31 restaurants to book now for Mother's Day 2025 | Where To Eat

Angela's of Margate

Margate, Kent ££

There’s a general air of warm-heartedness and good humour at Lee Coad's and Charlotte Forsdike's sought-after restaurant. It comes across as a genuine local, refreshingly free of affectation and resolutely faithful to its se… Read more

21 The Parade, Margate, Kent CT9 1EX

Argoe

Newlyn, Cornwall ££

If you’re looking for the freshest Cornish seafood, treated with simplicity and culinary intelligence, look no further than this purpose-built, wood-clad building overlooking Newlyn’s picturesque harbour, just a few st… Read more

The Strand, Newlyn, Cornwall TR18 5HW

Best Local Restaurant

Belzan

Liverpool, Merseyside ££

An abidingly popular neighbourhood spot in the Wavertree district of Liverpool, Belzan is the very image of a modern bistro, with its comfortable banquettes against whitewashed bare brick and high shelves crowded with empty bottle… Read more

371 Smithdown Road, Liverpool, Merseyside L15 3JJ

MEMBER PERK

Cedar Tree by Hrishikesh Desai

Brampton , Cumbria ££££

* Desai is launching a 10-seater chef's table (aka Hrishi's Table), which will serve a 16-course taster utilising produce from Farlam Hall's kitchen garden alongside matching wines. * Built of Lakeland stone and with architectura… Read more

* Desai is launching a 10-seater chef's table (aka Hrishi's Table), which will serve a 16-course taster utilising produce from Farlam Hall's kitchen garden alongside matching wines. *

Built of Lakeland stone and with architectural roots dating back to the 15th century, Farlam Hall’s fortunes were once closely entwined with the Cumbrian coal-mining industry. It's a country house on the human scale, with gardens to wander in and bright interiors that owe nothing to sickly chintz, while the Cedar Tree restaurant puts Farlam in the first rank of regional cooking in the UK. Hrishikesh Desai, formerly at The Gilpin, Windermere, is an accomplished and energetically inventive chef brimming with smart ideas. Appetisers include fragile tartlets of peanut and coriander tartare with cauliflower and coconut foam – a whole world of flavours in a mouthful. Desai’s gastronomic signature is the artful incorporation of Indian nuances and seasonings into contemporary western cooking: a serving of red and golden beetroot fresh from the garden, for example, comes with thick, chilled beetroot rasam (a South Indian soup) as well as apple and ginger chutney and coconut bavarois. Dishes often match great flavour impact with astonishing delicacy of technique: a piece of salmon is very slowly poached, and then supported by salmon rillettes and a gently herbed and spiced garden gazpacho, while cured hake in a subliminally light batter comes with roasted pineapple topped with lemon mayo and caviar for a wondrous combination. That sense of travelling around the plate, encountering new surprises at every turn, also illuminates a main course of salt-aged Creedy Carver duck breast with a sweet-sharp blackcurrant sauce, the braised leg, pressed duck and hazelnut terrine and, on the side, a samosa containing layered shaved celeriac, topped with a little Parmesan and truffle. It takes formidable ingenuity and poise to bring so many elements together without creating a culinary brawl, but Desai is a skilled conductor. A délice of strong Valrhona chocolate with spiced orange panna cotta and milk sorbet, or perhaps a golden raspberry soufflé with matching coulis and toasted pistachio ice cream, are the kinds of desserts that hit the sweet spot for most of us. Despite the monotonous pop muzak piped provokingly into the dining room, which views over garden and lake do their best to nullify, it's a gorgeous experience. A varietally arranged wine list with garrulous tasting descriptions suits the country-house mood. Glasses (from £7.50) are a trifle dull, almost as though they are tiptoeing round the food rather than squaring up to meet it head-on. Braver selections would round out the offer.

