GOURMET BOLTHOLES

GETAWAYS THAT COMBINE FINE FOOD WITH A ROOM FOR THE NIGHT ARE IN VOGUE

on the continent have been at it for decades, but until the midNoughties there was little on home soil to rival the French auberge. But as travellers put their epicurean feet forward, the restaurant scene responded. Where it was once inns providing us with postprandial beds, today it’s restaurants with rooms and retreats that offer good food. Since 2007 – when Food and Travel coined the term ‘gourmet bolthole’ – we’ve seen a staggering number of launches from chefscum-hoteliers. They sate our growing penchant for well-produced dishes using the finest seasonal ingredients with good provencance, offering bedrooms within stumbling distance of the dinner table.