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Good food doesn’t need to cost the earth and can elevate a simple pub stay into an unforgettable gastro getaway.
A Scottish inn transformed by a Michelin-starred chef, a lodge in Chichester’s vineyards and a Welsh country manor are among the secret inspectors’ top-rated UK stays for foodies.
Our undercover inspectors stay at hundreds of UK hotels to bring you honest and impartial reviews you can trust.
All hotels listed here were scored four out of five stars by reviewers. We stayed at these hotels within the past two years. Prices are for a Saturday night (peak price).
Unlike all other national UK travel magazines and newspaper travel sections, Which? Travel never accepts freebies. We pay wherever we stay.
All our hotel inspections are done anonymously. We book a standard double room online, just as you would, and we sample the hotel’s facilities, just as you would.
That means no special treatment, no reviewer upgrades and no opportunity for the hotel to influence our verdict.
And no matter how bad the hotel is, we always publish the review, warts and all.
Peak price: £270
Score: Four stars
Check prices at bonniebadger.com
From the surprise chamomile cordial and lavender pillow spray I find in my room after dinner to the still-warm flapjacks at checkout, our stay is full of unexpected touches that make it feel especially welcoming. Of course, nothing is free – not when you’re staying in a historic inn given a sophisticated makeover by Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin in Scotland’s most expensive village (Gullane). The Bonnie Badger is pricey, but this is no mere pub with rooms. These are some of the most beautiful bedrooms outside of London’s Mayfair, matched only by a scene-stealing location between famous golf courses and the stunning East Lothian coast.
Rooms The 12 bedrooms, spread across the main house and garden cottages, are striking for their modern elegance. Pearl-grey walls frame custom-designed Highland Tundra wallpaper of dabbed browns and dappled yellows, while luxurious bedding from up the road in North Berwick almost sparkles white. Bathrooms are marbled, and welcome essentials such as a hairdryer, coffee machine and proper kettle are included.
Food and drink Eating in the Stables restaurant feels special too – a wood-panelled and hardwood-floor dining room with exposed rafters. The menu is Bib Gourmand-awarded (almost one-star Michelin food without the associated prices). Our pork tomahawk, served with sage and onion tortellini, was generous and buttery rich – at £36, a bargain too. Breakfast (£25pp) is cooked to order.
Our verdict Stays as special as this typically cost twice the price.
This hotel was reviewed by an inspector for the January/February 2026 issue of Which? Travel
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Peak price: £175
Score: Four stars
Check rates at The Gunton Arms
‘How the other half live,’ the affable receptionist remarks as she hangs up the phone. A guest is planning to drop in for lunch in his helicopter. Set within a thousand-acre deer park near Cromer, the Gunton Arms is a traditional gastropub with rooms – with a difference. Owner Ivor Braka, a rock ‘n’ roll Chelsea art dealer, has hung pieces from his provocative collection (which include works by Damien Hirst and Lucian Freud) in every bohemian cubbyhole. Yet, on our visit, rugby-watching locals outnumber extravagant flying visitors.
Rooms Our room in the coach house is an elegant jumble of country-house fabrics and vintage lampshades. There’s a freestanding bath and twin sinks in the huge grey-marble-tiled bathroom, with a range of local toiletries. The cheapest rooms (£135) in the main house are snapped up months in advance.
Food and drink Chef Stuart Tattersall cooks succulent, locally sourced steaks on the open fire under the fossilised skull of a 10,000-year-old elk. It’s not something you see every day. Neither are you likely to often eat a first-class full English breakfast under the neon glare of Tracey Emin’s illuminated signs, with a giant red stag peering through the window.
Our verdict Braka could have hidden his art away, but his collection – like his unpretentious inn – is accessible to all. A decadent feast for the eyes.
This hotel was reviewed by an inspector for the May 2024 issue of Which? Travel
Score: Four stars
The manicured topiary and geometric gardens of this ivy-clad manor come as a surprise amid the craggy scenery of southern Snowdonia. Located at the foot of the rocky massif of Cadair Idris, Penmaenuchaf sits at the top of a driveway that winds up through dense woodland until you’re high above Mawddach Estuary.
