In the country: Culinary escapes from London

You could describe Michael Wignall’s menu at Gildleigh Park in Chagford as modern British comfort food, given the blustery Devon surroundings and hearty local ingredients. Yet the two Michelin stars he earned this year are richly deserved as he brings a deft Asian
touch to dishes (below) served on Sarah Jerath bespoke plates. 

Duck comes with sesame and chai seeds and calves’ sweetbread with coconut foam and curry oil. Pairing roe deer with nasturtium root and juniper shows the chef’s boldness for marrying ingredients and colours. Interesting wine choices include a Lebanese rosé
and an Australian Muscat. 

The hotel’s rooms, with huge showers and beguiling views over the river Teign, are simply and stylishly decked out in creams and taupe. Rooms from £250.

The restaurant at the seamlessly run Dorchester Collection’s Coworth Park in Ascot (above) is now a destination in its own right thanks to new chef Adam Smith.

Piping hot bread comes with an addictive smoked butter from France. Crab tart with Exmoor crab is angelically lifted with yuzu and the Sunday roast is chic and manageable, with lashings of horseradish and mustard offered. Wines available by the glass allow a buttery Montrachet 2011 to sink down easily, while the chocolate tart to finish proves to be exquisite accompanied by a Lang Trockenbeeranauslese. 

The rooms in the main house, designed by Fox Linton in that smart Chelsea way, include delicious Mitchell and Peach English Leaf products and sleek writing desks. It is worth earning the dinner with a swim in the low-lit pool while The Barn, the casual restaurant, is equally tempting. Rooms from £298.