The Holcombe Hotel

Somerset

A speck of a destination in the Mendips of Somerset, Holcombe epitomises all that’s good about an English village stay, and not just because it appeared in TV’s Poldark. Dating back beyond the Domesday Book – when its eight houses made it one of the smallest places recorded, The Holcombe snuggles into the countryside, bringing tasteful five-star luxury and a seasonal menu fed from not only the best local farms, but also its own kitchen garden. Ducks from Beech Ridge Farm are cooked up with beetroot and orange purée, braised chicory; there’s a ‘polytunnel salad’ showcasing their own larder; cheeses come from the likes of Bruton; and sirloins served with red onion purée, roasted and sweet and sour shallots, are also Somerset-born. Sundowners – cocktails, English sparklers or local craft ales – are naturally taken on the terrace overlooking the nearby abbey. There are eight non-fussy, elegant rooms plus three lodges, two of which welcome four-legged friends (you’re sure to bump into the owners’ dog, Truffles).

Just in case you want something more active than a potter around the village and the medieval Old Church – once known as ‘plague church’ – you can arrange to have tennis lessons or just a casual hit at nearby courts.

Doubles from £160, 01761 232478, theholcombe.com

Words by Alex Mead

This review is from the April 2022 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.