Last Updated on October 22, 2026

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A luxurious Cotswold stay with Michelin-starred dining, a cosy village pub and plenty to explore

There are some hotels where you arrive, check in and immediately start thinking about dinner. The Manor House in Castle Combe is one of them. In fact, with a Michelin-starred restaurant, a historic village on the doorstep and 365 acres of grounds to explore and a golf course, you could quite easily spend the entire weekend here and not get bored.

Our journey to Castle Combe took us down the M4 and through the rolling countryside of Wiltshire. As we got closer the roads narrowed and the infamous honey-coloured stone cottages began to appear. Castle Combe has a reputation for being one of England’s prettiest villages, and it’s easy to see why. The medieval Market Cross, quaint cottages and winding lanes feel incredibly picturesque.

At the heart of it all is The Manor House, a 14th-century country house hotel with its own Italian gardens, extensive grounds and an 18-hole championship golf course.

There was something wonderfully old-fashioned about arriving here. Firstly, there was a huge crowd gathered at the entrance gate. At first, we thought there was some filming taking place but then we realised it was simply the waiting point for the Bridgerton tour bus. Although Bridgerton wasn’t filmed here, Castle Combe forms part of the route from Bath. We did feel rather grand driving through those enormous, wrought iron gates to wide eyed stares.

We felt at home right away. There is a cosy lounge with a large fireplace, plush sofas, a row of wellie boots of all sizes and a giant umbrella stand. As tempting as it was to flop on the sofa, it was too nice a day outside and so we headed to the courtyard to enjoy the bottle of fizz that had been left in our room. As we admired the planting and plotted ideas of how to incorporate plants we liked in our tiny garden back home, we were gently interrupted by a suited and booted butler type shadow. He very politely reminded us of our dinner reservation.

Ah yes. The main reason for coming all this way.

Michelin-starred dining at Bybrook

Bybrook is The Manor House’s Michelin-starred restaurant, and it has held its star since 2017. Executive chef Robert Potter is particularly focused on seasonality and local produce, with ingredients regularly harvested from the hotel’s kitchen garden and orchard. It had clearly been a hot summer for the garden but it still looked absolutely beautiful to me in its fading glory.

The restaurant itself is a peaceful setting for fine dining. The exposed brickwork, timber rafters, soft fabrics and warm, traditional country-house details make it feel luxurious without being intimidating. This isn’t a stark, minimalist dining room where the food has to do all the work. It is a room that feels incredibly connected to the building and its history in a modern way.

We settled in for the tasting menu and treated ourselves to the drink pairing. I love learning about flavour through the eyes and tastebuds of the sommelier as much as I love the creativity of the food. I would highly recommend this particular tasting flight as it was a wonderful blend of wine, beer and spirits.

We started with canapes – Sashimi prawns with finger lime and white kombu, beetroot meringue with Driftwood goat’s cheese and pickled shallot and my favourite – a trout croustade topped with its roe.

It was easy to see the balance between technical precision and recognisable ingredients. I am not a fan of trying to work out what exactly I’m eating. There is of course plenty of skill involved but the food isn’t simply designed to demonstrate technique and I appreciated that.

Next came native lobster with Isle of Wight tomatoes and garden herbs and Peterhead cod with Porthilly mussel-courgette-seaweed butter. Every single mouthful was precision. The intentional use of British ingredients brought a very strong sense of place in the cooking. That connection between the garden, kitchen, curated supplier list and the dining room gave the food a sense of summer.

Then came my most favourite dish of all. Heritage potato, kohlrabi, girolles and a Fenton Farm egg. A humble-ish description but I would go so far as to say this is perhaps the most flavourful potato dish I have ever eaten. I savoured that one for a good long while. It was absolutely perfect and I wish they would put it on the breakfast menu so I could have had it all over again.

Dessert is where the seasonality ended. Passion fruit and coconut. It was an absolutely delicious mouthful but I would have preferred something that continued to pay homage to summer in England.

