UK summer escapes
Looking for a short getaway where the welcome is warm, the food is fantastic and the cocktails go down a treat? These places have it all, plus some of the loveliest summer landscapes – from coast to lochs to soaring peaks
UNEXPECTED SECLUSION
Bream Cove – just a short walk down the valley but with a feel of yesteryear
*ADDITIONAL WORDS: ALAN ROSENTHAL. PHOTOGRAPHS: LEE SEARLE
CORNISH COASTAL HAVEN
Hotel Meudon, Mawnan Smith, Cornwall meudon.co.uk
WHY IT’S GREAT FOR SUMMER
Away from the holiday crowds and surfer dudes, Hotel Meudon hugs the top of a valley, folded into the softer side of Cornwall’s south coast. The gardens are lush with rare sub-tropical plants, and as you walk down the narrow cleft to the sea it’s like weaving through a mini rainforest. Step out at the bottom above Bream Cove – rocky, sandy and secluded – for a sense of privacy so rare in Cornwall at this time of year.
THE FOOD AND DRINK
Start with cocktails in Freddie’s Bar. Even if you’re a committed negroni drinker, you might be tempted to stray off-piste: perhaps by a gin-based seasonal berry shrub or (our favourite) a ‘golden sour’ – atwist on the whisky-based classic made with local Rosemullion Gold rum.
The restaurant has a Victorian conservatory vibe – monochrome floor tiles and huge windows looking towards the garden and valley. Chef Dave Waters is proudly Cornish and works closely with nearby Soul Farm’s no-dig market garden for his “produce-led” cooking. He learned about fish from his grandfather – and from ex boss Nathan Outlaw.
Menu highlights were focaccia (pillowy), and pan-fried scallops with apple and cucumber – fresh, light, elegant. The star main course was line-caught bass with a buttery, intensely flavoured crab sauce. And for pudding? Fluffy, perfectly sweet-sharp raspberry soufflé.