Lucky Onion at No 131 - Cheltenham, Cheltenham

Most Londoners visit Cheltenham during the races but it's a lovely place to spend time during the quieter stretches of the year, particularly a warm summer weekend or chilly autumn evening. For those aiming to stay in the middle of genteel Cheltenham and sample its wares, booking a room at No 131 is sine qua non, particularly if you have a fondness for fine dining. 

The hotel is centrally situated on the Promenade, one of the main arteries of the small city. Its whitewashed Georgian facade, cubic hedges and carefully clipped topiaries all evince an aura of the British stiff upper lip, which sets the visitor up for an intense juxtaposition upon entering the building. The watchword for the interiors is 'playful'. Elegant dark wooded floorboards and long maroon curtains are counterpoised by eye-popping turquoise velvet chesterfields and bar stools. It shares design DNA with Soho House and boasts an aesthete's art collection, with pieces from contemporary British artists such as David Hockney, Henry Hudson and Sir Peter Blake. 

Billing itself as a restaurant with rooms, No 131 puts food and drink front and centre. On our visit we had the opportunity to experience the Lucky Onion Club, a series of pop-up events and residencies held throughout the year which brings top culinary talents to its restaurant and bar, Crazy Eights. On the docket, you'll find Mark Hix, Michel Roux Snr, Sabrina Ghayour, Moro and The Epicurean manning the pans, as well as performances from musicians such as Gregory Porter, Trevor Nelson and Cerys Matthews.

Fergus Henderson had commandeered the kitchens at Crazy Eights, and prepared a six-course feasting menu of the nose-to-tail cuisine that he champions at St John. We were treated to a litany of intensely flavoured and outsized dishes. These included a mammoth mound of cabbage and brown shrimp salad that popped with piscine flavour; Fergus's famous bone marrow with parsley salad and sourdough (there were so many bones on the plate that it would have given a mortuary a run for its money) and a gargantuan pig's head pie that could have featured in Titus Andronicus. Its crust was nothing less than heavenly. 

For those visiting outside of the Lucky Onion schedule, rest easy, the dining experience will be top class. The ownership has taken great pains to ensure that all of the produce is organic, English and in season where possible, supporting heritage breeds and artisanal producers. The chefs can work wonders with the Josper grill, there's a fantastic raw bar and, as we can attest, cocktails are perhaps a bit too good. 

Finally, the rooms. There are eleven of them an each has its own unique personality and layout. Boasting a spaciousness that would put any London hotel to shame, guests can expect to find plush amenities such as a Loewe TV, B&W docking system, toiletries by 100 Acres, a Nespresso machine, Apple TV's full library of films and a mini-bar with some fantastic offerings.

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