The Forest Cabin on the estate
Seafood pasta made in a cooking class
Take one country-house hotel with an awardwinning chef presiding over the restaurant and you’re guaranteed a top weekend. Throw in the equally decorated friends of the award-winning chef, and you have yourself a belter. Angela Hartnett is head chef at Lime Wood Hotel, a Regency pile ringed by woodland in the New Forest. This year, she’s invited guest chefs to host dinners on her turf: night-long, communal affairs in a private dining room. Russell Norman, Michel Roux Jr and Mark Hix are up next, with dates running into autumn. If you can’t wait that long, there’s a summer festival at the hotel this month, with bands and food aplenty. There’s much to compel a visit to Lime Wood outside of its events. Spacious communal rooms with deep sofas encourage maximum lolling; the landscaped gardens warrant a lazy amble; and there’s a pool if some light activity is required. The bedrooms are reason enough to book a stay, their luxurious country-styling making them hard to leave.