The Godalming Hotel

Tucked away inside the luxurious Pennyhill Park Hotel is this little culinary oasis. The tasting menu comes in a surprise format, but you can expect top-notch produce like Brixham sea bass and Aynhoe deer to be on there. These fine ingredients are crafted into dishes that use classic combinations which have been refined and reworked in a creative modern style. Flavours, textures and temperatures show wonderful balance and there's nothing superfluous on the plate.

Taller diners may wish to duck their head as they enter this 400-year-old pub, with its low beams being a sign of the building’s characterful touches. Wood and stone floors add to the appeal, while modern furnishings blend in with the historic roots. The choice of menus offers something for everyone, from a tasting option to a good value lunch and an à la carte. Across them all is fresh seasonal produce cooked with care in unfussy preparations so the natural flavours shine through.

In this lovely 15C red-brick house, chef Ben Piette and his wife Lornette found the ideal setting for their dream project. They live upstairs and have converted the downstairs to serve their guests, but view the whole thing as part of their home. The constantly changing surprise tasting menu features plenty of local ingredients in assured dishes which have a French base. Sit at one of just a handful of tables or book “Ben’s Table” in front of the open kitchen; here you can bring in your own ingredient which he will use to create an extra course. Lornette treats guests as if they were old frien