Great Malvern Restaurant Guide

“Spectacular and panoramic views from the Malvern Hills across the Severn Valley” are a major plus at this “cosy hotel dining room”. When it comes to the victuals, one reporter cautions that “when they stick to plain stuff, it is very good but then the kitchen gets carried away and the result is sometimes disappointing”. For the most part, though, there’s nothing but praise for “chef Rob Mason’s creative dishes”, which fans say “offer pure taste delight at very reasonable prices”.

This “relaxing” brasserie on one of England’s oldest vineyards (the first vines were planted in 1973) has expanded over the years and now includes romantic, glass-walled lodges among the vines as well as bedrooms handily placed for its brasserie. The latter enjoys “great views” of the grapes, and its “tapas/small plates concept works well despite the menu not seeming to change very much (if at all!)”, with charcuterie and cheese boards sitting alongside other “fantastic” fare to help you soak up the booze – many of their own wines, of course (also available to sample on wine tours) but also ‘guest wines’ they admire. Best bit: it’s all “fairly priced”.

The black-and-white timber building dates back to 1430, but this beamed rural restaurant has operated in its current guise since 1998, and serves a straightforward, rather traditional and old-fashioned menu that’s consistently highly rated in our annual diners’ poll: “always reliably good food” with “a successful combination of flavours and complementary sauces plus good house wines; all alongside more innovative specials changed daily”.