Three spur-of-the-moment foodie pilgrimages from London

How far? 3 hours

Calling this place a kitchen-garden restaurant is a bit like calling Buckingham Palace a big house. Set in picture-perfect Barley Wood Walled Garden (you eat in a converted Victorian greenhouse, overlooking rolling green hills), The Ethicurean serves stunning, hyper-seasonal food, with vegetables as the focus. As the name suggests, sustainability is a part of their ethos; ethical sourcing is at the heart of the operation, and most of the ingredients come from mere steps away.

Order this: The menu changes every day, but look out for the sea buckthorn and honey cake, which they make by milling their leftover bread.

How far? 2 hours, 20 minutes

If you’re after the Cotswolds Sunday roast to beat them all, look no further. Standing in the middle of the village green, overlooking a babbling brook and surrounded by miles of well-kept footpaths, this proper country pub does perfectly cooked joints of beef, pork and lamb to share, carved at the table and served with all the trimmings (including a fabulous cauliflower cheese). It’s dog-friendly, so four-legged friends can join in the fun too.

Order this: The roast, of course – but if it’s in season you’d be forgiven for having your head turned by the local pheasant schnitzel.

How far? 2 hours, 15 minutes

Sitting pretty at the gateway to The New Forest, The Pig is a cute country house hotel with bags of character, and a restaurant that prides itself on sourcing as much as possible from within a 25-mile radius. If you arrive between 3pm and 5pm you’ll be able to sit down to a teatime spread of homemade sandwiches and cakes, made with the finest local ingredients but served in a gloriously unstuffy way. Work up an appetite by booking a foraging walk beforehand: the hotel’s resident forager will guide you on a hedgerow harvest, or take you to the coast to hunt for edible seaweed.

Order this: Stick to the theme – try the honey and mustard chipolatas, or Saddleback crackling with apple sauce.