The Fleece Hotel

The sprawling Middleton Lodge Estate stretches out over 200 acres and today includes this creative restaurant which sits inside the forge that once served the estate. The tasting menu – which also comes in both vegetarian and vegan forms – features seasonal produce, including some grown on the Estate, where they even harvest their own honey and birch sap. The cooking demonstrates a strong grasp of balance and flavour, with dishes that allow these local ingredients to shine like the picture-perfect Reuben blackberry and pineapple weed tart.