Do you remember an inn, Miranda? Hilaire Belloc certainly remembered this Georgian coaching inn, from which he described setting out in The Four Men.

For more than 40 years, Raymond Blanc has held two Michelin stars at this beautiful country-house hotel 'and in our opinion, it's a travesty that he hasn't been awarded three', say Guide insiders.

Indulge in a Porn Star Martini in the sea-facing cocktail bar at this stuccoed, bow-fronted Georgian seafront hotel, for this is Brighton, after all – hip, tolerant and fun.

Life is attuned to nature at this country-house hotel in a Georgian mansion on a working estate. with walled garden, biodynamic farm, luxury spa, and two restaurants that celebrate seasonality and provenance.

Historic features are seamlessly blended with contemporary styling at this riverside gastropub with indoor, outdoor and waterside dining, and a menu of pub classics alongside more inventive dishes.

Made over in the Signet Collection's signature style, this country-house hotel in a picturesque South Downs village has a relaxed ambience, chic, affordable bedrooms, a boutique spa, and imaginative brasserie fare with good plant-based options.

The red-and-white candy-striped parasols outside this wisteria-swagged foodie pub with beautifully styles rooms send an irresistible message: come in, it’s fun.

In a delightful village, this 16th-century village pub, now part of the Avington Park estate with its trout fishery and leisure facilities, impresses with four beautifully presented bedrooms and some very creative dishes alongside pub grub done very well.

Just off the main street of this popular Cotswolds town, this family-run 16th-century former coaching inn is well liked for its three tasteful bedrooms, pub classics done well alongside more adventurous dishes, and an oasis garden at the rear.

Just a couple of minutes' drive from Petworth, with views over farmland to the South Downs, this gastropub has smart contemporary bedrooms and some exciting menu choices.

Long a social hub for a thriving village between the South Downs and the coast, this family-run gastropub is highly regarded for its warm welcome, smart bedrooms and a menu that mixes pub classics with more imaginative dishes.

A fine base for exploring the Chilterns, this urbane hotel is just outside a picturesque riverside village near historic houses and vineyards.

A Georgian manor house is home to a restaurant with spacious, old-fashioned bedrooms, where Frederick Forster, a former Roux Scholar, has been winning plaudits for his creative ways with locally sourced ingredients.

Overlooking the reed beds and salt marsh of Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve – a paradise for birdwatchers – this excellent restaurant with chic, individually styled rooms is praised for its cooking of local ingredients, especially fish and shellfish, and imaginative plant-based options.

Ten minutes from Henley-on-Thames, this chocolate-box-pretty, thatched gastropub has three swish, well-equipped bedrooms. The short restaurant menu mixes pub classics with more original dishes, while brunch, coffees, artisan pastries and simple cooked dishes are on offer at weekends in the barn.

A family and dog-friendly 18th-century inn with riverside gardens in the Vale of the White Horse, this is now part of Butcombe Boutique Hotels, which has refurbished the six bedrooms with botanical and Arts and Crafts wallpapers, king-size beds, vintage pieces and Bramley toiletries. Menus mix sharing plates, pub favourites and some more adventurous dishes.

Hostess Sarah Burgoyne, a Paris-trained cook, will serve a no-choice dinner by arrangement at her Georgian manor house B&B in gardens and grounds with a glamorous swimming pool, where breakfast brings new-laid eggs from the hens, and honey from the hives, and where guests are greeted with tea and cake.

East Coast America meets South Coast England at this single-storey, seaside-chic hotel with appealing room choices, fantastic locally sourced food, a spa cabin, beach yoga workshops, and a vast expanse of sands, washed by the English Channel, just over the spectacular dunes.

You can paddleboard on the river, take a yoga class, stroll to see the deer in Richmond Park, and feel a world away from central London at this smart, multifaceted Thames-side hotel.

The sixth addition to the Pig collection, this Grade I listed Jacobean mansion and former rock venue close to Canterbury has the trademark shabby-chic interiors, with bedrooms in the main house, coach house and converted barn, hop-pickers' huts in a water meadow, and a prolific kitchen garden to supply the locally sourced menus.

At the heart of some of Britain's best wine-growing country, and centred on a Georgian mansion, this Piggy has accommodation spread across the main house, stable buildings and wagons, with shabby-chic interiors inspired by a fictitious housewife named Mary, menus supplied by coast and countryside, kitchen garden and orchard, and its very own vineyard.

Pigs have foraged in the New Forest since the Norman Conquest, but a different breed arrived in 2011, when Robin Hutson took on a Georgian hunting lodge and reinvented the English country-house hotel, with a shabby-chic style mixing designer wallpapers and boot-sale finds in characterful house rooms and hideaway suites. Seasonal menus feature produce from the bountiful kitchen garden.

A former hunting lodge on the Duke of Wellington's estate, the 'Welly' is a delightful, dog-friendly gastropub with generously supplied bedrooms that are a mix of rustic chic styling and modern comforts. Impressive food using local ingredients is served in the bar, restaurant and garden.

A New Forest bolthole, this country-house hotel has an easy glamour, romantic and family-friendly rooms, heart-warming Italian food and top-notch spa.

Bedrooms are no mere afterthought at this Edwardian mock-timbered gastropub, across the road from the shingle beach, with modern artworks, many thoughtful touches, good bathrooms, a bar and buzzy restaurant serving a short menu of pub classics and more innovative dishes.

Just five minutes and a world away from Ashford International, Brad and Kristie Lomas's 17th-century manor house in an oasis garden is a fine country-house hotel and foodie destination.

Amid a wide sweep of Berkshire countryside, this thatched inn is part of the Butcombe Pubs chain, serving imaginative dishes alongside pub classics and with an interesting mix of bedrooms.

Amid historic and glorious Grade I listed lakes and woodland gardens, this Italianate mansion wins acclaim for its serenely beautiful bedrooms, and for chef Jean Delport's cooking, served theatrically in Interlude restaurant, rating both a Michelin star and Michelin green star.