Farlam Hall, Hallbankgate, Brampton , Cumbria CA8 2NG

Clarke's

Notting Hill, London £££

Pioneering venue dedicated to seasonal sourcing and organic produce

Back in 1984, Sally Clarke MBE was one of the first chefs to introduce London's restaurant-goers to the now-fashionable notions of seasonality and traceability; she was also an early champion of organic produce. Little has changed… Read more

124 Kensington Church Street, Notting Hill, London W8 4BH

Best Local Restaurant

MEMBER PERK

Darleys

Darley Abbey, Derbyshire ££

Back in the day, Darleys was a destination address for those looking for a ‘posh option’ when celebrating significant birthdays, anniversaries or graduations. But the current owners, who took over in 2019, have refurbi… Read more

Waterfront, Darley Abbey Mills, Haslams Lane, Darley Abbey, Derbyshire DE22 1DZ

Flora

Mawgan, Cornwall ££

Confidently simple, seasonally attuned cooking in enchanting surroundings

Located a winding five-minute drive through the 1,000-acre Trelowarren Estate on the Lizard Peninsula, this remarkable enterprise feels charmingly isolated – although a handful of holiday cottages and a small gallery, plus F… Read more

Located a winding five-minute drive through the 1,000-acre Trelowarren Estate on the Lizard Peninsula, this remarkable enterprise feels charmingly isolated – although a handful of holiday cottages and a small gallery, plus Flora’s café, bakery and restaurant bring a quiet buzz to the old stable yard at the centre of things.

Tim and Louise Rødkjaer Spedding took up residence here in early 2023 and make excellent use of local supplies as well as produce from their walled garden. What they offer is some of the most confidently simple cooking in the region, all deeply connected to the seasons in a way that most city chefs can only dream of.

Superb Danish pastries are the stars at breakfast (Louise is from Copenhagen), and bread from their wood-fired oven is a mainstay across the board. During a recent summer lunchtime visit, our table in the courtyard (next to rambling roses and vines) was perfect for enjoying a fragrant but barely dressed salad of mozzarella, fresh peas, nectarine and basil, paired with a generous portion of Tim’s sesame-encrusted einkorn loaf (some of the best we’ve ever had). Dessert was a perfect arrangement of chamomile panna cotta, strawberries and tangy elderflower granita, which elicited audible sighs from fellow diners.

The café also opens for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, when the repertoire might range from butter-poached lobster with cherry tomatoes, basil and lemon verbena to crisp pork belly partnered by anchovy sauce, grilled peppers and olives. On Sundays, they open the larger New Yard restaurant space for a fixed-price lunchtime spread headlined by a mighty roast – perhaps 60-day dry-aged sirloin and featherblade with rainbow chard, grilled onions and fresh horseradish.

Service from a small, happy team is cheerfulness personified, while homemade soft drinks such as kombuchas and fig-leaf cordials sit alongside a selection of wines from Tutto. Booking is recommended for lunch and dinner, as is a walk through the estate to the magic creeks of the Helford River (featured in Daphne du Maurier’s Frenchman’s Creek).

New Yard, Trelowarren Estate, Mawgan, Cornwall TR12 6AF

Best Local Restaurant

Giulia

Shepherd's Bush, London ££

There is much to enjoy in this informal neighbourhood restaurant. ‘Stunning food. Great value. Always things I want to try. Wines I want to drink. Great hospitality,’ notes one loyal fan. But then Giulia Quaglia and En… Read more

77 Askew Road, Shepherd's Bush, London W12 9AH

Best Local Restaurant

Gloriosa

Glasgow , Strathclyde ££

Like a shaft of Mediterranean sunlight illuminating the Kelvingrove end of Argyle Street, Gloriosa certainly lives up to its Latin name: ‘I think everything they do is exceptional,’ cheered one fan and others also find… Read more

1321 Argyle Street, Glasgow , Strathclyde G3 8TL

Best Local Restaurant

Hitchen's Barn

Oakham, Rutland ££

Lovable local with serious restaurant finesse

Neil and Louise Hitchen have got a good thing going at their Barn not far from Oakham Castle, deftly balancing a homely pub ambience with some serious restaurant finesse. Regional suppliers are naturally front and centre on Neil's… Read more

12 Burley Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6DH

Iford Manor Café & Kitchen

Freshford, Somerset ££

Tucked away at the bottom of a steep valley that feels lost in time, this 'absolute hidden gem' of a farm-to-table restaurant is an entrancing prospect complete with prettily planted sun-trap terraces, while inside beautiful oak b… Read more

