Leicester Leicester & East Midlands Travel Guide: Best Hotels, Restaurants & Experiences

Hambleton Hall occupies a striking peninsula position where manicured grounds sweep down to Rutland Water's shores. This Victorian property has remained under the same family's stewardship for decades, maintaining seventeen individually decorated rooms and a dining room holding one of Britain's longest-running Michelin stars. A seasonal outdoor pool, tennis court, and cycling routes suit active families, while interconnecting rooms and a pet-friendly policy add practical flexibility.

A 17th-century Jacobean hunting lodge in Northamptonshire, Flore House grants guests exclusive use of a private wing with two meticulously restored bedrooms. Twenty acres of manicured gardens unfold beyond the windows, offering space for morning walks with dogs—welcome here—or afternoon explorations with children. The intimate scale and self-contained arrangement suit families seeking country-house living without the formality of a large estate.

This Grade II listed pub occupies the centre of Medbourne, an ancient honey-stone village delivering Cotswold-like charm minus the tourist crush. The stylish interiors house nine thoughtfully appointed rooms, while the ground-floor restaurant and bar maintain serious culinary standards. A dedicated family room with bunk beds and flexible children's menus makes it particularly suited to traveling families seeking rural English character.

A 16th-century farmhouse with exposed bricks and beams provides the setting for John Sherwood's one-Michelin-starred cooking. The tasting menus draw directly from the surrounding 400-acre estate, managed by his brother Tom, yielding herbs, vegetables, fruits, and meats that shape each course. Dishes arrive with playful touches—a reinvented duck pancake among them—demonstrating genuine field-to-fork integrity.

Aaron Patterson has commanded the kitchen of this Victorian country house since 1992, earning a Michelin star for Modern British cooking that balances classical technique with contemporary precision. Perched above Rutland Water—Europe's largest reservoir—the dining room offers views as refined as the 400-bin wine list. House-baked bread from the on-site artisan bakery sets the tone for an unhurried, accomplished meal.

The orangery at Haycock Manor, a restored coaching inn, houses this bright dining room where birdcage chandeliers hang among pergolas and a faux olive tree. Tasting menus of up to eight courses reveal precise Modern British cooking—natural flavours foregrounded rather than masked. The kitchen's particular strength lies in its sauces and consommés, including a glossy duck jus of notable depth.

A stone-built village pub in unspoiled Rutland, The Olive Branch delivers comforting British classics—confit duck leg, proper fish and chips—executed with care and sourced with conviction. Vegetables arrive from the kitchen garden; local suppliers earn their place on the menu. Wooden beams, a crackling fire, and rooms across the road at Beech House complete the picture for those extending the visit.