Rooms Recently decorated bedrooms are awash with colour and floral patterns – a playful homage to the hotel’s Victorian architecture. Our spacious, slightly mismatched superior room hasn’t had a makeover, but it makes up in comfort what it lacks in style – the rolltop bath is a treat after a hike. Request a room at the front of the house for estuary views.
Food and drink Choose between a daintily plated three-course menu in the conservatory (£76) or a casual meal in an oak-panelled lounge. We plump for the latter, tucking into local smoked trout (£10) and moreish pumpkin pesto pasta (£20). The room rate includes a cooked-to-order breakfast, such as perfectly spiced kedgeree, hollandaise-smothered eggs Benedict and a full Welsh.
Our verdict A romantic hideaway with great views and classy food.
This hotel was reviewed by an inspector for the Jul/Aug 2025 issue of Which? Travel.
Peak price: £145
Score: Four stars
This beautifully restored Grade-II-listed guesthouse feels like somewhere Gatsby might call home. The bar is a sumptuous cavern of wood panelling, fringed lampshades and retro prints in gilded frames. In the heart of the old city, Hort’s is a 10-minute walk to the harbourside.
Rooms The Roaring Twenties theme continues upstairs in our spacious boutique double, overlooking the old Guildhall – with scalloped blue velvet armchairs, marble-topped cabinets and Art Deco mirrors.
There’s an honesty bar stocked with treats, including relaxing face masks (£3.85). The complimentary homemade port and chocolates were also a nice touch. Only a few stray crumbs on the parquet floor brought us back down to earth. Book direct to request a lazy late check-out until 1pm.
Food and drink The Hort family apparently served Bristol’s first cocktails – and you’ll find plenty in the bar downstairs (from £10), alongside classic pub dishes (including a Scotch egg flight, three for £19). Our made-to-order breakfast of avocado and poached eggs on toasted sourdough was first-rate.
Our verdict An opulent 1920s city-centre bolthole at a great price.
This hotel was reviewed by an inspector for the November/December 2025 issue of Which? Travel
Peak price: £295
Score: Four stars
Check rates at Tinwood Estate
While food isn’t strictly the focus at this Chichester stay, it deserves an honourable mention due to its impressive wine offering. Tinwood Estate began as an iceberg lettuce farm. Art Tukker took over the family business in 2006 and switched to producing sparkling wines – the 275-acre plot at the foot of the South Downs has the perfect fertile chalky soil. Eight luxury raised lodges are set among the vines, with views towards the setting sun. We combined our stay with a tour (£21 and guests get a 20% discount) in the glass-fronted Tasting Room, which has chandeliers made from twinkling wine glasses. There are also walking and cycling trails (bike hire is free), and a forest-view sauna that is shaped like an oak barrel.
Rooms We stayed in the Blanc de Noir lodge, with double sinks hollowed from tree trunks and a double jacuzzi bath. The extra-large king-size bed was on theme with a headboard made from oak barrels.
Food and drink You can help yourself to any of Tinwood’s offerings from the state-of the-art wine fridge. Enjoy a bottle (from £33) on the private veranda, snuggled under the fleece blankets provided. Breakfast hampers are delivered to your doorstep each morning filled with soft-boiled eggs, croissants, fresh fruit, granola and homemade honey (Art’s wife is a beekeeper). There’s no restaurant on-site, but the self-service vineyard kitchen stocks seasonal small plates (£2 to £11) – from whipped goat’s cheese to salt-cod fishcakes. Three-course dinner hampers are also available.
Our verdict A once-in-a-lifetime vineyard stay for wine lovers; it’s just missing a restaurant on site.
This hotel was reviewed by an inspector for the September/October 2025 issue of Which? Travel
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We use an overall star rating for the hotel based on what we think you should expect for the type of accommodation (B&B, luxury hotel, etc) and price.
All our ratings strictly adhere to the following criteria:
0 stars A dreadful hotel. We wouldn't recommend staying here.
1 star A sub-standard hotel that we think is well below average in its category.
2 stars An adequate hotel that we think has room for improvement.
3 stars A solid hotel that meets our expectations.
4 stars An excellent hotel that we think is above average in its category.
5 stars An exceptional hotel that we think is among the best of its type.
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