Iford Lane, Freshford, Somerset BA15 2BA

John's House

Mountsorrel, Leicestershire £££

Triumphant food in contemporary bucolic surrounds

Farmer's son yearns to be a chef, leaves home to work for the likes of Claude Bosi and Simon Rogan, then returns in 2014 to open his own restaurant in a 16th-century farmhouse next to his family’s 4,000-acre farm. No, not a … Read more

Farmer's son yearns to be a chef, leaves home to work for the likes of Claude Bosi and Simon Rogan, then returns in 2014 to open his own restaurant in a 16th-century farmhouse next to his family’s 4,000-acre farm. No, not a storyline from Emmerdale, but the backstory of John Duffin. Given the off-grid surroundings (you can hear cows mooing from inside the farm shop), this is the full contemporary bucolic experience – one that is booked weeks in advance.

The first-floor dining room is rustic and homely, mixing exposed brick with wood (beams, floor) and well-spaced white-clad tables. By contrast, Duffin's cooking is refined and he's not afraid to take risks, maxing out his agricultural heritage along the way. In less accomplished hands, an ox sirloin tartare paired with pumpkin-seed emulsion and a smoky/salty charcoal and grilled cream could have been muddled – instead, it's a triumph. Other recent highlights have included a delicate truffle pudding accompanied by a soup of wild garlic and Beauvale Blue cheese, as well as poached halibut topped with asparagus and morels, paired with tapenade and elevated by a salted lemon sauce. We could also taste every component involved in a dish of home-reared Leicester Longwool hogget (shoulder and belly), bursting with flavour and served alongside allium, wild garlic, Jersey Royals and a full-bone reduction split with oil.

To start, some homemade charcuterie, plus a freshly baked onion and rosemary roll and soda bread (perfect with salty wild garlic butter as well as a creamy butter made smoother by the addition of a little yoghurt) was so good that we had to stop ourselves from eating more. To conclude, a scoop of yoghurt atop peanuts with yuzu, Szechuan pepper oil and kaffir lime was a subtle segue from savoury into sweet. For the final flourish, a delightful sweet cheese was matched with anise-infused poached rhubarb and a topping of hazelnut crumb.

The wine list has interesting bottles every which way, starting from £35 and heading skywards to the highly coveted millennial 'Pingus' at £1,200. Three dozen come by the glass (including Coravin), with the bonus of helpful and incisive notes. The wine pairings for the tasting menus are particularly well considered. Accommodation is now available in two self-contained cottages 'just a stumble from the restaurant'.

Stonehurst Farm, 139-141 Loughborough Road, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire LE12 7AR

JoJo's

Whitstable, Kent ££

Terrific local asset by the sea

‘Consistently good quality for over 10 years,’ is praise indeed for Nikki Billington and Paul Watson’s long-established restaurant, which has occupied a commanding spot overlooking the North Sea at Tankerton Slop… Read more

2 Herne Bay Road, Tankerton, Whitstable, Kent CT5 2LQ

Llewelyn's

Herne Hill, London £££

Independently run neighbourhood asset

‘A beacon of freshness and seasonality’ in the elegant environs of Herne Hill, independently owned Llewelyn’s has more than proved its worth as a neighbourhood asset with chef Lasse Petersen at the helm. Large wi… Read more

293-295 Railton Road, Herne Hill, London SE24 0JP

Lumière

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire ££££

Personally run restaurant dedicated to home-grown, local and sustainable food

It’s easy to walk past this ‘hidden gem’, so tastefully understated is its sign. Once inside, the dining room is a symphony of soothing grey, with damask covered tables, statement mirrors and shining silverware. … Read more

Clarence Parade, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 3PA

Noble Rot Mayfair

Mayfair, London £££

There’s something reassuringly old fashioned about this self-confident restaurant (the latest in what is now a trio of London-based Noble Rots) – and that’s a large part of its charm. With a dark green frontage, … Read more

