New On The Vine Cotswolds

Formerly the Carlton Hotel and located in the chic Montpellier district of this historic spa town, Hotel du Vin Cheltenham offers 49 bedrooms and suites, all decorated in inimitable Hotel du Vin style. The wonderfully spacious public areas centred around a showpiece spiral staircase include a trademark Bistro with extensive al fresco dining, a Champagne and Grape & Grain Bar, beauty treatment rooms and private dining rooms. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, the Bistro offers a menu rooted in classic European cuisine with a contemporary edge. Here you will find ‘simple classics’ that change seasonally with head chef Michael Wilson adding his own selections daily, all supporting a philosophy of using the finest and freshest local produce, cooked simply, priced sensibly. An extensive and eclectic wine list is a key feature of the hotel. In addition to the main list, which includes an impressive array by the glass, there is a small daily selection of good-value wines to complement the menu. Head sommelier Lionel Lamadon and his team are always happy to give friendly, knowledgeable advice. Smoking is not allowed anywhere in the hotel in line with the new legislation. However, if you want to enjoy a cigar please you can make use of the newly designed Cigar Shack. ...more information

Parabola Road - Cheltenham - GL5O 3AQ - 0871 9624165

LucyCooks – The Cookery School in the Lakes is a fabulous and colourful culinary experience. Situated in Staveley Mill Yard, near Kendal in Cumbria, The Lake District, it has a fresh and vibrant approach, where you will be inspired, educated and above all entertained. Whether you're 9 or 90, LucyCooks offer a whole range of individual one day practical courses and distinctly different demonstrations, designed to suit everyone from novice to Nigella. . .a course for all reasons and all seasons. LucyCooks is part of Lucy’s of Ambleside – a fabulous foodie combination of delicatessen & mail order, café & restaurant, outside catering, wine bar & bistro and cookery school in the heart of the Lake District. ...more information

Mill Yard - Staveley - Kendal - LA8 9LR - 0871 961 4103

The Manor House Hotel is famously located in the picture perfect and unchanged medieval village of Castle Combe and the village one sees today has remained the same since the 15th century. The hotel grounds cover 365 magnificent acres of woodland, parkland and gardens and include an 18-hole golf course. The stunning 14th Century hotel has 48 individually designed rooms that include gorgeous suites housed in a row of mews cottages adjacent to the main house. Expect a pillow menu, fresh milk and warm homemade biscuits and the most amazing hand-made mattresses. The three-AA-Rosette Bybrook Restaurant takes its name from the river that winds through the grounds and is home to Richard Davies, who recently joined as head chef having come from an impressive background that includes time with Gordon Ramsay and running his own Michelin-starred restaurant. ...more information

Castle Combe - Chippenham - SN14 7HR - 0871 9615420

Three miles from Cirencester and at the gateway to the Cotswolds, the Wild Duck at Ewen is a charming family run pub that dates back to 1563. Centuries of tradition sit hand-in-glove with the latest technology with all the ensuite bedrooms at the Wild Duck fitted out with wifi internet access and a DVD player. The bar, with its deep red walls hung with old portraits, is everything you would expect from an old country pub -- roaring log fires in winter and an enclosed courtyard with a huge apple tree for al fresco dining in the summer months. The dining room is decorated in similar style with head chef Richard Mann serving a Modern British menu utilising local produce wherever possible, including organic meat from the Highgrove Estate and seafood overnighted from Brixham. A well-chosed 70-bin wine list admirably complements the cooking. ...more information

Drakes Island - Ewen - Cirencester - GL7 6BY - 0871 9606029