Short summer breaks with al fresco feasts

Britain has some very beautiful countryside, so where better to relax and enjoy a picnic when the sun is shining? Here’s a selection of hotels that offer mini-breaks with something nice to eat while you’re exploring.

CAMBRIDGE

Grab a rug and head for a spot along the banks of the river Cam or on Parker’s Piece common. The Hotel du Vin’s gourmet picnic, served in a wicker basket, comes with potted shrimps and fennel salad, tomato and basil tarte tatin, salt-beef and piccalilli sandwiches, salad maison, hot smoked salmon and new potato salad, strawberries and Chantilly cream.

Rooms from £169 per night; picnic from £30 per person: 0845-365 4438, www.hotelduvin.com

GRASMERE

Grasmere is ‘the loveliest spot that man hath ever found’, according to William Wordsworth. Guests at the Wordsworth Hotel and Spa are free to enjoy their picnic of sandwiches, cold pie, fruit, fruitcake and Grasmere gingerbread in their preferred location or in the hotel’s riverside gardens.

Two-night Picnic Paradise package, available until August, with picnic lunch, four-course dinner and a sparkling afternoon cream tea, from £199 per person: 01539-435592, www.ƒhotels.com

KENT

Nestled at the foot of the North Downs in Kent, Eastwell Manor was once home to Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Alfred. The 3,000-acre estate provides plenty of picnic spots, where you can enjoy your sandwiches – smoked salmon, egg and cress, cucumber and cream cheese, ham, tomato and mustard – Scotch eggs and pork pies, lemon drizzle cake and Kentish strawberries.

Rooms from £100 per night; picnics from £25 per person. Pride of Britain Hotels: 0800-089 3929, www.prideofbritainhotels.com

ESSEX

Maison Talbooth is in an idyllic setting overlooking Dedham Vale in Essex, in the heart of Constable country. Enjoy your picnic in the hotel’s lovely grounds or in a rowing boat on the river Stour. Your feast, served in a wicker hamper, complete with picnic rug, will include smoked salmon, ham and mustard, egg mayonnaise and cucumber sandwiches, mini Scotch eggs and pork pies, strawberries and cream, local apple or pear juice – and champagne.

Rooms from £350 per night, including picnic for two on the River Stour. Valid Sunday to Thursday: 0800-089 3929, www.prideofbritainhotels.com

LONDON

Enjoy a picnic in London’s Hyde Park when you stay at the nearby Ampersand, a new boutique hotel in South Kensington. The luxury afternoon tea picnic package includes a half-bottle of champagne, savoury tartines, scones with jam and clotted cream, pastries and Victoria sponge cake.

Rooms from £204 per night. Picnics from £39.50 per person, Monday to Sunday until 30 September: 020-7589 5895, www.ampersandhotel.com

DURHAM

Celebrate a special occasion with a luxury, chauƒ eurdriven S-class Mercedes tour of the northeast coast, with lavish champagne picnic included. This special package, £995 per couple, includes three nights at the ˆ ve-star Seaham Hall on the Durham Heritage Coast; the tour takes in Holy Island, Lindisfarne, Bamburgh and Alnwick castles and Seahouses. At your chosen location, tuck into Taittinger champagne, Scotch eggs and sausage rolls, sandwiches, strawberries and clotted cream, pastries and cakes.

0191-516 1400, www.seaham-hall.co.uk

HAMPSHIRE

Chewton Glen, near the New Forest, Hampshire, is a ˆ ne country-house hotel surrounded by a wonderful landscape. Why not take your picnic – local strawberries with clotted cream, sandwiches with Hampshire beef and horseradish, other classic picnic treats and a bottle of wine and soft drinks – into the beautiful Walled Garden?

Garden Rooms from £325 per night, room only, based on two sharing; picnics from £50 per person: 01425-275341, www.relaischateaux.com

SCILLY ISLES

Beach lovers can enjoy a perfect DIY picnic on the three-quarter-mile stretch of sand at Pentle Bay, on the family-owned island of Tresco, Scilly Isles. Put together your own picnic lunch at Tresco Stores and Delicatessen, the island’s only shop, nicknamed Fortnum’s on Sea, and oƒ ering St Agnes dairy produce, Cornish meats, salami, cheeses and wines.

Stay at Sea Garden Cottages, one-bedroom cottages, from £160 per person per night, including breakfast and dinner at the Ruin Beach Cafe: 01720-422849, www.tresco.co.uk

SCOTLAND

A picnic spot overlooking the lake is the place to sit and relax at Glenapp Castle, Ballantrae, in Ayrshire. Al fresco treats include Scottish smoked salmon sandwiches, Isle of Mull Cheddar cheese and melt-in-the-mouth shortbread, a bottle of wine and soft drinks.

Rooms from £360 per night; picnics from £50 per person: 01465-831212, www.relaischateaux.com

Contact Wendy at wendy.gomersall@lady.co.uk

More for foodies

INDIAN CUISINE
TV chef Reza Mahammad is giving classes at his new cookery school, Chez Cartier, near Bordeaux in the Poitou-Charentes region of France. Reza’s 19th-century home and former distillery is the venue for classes that cost from ¤150 (around £130). Dates include 7, 10, 14, 21 and 24 August.
www.rezamahammad.co.uk

LAKESIDE IN WALES
The four-star Lake Vyrnwy Hotel and Spa in Llanwddyn, Powys, is ooffring a five-night ‘Staycation’ summer break, from £883 per couple. This includes breakfast and five-course dinner each day, a luxury champagne picnic on one day, and at least 25 per cent offƒ activities, ranging from cycle hire to sailing.
01691-870692, www.lakevyrnwy.com

GLORIOUS BREAD
Expert artisan baker Carl Shavitz is hosting a ˆfive-day Artisan Bread School at Great East Barn, Barsham, Norfolk, from 28 September. It costs from £1,675 per person, including full-board accommodation, tuition, course notes and recipes, ingredients, equipment, and an embroidered Artisan Bread School apron.
www.artisan-bread-school.com