The Pheasant Inn Hotel

Hungerford, Berkshire

For anyone who’s ever had a hankering to step into the pages of a Jilly Cooper novel, this makes an ideal getaway. Surrounded by the bucolic Berkshire Downs, yet just moments from the M4, the inn’s ‘Valley of the Racehorse’ setting ticks all the boxes for an easy escape from the Big Smoke. Eleven guestrooms artfully blend comfort and style, though, frankly, Andy Watts’s modern British menu is reason to visit in itself. Whether in pub classics or in dishes that reflect the chef’s stints in the likes of Tomos Parry’s Cornerstone, the food shines. A goat’s cheese mousse is a Michelin-star-worthy triumph, while a sharing tarte tatin might not be the choice of a pre-race jockey, but is heaven for those not facing a weigh-in. We will be galloping back. Doubles from £115. thepheasant-inn.co.uk

Words by Julie Alpine.

This review was taken from the May 2020 issue of Food and Travel.

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