The Hand and Flowers Bucks

With such an eminently excellent chef like Tom Kerridge at the helm, any experience in this two-star Michelin pub in Marlow is worth making a night of. As the first two-star pub in the world, it draws diners from around the globe who ask ‘how on earth can pub grub be worthy of such an accolade?’ The answer, as they always find, is in Kerridge’s attention to detail and his ability to make seriously technical food look unfussy and unpretentious.

Making your way into the restaurant, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve stumbled across any quality restaurant in the Home Counties: exposed-brick walls, dark-leather banquettes and linen-free tables create a relaxed atmosphere and allow you to appreciate the food. A glazed omelette of smoked haddock and parmesan is a light-as-cloud take on an omelette Arnold Bennett; the towering height a testament to head chef Aaron Muliss’s skill. Mains here aren’t cheap – half a beer-roast chicken comes in at £33 – but the prices reflect the level of technique in the dish. Tenderloin of Wiltshire pork with pickled cabbage, garlic sausage and malted-cheek beignet is utterly delicious: smoke, acidity and deeply-flavoured meat working in harmony.

In terms of rooms, five star wouldn’t do it justice. All eight suites are individually styled by Kerridge’s wife Beth, an acclaimed sculptor herself, and her artistry comes through in their design. The marquee Angus suite it kitted out with a hot tub on the terrace, is dog friendly and, although cosy, is the perfect place to wind down after a classical Kerridge four-courser.

36 on The Quay Hampshire

After nearly 20 great years under the stewardship of owner Ramon Farthing, 36 on the Quay’s new head chef Gary Pearce is making waves. His modern style showcases preservation, foraging and offal – it couldn’t be more in vogue if it tried. From both your table and your bedroom, you can see fishermen on their boats, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that seafood, from bream and fresh crab to sandwort and sea asters, still furnishes much of the menu. Sea buckthorn even sneaks into the desserts, filling the centre of a rich dark chocolate delice served with burnt butter ice cream. The meat dishes of veal sweetbreads and squab are standout. As for wine, there are more than 250 labels to choose from. Splash out on an eight-course tasting menu to experience both land and sea, then wander upstairs to sink into a reverie as the harbour stretches out before you.

The Three Chimneys Isle of Skye

For anyone who has eaten out ‘high-end’ in Scotland, you will be well aware that ‘posh’ north of the border can mean ‘stuffy’. Not so on the Isle of Skye, where The Three Chimneys champions a modern ethos and lightness of touch to rival any European gastronomic heartland. The locals and those visiting the remote Scottish outpost have Eddie and Shirley Spear to thank. The couple bought the hotel restaurant in 1984 with a view to simply celebrating the area’s produce in a setting that looks good, but doesn’t detract from the island’s natural beauty.

The restaurant at Colbost, near Dunvegan, is an original 18th- century stone crofthouse and has become a dining destination thanks to the owners’ hard work and, of course, the bounty of local produce. Some of the world’s best shellfish – crabs, lobsters and langoustines – breed in these icy, free-flowing waters and head chef Scott Davies (who came second in MasterChef: The Professionals) sees no need to over blow his dishes with excessive technique or unnecessary elements that might crowd the dish. When ingredients are as good as this, there’s simply no need. His Dunvegan crab starter comes with local radish leaves, the Carbost Bay oyster with a tempura batter and a pot-roasted wood pigeon with a typically Scottish black pudding crumb. The theme continues at main with Soay lamb, Gigha halibut and local salt-baked beetroot. Nearly every ingredient on the menu comes from within a two-mile radius of the property, so – while it is often overused as a cliché – this really is Scotland on a plate.

Six rooms are available, each individual and pared back in their design. A muted grey colour palette perfectly complements the rolling countryside outside, which is accessible from patio doors and absolutely begging to be explored. Sprawling forests buffer the property and staff are only too happy to suggest routes and wildlife trails to explore, so bring your hiking boots. With Skye being accessible from mainland Scotland via a bridge, unlike some of its Inner Hebridian counterparts, it makes the ideal end point for a road trip that will certainly not disappoint.