The meal was unhurried, which is exactly what I want from this kind of country house escape. There is time between courses to talk, to look around, to appreciate the room and, importantly, to actually taste what is in front of you.

The service was polished but friendly and relaxed, with the front of house team happy to talk us through the dishes without turning every course into a big lecture. I was however a bit disappointed not to have met Chef or his team. This is one of my favourite parts of a creative menu like this and I was sad to have not had the chance to express my thanks and awe in person.

It is also worth mentioning that Bybrook isn’t simply a restaurant for hotel guests. It is very much a destination in its own right, and if you are coming specifically for the food, there is the option of making a night of it with one of The Manor House’s dine-and-stay packages.

We finished our evening with a round of chess in the lounge and a nightcap with our petit fours.

A more relaxed lunch at The Castle Inn

The following day, the weather had completely turned, and the rain was not giving any signs of abating. Nonetheless, the countryside was too gorgeous to ignore, and we began one of the walks recommended by the hotel, through the golf course, along the meadows and back towards the village. We arrived absolutely sodden for our lunch booking at The Castle Inn, which is also part of The Manor House.

The menu is just right and contains all the pub classics you’d want. We settled for a Ploughman’s and fish and chips. It was all very hearty and wholesome. Just what we needed as we tried to remember sitting in the spot outside our window, basking in the hot sunshine around the same time just the day before. Thank goodness for those wellie boots and umbrellas!

The pub is a completely different proposition to Bybrook, and that is part of the appeal. You don’t necessarily want every meal on a country house weekend to involve multiple courses and carefully matched wines. Sometimes you just want a proper pub atmosphere, a comfy chair and something deliciously uncomplicated.

Exploring Castle Combe and beyond

The grounds are so vast at The Manor House is that you don’t have to plan a to do list at all. Start by walking around Castle Combe itself. The village is rather tiny, but it merits a slow wander. Try not to be a complete tourist and take selfies outside the stone cottages but do support the local church with a donation and have a coffee or ice cream at the twee shop.

If you want to venture further, there is plenty within easy reach.

Lacock is an obvious choice for anyone interested in history, architecture or film. The National Trust village has barely changed over the centuries, with timber-framed buildings and historic cottages lining its streets. Lacock Abbey has an 800-year history, evolving from Augustinian abbey to Tudor home, while the Fox Talbot Museum celebrates William Henry Fox Talbot and his contribution to the invention of photography. The village has also appeared in Downton Abbey, Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter.

For gardens and the great outdoors, Bowood House and Gardens is a fabulous option. The estate combines a historic house with formal gardens, woodland, an arboretum, lake and cascade, making it an easy way to spend a few hours outside.

And then there is Bath, which is close enough to make a day trip if you want to combine your country escape with some Roman history, Georgian architecture, museums and shopping.

However, I wouldn’t feel obliged to pack too much into a stay here. There is something to be said for simply walking around the grounds, finding a quiet corner, and settling down with a book. Let someone else worry about dinner. The Manor House makes that particularly easy because the food is good enough to provide the focus of a stay, while the setting gives you plenty of reasons to slow down between meals.

I loved the grandeur of a historic country house, the charm of one of the Cotswolds’ most photogenic villages –especially on the sunny first day of our stay but it was also very magical in the rain. Bybrook gives the weekend a culinary high point and The Castle Inn provides a relaxed counterpoint. All in all this is a pretty good combination for a country house weekend.

The Manor House
Castle Combe, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 7HX
01249 782206

Bybrook is open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday, with tables from 6pm to 8.30pm.

Disclosure: Our writer was hosted by The Exclusive Hotel Group for a one-night stay including meals but not drinks at Bybrook.

For more country breaks, try Matfen Hall: Magnificent Country House Hotel, Seaham Hall – A Luxury Coastal Spa Retreat, Culinary Weekend at Lainston House near Winchester, A Luxurious Culinary Weekend at South Lodge Hotel, Horsham