, Cumbria
Forget your rambling hikes and romantic poets – Simon Rogan’s trailblazing restaurant gives food fans around the world a real reason to visit the Lake District. Simon has taught us a huge amount about provenance, sourcing most of the food at L’Enclume from his twelve-acre farm nearby (meat included).
£535 for dinner, bed and breakfast for two (breakfast is held at Simon's other Cartmel restaurant Rogan & Co)
Tyddyn Llan, Wales
If you’re planning a break in beautiful north Wales, we’d thoroughly recommend a stay at Tyddyn Llan – an idyllic country hotel on the outskirts of Snowdonia National Park. Chef Bryan Webb’s classical mastery is evident in dishes like Goosnargh duck breast, duck faggot, confit potato, cider and apples, celeriac purée, and risotto of leeks and truffles.
£560 for dinner, bed and breakfast for two over two nights, with packed lunch and afternoon tea
Hambleton Hall, Oakham
Sitting proudly on Rutland Water, Hambleton Hall has held a Michelin star since 1982, making it the longest reigning star-holder in the UK. Chef Aaron Patterson has an expert classical touch, and makes the most of locally-sourced produce to create superb seasonal tasting menus.
£560 for dinner with cocktail, bed and breakfast for two, with chocolates, flowers, seasonal fruit and scented candle
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
Under the watchful guidance of Raymond Blanc and head chef Gary Jones, Le Manoir has held two Michelin stars for thirty years now – one of very few restaurants in the world to do so. This is classic French haute cuisine at its best, so if you choose to go why not splash out? Split £1,000 with a friend or loved one and you can spend Christmas at the magnificent Manoir.
£1,000 for dinner, bed and breakfast for two, with half a bottle of Champagne
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