The Pipe and Glass Yorkshire

Gastropub has become a dirty word. The once fashionable term is now applied to every village pub serving food and is never an indication of quality. Indeed, it would be wrong to tarnish The Pipe and Glass as such. This 15th-century coaching inn on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds is, above all, a friendly local. Pull up a bar stool and wash down a seared fillet steak sandwich with a house pint of Yorkshire Nectar. Brewed with Yorkshire Honey, this golden beer was developed by owner James Mackenzie and old friend Andrew Pern, of the Star Inn at Harome. The restaurant has been Michelin starred since 2010. The strength lies in hearty roasted dishes of pork loin, rump of lamb, and guinea fowl that arrive with aromas of wild garlic, moreish crackling, and shimmering cider gravy. Rooms are decorated with bright colours and each has its own themed herb garden. Round it off with breakfast in bed, picking from butcher James White’s sausages, South Dalton chorizo and eggs or salmon from local Staal Smokehouse.

Rocksalt Kent

The Kent coastal town of Folkestone is Whitstable in waiting. While the oyster-catching town on the north of the Kent peninsula has been attracting the DFLs by the carriage load for decades, Folkestone – 32km due south – has been quietly going about its business, developing a formidable dining scene.

One of the early adopters here was Mark Sargeant, one-time first mate on the good ship Gordon Ramsay, who opened Rocksalt in 2011 in a down-at-heel marina in the heart of the seaside resort. When the beautifully designed restaurant slid open its vast panoramic doors, it improved the town’s cachet and culinary credentials no end. Sargeant majors in the excellent-quality seafood that laps his restaurant’s terrace (why would you do anything else?) and serves it in a wonderfully traditional manner. Think tankards of prawns, potted Dungeness shrimp, dressed crabs and baked mussels by the bucket-load. Order a vast platter on the terrace on a summer’s day with a reasonably-priced rosé and you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in Provence. The menu also features some of Kent’s finest free-range livestock. The pork tenderloin Wellington with caramelised apple and watercress works brilliantly well, while braised ox cheek with peppered swede and pickled chanterelles are equally delicious. The four excellent-value rooms are super stylish, harking to a Manhattan-esque design ethos, with raw brickwork walls, minimalist exposed light fixtures and ivory-white linen. If you’re making a night of it, take a stroll along the promenade to Sargeant’s chippy, The Smokehouse, and order a huge portion of haddock to savour as the fishing boats glide back in along the estuary.

The Cottage in the Wood Cumbria

There’s a real sense of reward arriving at The Cottage in the Wood. Reward, and also slight relief. The hotel restaurant is accessed by a series of twisting roads as you ascend through the Cumbiran Skiddaw mountain, but on arrival it all becomes worthwhile. You’re given stunning views, a warm welcome and the sense that your dinner will be one of the best you’re ever likely to have.

Set in the Whinlatter forest near Keswick, competition for quality cooking is plentiful around here, though head chef Chris Archer stands up perfectly well against some of his better-known neighbours. He doesn’t shy away from modern techniques, though, and always uses regional produce at his plates’ core. Heritage beetroot comes with local goats’ curd and Yorkshire rhubarb, while a terrine of smoked duck is accompanied by the bold and interesting combination of apricot, pistachio and vanilla. At main, local farmer Tony Cresswell’s Lorton Lop pigs are beautifully celebrated in choucroute, a rustic German-style dish with black pudding. Archer’s desserts are modern twists on classics. An ‘arctic roll’ is like nothing you might have received at an Eighties dinner party, teamed with figs, green tea and lime. The rooms on offer match his food perfectly. They’re achingly ultra modern, with high-spec bathrooms (think mood showers and roll-top baths) and decor that wouldn’t look out of place in Europe’s most modish hotels.

Jabajak Pembrokeshire

Peering at a map on the hairpin bends of west Wales, on your approach to Jabajak you might spot a man cruising by on a tractor, chickens flapping, and a woman pruning vines in the distance. For a countryside weekend, it could all seem a bit Enid Blyton. Except that what awaits you is an oenophile’s dream – a droving farm turned promising winery with seasonal dishes and rustic rooms with carved wooden beds so you can fill your glass. After eight years in the making, the first house wine was harvested in 2014 and this summer they’ll welcome the latest sparkling Welsh Blush. This crisp vintage is made with handpicked seyval and phoenix grapes grown on the estate’s southern-facing slopes. Pop the corks; the Welsh terroir is something to celebrate.

Housed in the original farm buildings, the ground floor bistro is sat among dozens of wine racks while The Nook is a table for two tucked under the eaves. With near to 290km of coastal paths and extensive countryside, it’s no surprise that foraged herbs and edible flowers (think nasturtiums and dandelions) feature prominently on the menu. Cress and samphire can be found along the coast, while the hedgerows are filled with wild garlic, nettles and elderflowers. Local farmers supply meats, and there’s an on- site smoker to give dishes like seared duck fillet a lasting earthy flavour. As you would expect, the small boutique wine list is top.