Clayton’s Kitchen
Another of Bath’s flexi-dining rooms – both a café for casual salads and three-course restaurant –Clayton’s Kitchen perfectly embodies Bath’s farm-to-fork culture. Chef Robert Clayton puts his Michelin pedigree to good use in this buttoned-down, seared scallops and Ploughman’s kind of establishment. Earthy, unfussy interiors indicate the ethos behind the menu, which is full of freshly caught fish and local Somerset produce. Make a turn off noisy George Street and sit downfor a Penrhos Apple and Elderflower gin cocktail under the blue awning. Or settle in for the long haul, and order mushroom risotto with Wyfe of Bath cheese and truffle or honey roasted duck with dauphinoise potatoes, washed down with Woodchester Valley white wine and La Fleur d’Or Sauternes port.
Root, Bath
Following the triumph of its Bristol and Wells, vegetable-led restaurants, Josh and Holly Eggleton’s Pony Restaurant Group (and co-patrons Rob Howell and Meg Oaakley-Howell) have swiped up the former Jamie’s Italian site off Milsom Place in the shiny, newly-opened Shires Yard. Unlike the topsy-turvy city shells that the majority of Bath’s provenance-first chefs have clambered into, Root occupies two vast, light-filled floors with heart-tugging views over Bath’s limestone antiquity, and its own rooftop terrace (a prime summer cocktail spot). Upstairs mustard banquette seating and green, earthy shades evoke the restaurant’s main mission – to confound even the most carnivorous with clever, wildly tasty dishes such as celeriac pastrami with bread and butter pickles and a caper salsa, and an oyster mushroom and pickled onion skewer dunked in tahini yoghurt. Those who’ve scoffed at their Wells or Bristol joints will know to linger for their donut balls dipped in carrot jam, and a kitchen-garden-inclined cocktail or two at the easy-going bar downstairs.
Where to stay
The Yard in Bath
This small-but-chic hotel is typical of the tastefully refurbished guesthouses and B&Bs that are springing up across the city. Aside from their carefully choreographed interiors and lo-fi aesthetic approach, these hotels all share a strong sense of character, with the owners sitting front and centre. The owners of The Yard’s brought an 18th-century Coaching Inn back to life, though in the form of a pared down oasis with rattan rugs and botanical wallpaper. Bath’s big hitters such as the Roman Baths, the Circus and the Royal Crescent are only a short walk away, and so are many cafes, boutiques and galleries. But guests would be forgiven for flunking a day of museums to read a book with a coffee in The Yard’s courtyard, where green chairs immediately recall those strewn across the Tuileries in Paris.
No. 15 by GuestHouse, Bath
GuestHouse Hotels have worked their lauded design magic on this listed Bath townhouse, preserving its Georgian good looks while adorning it with kooky murals, playful chandeliers and restrained, understated tones worlds away from that 18th century pomp. It’s your classic grand-boned, centrally-located stay with all the modcons and head-turning art. Guests pootle around in expensive trainers and velvet loafers, listening to vinyl and relaxing over the surprisingly good coffee and just-baked brownies from the pantry. Filled to the brim with antiquity from a day perusing Bath’s treasures, a more modern menu of sage gnocchi, Wyfe of Bath cheese soufflé and Somerset steak is a welcome antidote. Afternoon tea swings back to the Georgian side of things, with polished silver tea pots and scones lathered in West Country cream laid out in the cosy bar area.
The Pig Near Bath
Famous for reviving frazzled, post-Glastonbury A-listers and Londoners in need of a wholesome, foodie escape, The Pig Near Bath still delivers the winning weekender formula a decade on from opening. The wisteria-browed Georgian beauty sits in the mist-strewn folds of the Mendips (twenty minutes from Bath), its chefs eyeing up the abundant walled garden bounty and surrounding farm produce for every-changing, best-of-Somerset menus and its guests, visibly relaxed with Plum Root or Elderflower Foragers Fizz cocktails in hand. Decor is vibey Victoriana – period shades, antlers and antiques galore, just without the formalities of a stiff country abode. No, it’s more heels-on-ottoman, breakfast-in-trainers territory, with artisanally-inclined larders for unmonitored scoffing and large rooms, many of which are crowned by enormous, claw-footed tubs (the two new stable rooms have seized on a cosy cottage aesthetic with all the deep armchair and exposed brick charm – emulating a rental with all the Piggy pampering right outside the barn-style doors).
The Royal Crescent
The Royal Crescent is unapologetically traditional with all the chintz, pomp and plump pillows you’d expect from a hotel that proudly promotes its Georgian heritage. Yes, there are the busts, the cantilevered staircases, the orchids and plush, cushioned headboards, but the main event here are the afternoon teas: a theatrical affair of ritualised precision and conversation-stopping cakes. After a day out in the town, guests can wrap themselves in robes and make for the Spa & Bath House, where massages are followed by a dip in the indoor relaxation pool or a pootle around the pretty walled garden. The hotel is set along Bath’s most famous crescent, with hotel rooms peering over the manicured Victoria Park and the city centre a picturesque 10-minute stroll away.
No. 15 Great Pulteney
The Guest House Group have worked their lauded magic on this listed townhouse, preserving its Georgian soul while adorning it with kooky murals, playful chandeliers and restrained, understated tones that are a far cry from 18th century opulence. No.15 Great Pulteney’s blend of new and old is clever – emphasising the building’s grand bones while thrusting it into the 21st century. Guests pootle around in expensive trainers and velvet loafers, listening to vinyls and relaxing over the surprisingly good coffee and just-baked brownies from the pantry. Filled to the brim with antiquity from a day perusing Bath’s treasures, a more modern, menu of sage gnocchi, Wyfe of Bath cheese soufflé and Somerset steak is a welcome antidote. Afternoon tea swings back to the Georgian side of things, with polished silver tea pots and scones lathered in West Country cream laid out in the cosy bar area.