There’s something reassuringly old fashioned about this self-confident restaurant (the latest in what is now a trio of London-based Noble Rots) – and that’s a large part of its charm. With a dark green frontage, ground-floor windows sporting café-style net curtains and two slightly cramped dining floors, it feels as if it has been around forever – an impression reinforced by the simple polished wood tables, red banquettes, wooden chairs and mottled walls covered in framed Noble Rot magazine covers. Clued-up staff, a general air of warm-heartedness and a commendable wine list all contribute to the appeal. The regularly changing menu is reflective of both the season and head chef Adam Wood's many enthusiasms – his food is a delight. The short, Euro-accented menu offers dishes that are (mostly) straightforward assemblies with inspired finishing touches – beef tartare with green tomatoes and Ossau-Iraty (Basque ewe's milk cheese), say, or smoked ravioli with courgette and preserved lemon. We enjoyed tender squid with a chorizo sauce – so good we regretted not ordering bread to mop it all up – followed by two generous slices of tender Ibérico pork, served with a heap of runner beans, sliced apricots and juicy whole blackberries. And we couldn’t fault the rich, delicate duck-egg custard tart – a sprinkling of sea salt proved a sharp foil that really enhanced the flavour. The wine list is simply one of the best in London, an outstanding, deeply researched and inspiring document. Predominantly organised by grape variety, with regional sections where blends are predominant, it spans a massive range of top-drawer growers and estates. The principal focus is Europe, though there are some pedigree New Worlders too. Portuguese and Greek selections are encouragingly thorough, and the listings of sparklers and sweet wines (rotted and late-picked) are tremendous. Wines by the glass are in small enough measures to make comparative tasting feasible. Coravin pours will test the budget, but are uniformly glorious.

5 Trebeck Street, Shepherd Market, Mayfair, London W1J 7LT

Paradise at Daleside

Killinghall, North Yorkshire ££

It came as a complete surprise when, post-lockdown, Frances Atkins, the former owner and chef of the Yorke Arms at Ramsgill in Nidderdale, moved from her sophisticated restaurant with rooms to a café in the grounds of a gar… Read more

Daleside Nurseries, Ripon Road, Killinghall, North Yorkshire HG3 2AY

MEMBER PERK

Quince

Westgate-on-Sea, Kent ££

‘Brilliant cooking, kind owners, great team, seriously reasonable pricing,' commented a fan of this well-liked venture from Ben Hughes and Rafael Lopez (formerly at the Goods Shed in Canterbury). The intimate, simply decorat… Read more

39 Station Road, Westgate-on-Sea, Kent CT8 8QY

MEMBER PERK

Restaurant Örme

Urmston, Greater Manchester ££

It's only 10 minutes from the mayhem of the Trafford Centre, but this little eatery could be from another world. Sitting at the end of a homely parade of shops in leafy, residential Urmston, it's run by two young locals who have g… Read more

218 Church Road, Urmston, Greater Manchester M41 9DX

Riverford Field Kitchen

Buckfastleigh, Devon ££

A harvest festival of home-grown organic produce

Famous as purveyors of organic vegetable boxes, it’s hard to believe that Riverford’s slightly lesser-known sibling celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025. Situated in the heart of its (original) Buckfastleigh farm, R… Read more

Wash Barn, Buckfastleigh, Devon TQ11 0JU

MEMBER PERK

Rogan & Co

Cartmel, Cumbria £££

There’s a modest elegance about this neighbourhood restaurant in the quiet southerly reaches of the Lake District. White walls, alluring photography of Lakeland fells, and simply laid tables are reminders that you’re i… Read more

