Each with brilliant local produce, delicious winter menus, and plenty of reasons to make a weekend of it
1. Knepp Wilding Kitchen – West Sussex
Who says a Sunday roast can't help save the planet? Set within Britain's pioneering 3,500-acre rewilding project, Knepp Wilding Kitchen was among the last restaurants to receive a Michelin Green Star in 2026, before the award's retirement was announced. Here, conservation and food production go hand in hand, with slow-grown meat from the estate's free-roaming livestock and organic vegetables from its Market Garden at the heart of the menu. The adjoining Butchery makes the most of every cut, producing everything from sausages to charcuterie.
WHY GO NOW: Winter brings Sunday roasts featuring Knepp's own meat and seasonal vegetables, while Fireside Fridays offer live folk music and delicious food. After lunch, visit the Wilding Shop for some of the best Christmas gifts and produce from the estate.
2. Boys Hall, Kent
Just 35 minutes from London by train, Boys Hall is a beautifully restored 17th-century Jacobean manor and one of Kent's loveliest spots for Sunday lunch. The Michelin Key hotel has an oak-beamed restaurant championing Kentish produce, cooked over an Asado-style grill. Afterwards, head to its tiny pub for a pint or a glass of Boys Hall's own English sparkling wine, Seventeen Sovereigns.
WHY GO NOW: Six beautifully designed cabins are opening this winter, set around a new wild swimming pond and wood-fired sauna. There's also a 4,000-bottle wine cellar to explore and a Sugrue South Downs wine dinner on the 10 November, as well as Christmas wreath-making (30th Nov).
3. The Black Horse – Amberley, West Sussex
The Gladwins’ first countryside pub with rooms, The Black Horse (now recommended in the Michelin Guide), is a real homecoming for the brothers, who grew up in Sussex and have brought their Local & Wild food philosophy back to the South Downs. The kitchen champions Sussex produce, with beef, eggs, veggies and wine from the family’s Nutbourne farm and vineyard. It's a proper family affair, from what's on the plate to what's in your glass.
WHY GO NOW: There's plenty happening at The Black Horse this winter, from monthly wine supper clubs and Monday Pie & Pint nights to a Thanksgiving celebration with cowboy hat-making, a four-course feast and live country music (26 Nov). Eleven bedrooms make it easy to turn lunch into a weekend away.
4. The Swan Inn – Fittleworth, West Sussex
Tucked into the picturesque South Downs, The Swan Inn is a beautifully preserved 14th-century coaching inn, with crackling fires, low beams and centuries of artistic history. Once a favourite haunt of artists and writers, including JMW Turner, John Constable, and Rudyard Kipling, it’s now the perfect spot for seasonal British cooking and a long Sunday lunch. Don't leave without trying the legendary sticky toffee pudding, back on the menu for autumn.
WHY GO NOW: Just down the road, Petworth House is putting on a nature-inspired Christmas display from 28 November to 3 January, with festive late openings and a makers' market.
5. Inverlonan – Oban, Scotland
One of Scotland's most exciting new openings this November, Inverlonan is bringing destination dining to the shores of Loch Nell, just outside Oban. Chef Tim Kensett, formerly of The River Café and The Fife Arms, leads an intimate 24-cover restaurant where the eight-course tasting menu is cooked over wood. More than 90% of ingredients come from the estate's own organic farm, market garden, surrounding hills and Scotland's west coast waters.
WHY GO NOW: Be one of the first to stay in Inverlonan’s new landscape hotel, opening in November - with nine beautifully restored bedrooms on its 1,000-acre estate. Explore the hills, kayak on the loch or cook lunch over an open fire by day, before leaving the eight-course dinner to the kitchen by night.
6. Briar at Number One Bruton – Somerset
In the heart of Bruton, Briar has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand for its ingredient-led cooking and celebration of Somerset produce. Chef Sam Lomas champions a menu that’s firmly rooted in Somerset, with ingredients picked from its two kitchen gardens. The menu changes daily, with a focus on simple, well-cooked food and traditional techniques, such as curing, preserving, bread-making and proper English puddings.
WHY GO NOW: Make a winter weekend of it in one of Somerset's best food and culture destinations. Explore Hauser & Wirth, visit Westcombe Cheese, then return for dinner at Briar and a night at Number One Bruton, the art-filled boutique hotel with twelve individually designed bedrooms.
7. Rowan at Rothay Manor – Ambleside, Lake District
Dinner at Rowan is reason enough to make the journey to the Lake District. Led by chef Simon Ulph (formerly The Stafford and The Ledbury), Rothay Manor’s three AA Rosette restaurant celebrates the the surrounding landscape through seasonal menus featuring Lake District meat and produce from the Lyth Valley. Choose from the tasting menu, a la carte or a delicious Sunday roast (they even have their own gin!).
WHY GO NOW: Winter brings dramatic fell walks, beautiful lakeside scenery and some of Britain's best dark skies. Make Rothay Manor your base for exploring Ambleside, returning for an exceptional dinner and a night in one of its individually designed bedrooms.
8. The Rectory – Crudwell, The Cotswolds
Tucked away in the Cotswolds village of Crudwell, The Rectory is an 18th-century former rectory with a restaurant that’s worth travelling for in its own right. Under head chef Damian Clisby, the kitchen celebrates the best of the British seasons, with ingredient-led menus and classic dishes given a contemporary edge.
WHY GO NOW: The Rectory's Supper Club series offers special menus inspired by different culinary traditions throughout the year. For a winter weekend, explore the surrounding Cotswolds villages, stay overnight and head to its sister pub, The Potting Shed, for a Sunday roast before heading home.
