The best UK hotels for vegetarians
10 great places where herbivores will feel right at home, according to the Good Hotel Guide
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Risotto, pasta, bean burgers... Most restaurants these days tip their hat to non-meat-eaters, but there are some where vegetarianism is positively celebrated. Here are 10 of the most vegetarian-friendly hotels from the newly published 2017 Good Hotel Guide, where veggies are as well served as their omnivorous friends.
Fischer’s at Baslow Hall, Derbyshire
A chestnut tree-lined drive leads to Susan and Max Fischer’s Edwardian manor house in landscaped gardens, including a kitchen garden to supply Michelin-starred chef Rupert Rowley with ingredients for his modern cooking. Separate vegetarian menus might include Stinking Bishop soufflé, cauliflower couscous and carrot tarte tatin. Country-style bedrooms are individually furnished. Calver Road, Baslow, Derbyshire DE45 1RR (01246 583259; fischers-baslowhall.co.uk). B&B doubles from £200.
Hipping Hall, Lancashire
Named after the hipping (stepping) stones that crossed Broken Beck that runs past the washhouse, this country house dating from 1706 has been sensitively refurbished by owner Andrew Wildsmith. Chef Oli Martin creates vibrant dishes for weekend lunches and a nightly tasting menu of six or nine courses. When you book, let them know if you want a veggie tasting menu, order à la carte from the omnivores menu, or go for the veggie options on the three-course table d’hôte (say tomato curd and green pepper, or herb gnocchi with goat’s cheese). Cowan Bridge, Kirkby Lonsdale, Lancashire LA6 2JJ(01524 271187; hippinghall.com). B&B doubles from £169.
The Forest Side, Cumbria
Percy Shelley was a vegetarian before the term was even coined. Wordsworth, Grasmere’s famous resident, was happy with a “hasty pudding” of oatmeal in brine. The Lake poets would have loved chef Kevin Tickle’s forage-to-fork philosophy at this Victorian gothic mansion. Think campfire mushroom broth, golden chanterelle and pickled onions; or confit artichoke with apple crackling. Ingredients are culled from forest and hedgerow and the hotel’s walled garden. This is another Andrew Wildsmith venture, a mansion made over in modern-rustic style. Keswick Road, Grasmere, Cumbria LA22 9RN (015394 35250; theforestside.com). B&B doubles from £209.
Hambleton Hall, Rutland
A 19th-century hunting lodge overlooking 20th-century Rutland Water, Hambleton Hall has long been run by Tim and Stefa Hart as a classy country house hotel, its intimate public rooms warmed by open fires and hung with paintings. In the smart dining room, Michelin-starred chef Aaron Patterson’s modern vegetarian dishes might include a cauliflower cheese with spiced lentils and cauliflower beignets; or beetroot terrine with horseradish sorbet. Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland. LE15 8TH (01572 756991; hambletonhall.com). B&B doubles from £270.
The Coach House at Middleton Lodge, North Yorkshire
Leave the A1 at Scotch Corner and follow a tree-lined drive to James Allison’s restaurant-with-rooms, on an estate in lovely countryside near Richmond. It’s a Georgian coach house and outbuildings around a courtyard, with a restaurant and bar where chef Gareth Rayner cooks creatively for all comers (children, vegans and vegetarians included). On the menu you could find dishes such as roast heritage carrots with orange and grains, or chargrilled broccoli and artichoke crisps. Kneeton Lane, Middleton Tyas, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 6NJ (01325 377977; middletonlodge.co.uk). B&B doubles from £165.
Northcote, Lancashire
Vegetarians are never short-changed at this hotel on the edge of the Ribble valley, where the Michelin-starred- chef patron Nigel Haworth and Lisa Goodwin-Allen devise outstanding menus using organic produce from the kitchen garden. Perhaps baked celeriac with a mushroom cigar and apples; or juniper-baked wild mushrooms en croute. Northcote Road, Langho, Blackburn, Lancashire BB6 8BE (01254 240555; northcote.com). B&B doubles from £260.
Hotel Terravina, Hampshire
Gérard and Nina Basset, he a world-class sommelier, she a former hotel inspector, created this restaurant with rooms in a Victorian villa in the New Forest. Décor is modern and sunny, the ethos uplifting. In the Napa-Valley-inspired restaurant, Gavin Barnes creates seasonal menus using local, often organic ingredients. Vegan and vegetarian options have included a salad of Hampshire beetroot, and pumpkin fondant. Just add wine! 174 Woodlands Road, Woodlands, Netley Marsh, New Forest, Hampshire SO40 7GL (02380 293784; hotelterravina.co.uk). B&B doubles from £165.
The Grand Hotel, East Sussex
A wonderfully old-fashioned, great wedding cake of a hotel, Eastbourne's Victorian Grand Hotel is not the least bit stuffy, with sea-facing, sunny public rooms and spacious bedrooms. Have tea in the Palm Court, but save space if you want dinner. The Garden Restaurant veggie menu might include lightly truffled mushroom soup or cauliflower fritters; vegan versions are available on request. King Edwards Parade, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4EQ (01323 412345; grandeastbourne.com). B&B doubles from £190.
JSW, Hampshire
Jake Saul Watkins earnt his Michelin star for his unfussy cooking of the best ingredients at this restaurant with rooms in a 17th-century coaching inn. There are three-course, three-choice menus and tasting menus for vegetarians, with vegan options. Dishes might include a goat’s cheese and shallot tarte tatin or open ravioli with fermented mushrooms and quail’s egg. And there are 900 wines to choose from. 20 Dragon Street, Petersfield, Hampshire GU31 4JJ (01730 262030; jswrestaurant.com). Doubles from £215, half board.
The Whitebrook, Monmouthshire
Chef patron Chris Harrod and his wife Kirsty run this former 17th-century drovers’ inn as an acclaimed restaurant-with-rooms. Michelin-starred Chris brings to the table skills learnt under Raymond Blanc, with fresh seasonal ingredients locally produced or foraged. Three-cornered garlic, lesser celandine, hogweed – you name it. Whitebrook, Nr Monmouth, Monmouthshire NP25 4TX (01600 860254; thewhitebrook.co.uk). Doubles from £223, half board.
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