There’s a modest elegance about this neighbourhood restaurant in the quiet southerly reaches of the Lake District. White walls, alluring photography of Lakeland fells, and simply laid tables are reminders that you’re in the realm of Rogan, a place where unfussy deliciousness and a peerless approach to ingredients rule. Snacks launch a refreshingly uncomplicated offer from head chef Tom Reeves. A tartlet with whipped cod's roe is palate-quickening; a Parmesan sablé with artichoke cream and flutter of petals is richer; a croquette of mushroom and truffle duxelles umami-laden. To follow, Simon Rogan's 'Our Farm' provides ‘Aynsome offerings’ (the farm is on Aynsome Lane, just outside Cartmel), a pert little bowl of carefully prepped veg. Green beans are fresh from an exuberant harvest, so too little kale leaves, purple-tinged baby turnips and peppery nasturtium. They’re combined with fermented cucumber and pickled radish from last year, the tussle of ingredients anchored by a forthright sauce of Isle of Mull Cheddar. Elsewhere, tenderly smoked eel tumbles around a caramelised potato terrine that's dotted with two emulsions (one of eel, the other of wild garlic), its richness balanced by a buttermilk and mussel sauce that's split prettily with dill oil. Mains might centre on Jerusalem artichoke or a sublime piece of hake, grilled just-so and served with spinach cooked in miso butter, plus a fermented celeriac and mussel sauce. The tenderest St Brides chicken breast is stuffed with hen of the woods mousse (the mushroom is also roasted for that umami win) – the dehydrated skin mixed with toasted yeast provides yet more umami, and acts as a foil for sweet heritage carrots. A mirror-glossy chicken sauce ties everything together gloriously. Proper puds include dark chocolate fondant with apple marigold, and a playfully nostalgic vanilla rice pudding that’s pitch-perfect on an early autumn day – served in a wooden bowl with blackcurrant sorbet, fresh blackberries, toasted macadamia nuts and crimson oxalis. Coffee provides a bolster, while bouncy little sticky toffee pudding madeleines nod in a neighbourly way to what is arguably Cartmel's most famous export. A creative cocktail list includes spirits infused with Our Farm pickings – anyone for a woodruff Old Fashioned? – while the wine list leans towards natural styles, suggesting plenty of 125ml pours before topping out at £185 for a Californian Cabernet. Service is notable, from the confidence of a young apprentice waiter to the expertise of restaurant manager Kayleigh Thorogood.

Devonshire Square, Cartmel, Cumbria LA11 6QD

Best Local Restaurant

Seasonality

Maidenhead, Berkshire ££

Seasonality grew out of the resourceful impetus to provide home dining kits during the first pandemic lockdowns. Its metamorphosis into a full-fledged restaurant, with an open kitchen in which Wesley Smalley rules the roost, has b… Read more

26 Queen Street, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 1HZ

Spring

Aldwych, London £££

A bright white room in the newer wing of Somerset House, Spring feels like an intuitive setting for Skye Gyngell's restaurant. If her vegetable- and fruit-oriented cooking evokes the seasons in ways that are easy to overlook in th… Read more

Somerset House, Lancaster Place, Aldwych, London WC2R 1LA

MEMBER PERK

The Angel at Hetton

Hetton, North Yorkshire ££££

The Angel has been a fixture in the Guide for many a decade, surviving various culinary eras and changes of look. Its present incarnation, under chef-patron Michael Wignall (ex-Gidleigh Park et al), offers a smartly attired suite … Read more

Hetton, Hetton, North Yorkshire BD23 6LT

The Barn

Aughton, Lancashire £££

Seasonal sophistication in an informal but smart setting.

From the lowlands of west Lancashire, it’s a pleasure to drive into the immaculate grounds of Mark Birchall's Moor Hall. The Barn itself is a first-floor restaurant that runs the length of a beautifully restored ou… Read more

