The Plough Inn, UK Hotel

Kelmscott, UK

A weekend escape to the oh-so-English Cotswolds is a summer essential. If you’re lucky enough to see it basked in golden rays, nowhere beats this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Of course, the region is not short on boutique stays, but The Plough Inn, in the quintessential village of Kelmscott, is high up on our list. Within reach of Oxford, it’s easy to team up city and country in a single getaway. Following a jaunt around the dreaming spires, continue tracing historic steps at the former home of designer William Morris, a stone’s throw away from the 17th-century stone-brick building of The Plough. A walk through the flowering meadows and along the Thames Path is a sure way to work up an appetite back at base camp.

Start with al fresco drinks – preferably a local ale – in the leafy gardens, before tucking into hearty British pub favourites. On the menu, starters could be a delicately moreish double Gloucester soufflé, followed by pan-fried hake with generously buttered Jersey Royals or classic ale-battered haddock and chunky chips. Well-fed and watered, a retreat upstairs reveals eight cosy bedrooms between flagstone floors, creaky wooden beams and hidden nooks, plus plenty of unique touches: upcycled gym- horse benches, feather lampshades and make-you-look-twice lighting fashioned from vintage bike wheels.

Doubles from £117, including breakfast.

Words by Megan Dickson.

This article was taken from the June 2025 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.