From the lowlands of west Lancashire, it’s a pleasure to drive into the immaculate grounds of Mark Birchall's Moor Hall. The Barn itself is a first-floor restaurant that runs the length of a beautifully restored outbuilding, with an open kitchen occupying the far end. Wooden beams criss-cross the airy pointed roof and the red-brick walls exude a warmth enhanced by the friendly but properly courteous welcome.The short seasonal menu is (thankfully) constructed in traditional three-course fashion; prime ingredients are supplemented by Moor Hall’s own produce – including their excellent in-house charcuterie (perfect with a delightful non-alcoholic libation). There are intriguing elements such as smoked marrow and sea buckthorn sauces, but dishes sound comfortably contemporary rather than riskily experimental, and they are well-served by a suitably sophisticated wine list with a broad global spread. Even on a mid-winter visit, the cooking felt fresh and light. A fragile Pablo beetroot tartlet presented like a bishop’s mitre held spiced pieces of the vegetable, a luscious slice of smoked duck ham, blackberries and red radicchio leaves. Equally elegant and restrained in appearance was lightly seared, cured Cornish mackerel draped with translucent ribbons of earthy-sweet salt-baked white beetroot, buttermilk and dill. An impeccable dish of Saint-Sever guinea hen yielded tender white breast moistened with jus alongside a nugget of stronger-tasting leg meat encased in crispy skin as well as a piece of rolled leek stuffed with offal forcemeat – the whole thing pulled together with a bowl of super-creamy, fluffy potato purée. However, Belted Galloway short rib glazed with black garlic, shallot, charred baby gem and smoked marrow sauce was less successful and lacked the coherence notable in other dishes.The kitchen’s patisserie skills are showcased in desserts such as apple millefeuille with buttermilk custard and cider caramel served with vivid apple and vanilla sorbets – although the unexpected star turn was a squash custard tart with clementine and crème fraîche sorbets. The perfect custard, with deep, intense toffee notes, was finished off with the smoky, mineral notes of drizzled birch sap. Petits fours included gorgeous fudge coated in fiery Ormskirk gingerbread crumbs (they should sell this delicacy in boxes to take home).

Moor Hall, Prescot Road, Aughton, Lancashire L39 6RT

Best Local Restaurant

The Farmers Arms

Woolfardisworthy, Devon ££

Twenty-first century reboot of a historic village watering hole

It may date from the mid-17th century, but nowadays the Farmers Arms is every inch the 21st-century village pub. It was the initial inspiration for a far more substantial project that has become 'The Collective of Woolsery' from S… Read more

Woolfardisworthy, Devon EX31 5DQ

The Little Chartroom

Edinburgh, Lothians £££

Stylishly mature reboot of a popular Leith upstart

With its rampant popularity all but necessitating a relocation to larger premises, this Leith upstart has matured into its new, grown-up home with grace, becoming an altogether more polished proposition as a restaurant. Carrying o… Read more

14 Bonnington Road, Edinburgh, Lothians EH6 5JD

Best Sunday Roast

MEMBER PERK

The Merry Harriers

Hambledon, Surrey £££

Revitalised 16th-century hostelry in the Surrey Hills

The venerable Merry Harriers is to be found in the village of Hambledon (not the Hampshire one) near Godalming, a rural enclave set in a buffer of fields and woodland. It has been kitted out to suit the modern mood, with a soft gr… Read more

Hambledon Road, Hambledon, Surrey GU8 4DR

The Plough

Wombleton, North Yorkshire ££

Top-drawer pub food with big, bold flavours and bags of generosity

The village of Wombleton, four miles east of Helmsley, is where Richard and Lindsey Johns have settled for their latest venture – a village local complete with a substantial public bar and a separate beamed dining room. Seas… Read more

Main Street, Wombleton, North Yorkshire YO62 7RW

Best Local Restaurant

MEMBER PERK

The Shed

Swansea ££

Cool warehouse dining with a true Welsh heart

Occupying one end of a former grain store overlooking the steely waters of the Prince of Wales Dock on Swansea’s regenerated waterfront, the Shed emphasises the building's original features including exposed brickwork, … Read more

Unit 1&2 J-Shed, Kings Road, Swansea SA1 8PL

MEMBER PERK

Wild Honey

St James’s, London £££

*Anthony Demetre has launched a casual, all-day bistro called the Bistrot at Wild Honey, adjacent to the main restaurant. Watch for a review coming soon.* As dining rooms go there can be few more striking than this dramatic… Read more

Sofitel St James, 8 Pall Mall, St James’s, London SW1Y 5NG

Location

Establishment Type

Cuisine

Price

Rating

Additional Details

Location

Establishment Type

Cuisine

Price

Rating

Additional Details

Related articles

Feature

Best Local Restaurant

Our cookies

Essential Cookies

Analytical Cookies