We discover all the best places to eat, drink and shop along the A1 – the UK's longest road - and we’ve even included postcodes so you can satnav your way to the destinations.
THE SOUTH: London to Peterborough
Situated just off the A1 but worth a few minutes’ diversion is The Sword Inn Hand (SG9 9LQ), in Buntingford, Herts, a lovely, old family-run pub. It has a welcoming, relaxing interior and it serves superior pub food at great prices.
The Sword Inn Hand, Westmill, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, SG9 9LQ Tel: 01763 271356
Further north, just half a mile off the A1, is The Fox at Willian (SG6 2AE). It’s a lovely building in a picturesque old village, and specialises in seafood – perfect for lunch. Yards away is The Food Barn (SG6 2AE), a farm shop/deli with meat from the farm next door, and British cheeses.
The Fox at Willian, Willian, Hertfordshire, SG6 2AE Tel: 01462 480233
The Food Barn The Food Barn, (Behind the Fox), Willian, Hertfordshire, SG6 2AE Tel: 01462 685363
Head north to Old Warden near Biggleswade, home of Bedfordshire’s only winery. The Warden Abbey Vineyard (SG18 9LJ) produces several award-winning wines – buy them at the Estate shop. Then stop at village pub, the Hare and Hounds (SG18 9HQ). Chef Jago Hurt serves a proper pint and rustic food at affordable prices.
The Warden Abbey Vineyard Mrs Sue Parke, Southill Park, Biggleswade, Beds, SG18 9LJ Tel: 01462 816226
The Hare and Hounds Old Warden, Nr. Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 9HQ Tel: 01767 627225
Ten miles east is Sandy – home of the award-winning Potton Brewery (SG19 2SP). Also in Sandy is Gunns Bakery (SG19 1HU), makers of Bedfordshire Clangers – suet pastry with savoury filling at one end and sweet at the other.
Potton Brewery 10 Shannon Place, Potton, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2SP Tel: 01767 261042
Gunns Bakery 8 Market Square, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 1HU Tel: 01767 680434
Every thursday in the centre of Bedford is a continental market. Filippo Volpe’s Italian stall is there every week selling outstanding artisan cheeses, Sicilian olive oil, olives, marinated sun-dried tomatoes and Parma ham. There are also some great coffee shops nearby.
Filippo Volpe / Bedford Gourmet Market, Harpur Square, Beford, MK40 1RA Tel: 01763 288449
Six miles north of Bedford (take the St Neot’s turning off the A1), you’ll find me at The Plough, Bolnhurst (MK44 2EX), where chef Martin Lee provides Michelin star-quality food at reasonable prices. They source as much as they can locally, but never compromise on quality. Starters include roast Cornish scallops with crushed peas, mint and pancetta; while mains might include free-range local chicken with Scottish girolle mushrooms, broad beans and Jersey Royals. It is also child-friendly.
The Plough, Bolnhurst, Bedfordshire, MK44 2EX Tel: 01234 376274
Just up the road is Kimbolton, a lovely village with a high-quality deli called Landins (PE28 0HB). It sells fantastic home-made takeaways such as cottage pie and lasagne. Also check out a great coffee and cake stop called Buttercups (PE28 0HB).
Landins, 21a High Street, Kimbolton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 3TQ Tel: 01480 860231
Buttercups, 15 High Street, Kimbolton, Huntingdon PE28 0HB Tel: 01480 861 000
Our last stop is a beautiful townhouse hotel, The Old Bridge (PE29 3TQ) in Huntingdon, serving everything from Champagne and canapés to club sandwiches and good real ale. It’s a great place to watch the world go by after a walk by the river Ouse.
The Old Bridge Hotel, 1 High Street, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 3TQ Tel: 01480 424300
London to Peterborough
THE MIDLANDS: Peterborough to Doncaster
GREAT for kids, just off the A1 turning for Stamford, is Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre (PE8 6HJ), a farm around 10 miles north-west of Peterborough. It has shire horses, tractor rides and farm trails, plus The Stables Restaurant, which sells great lunches and cakes.
The Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre & Stables Restaurant, Thornhaugh, Peterborough, PE8 6HJ Tel: 01780 782254
Take a detour to the historic Lincolnshire town of Stamford, on the A16, and visit elegant patisserie, Thierry Daugeron (PE9 1PG), with a touch of 18th-century France. It sells pastries, cakes and chocolates and the tea room has high ceilings, gothic windows and a stunning fireplace.
Thierry Daugeron, 16 Broad Street, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1PG Tel: 01780 755756
Take the A606 turning to oakham and after 20 minutes, you’ll arrive at Steve Makey’s Rutland Water Fruit Farm, Manton (LE15 8HB). He grows soft fruit on a golf course, on the shore of glorious Rutland Water. Visit to pick your own – no appointments needed. Call Steve on 01572 737525 or email rwgc@orange.net.
On the outskirts of Oakham is Hambleton Hall (LE15 8TH), with 15 stunning bedrooms and breathtaking views of Rutland Water. The restaurant has a Michelin star – expect to try dishes, such as hare Wellington and chocolate and olive oil truffle with salted caramel, pistachios and baked bananas – wow!
Hambleton Hall, Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8TH Tel: 01572 756991
Around ten minutes' drive away on the Rutland and Leicestershire borders in Cold Overton is Northfield Farm Shop (LE15 7QF), which supplies the breakfast ingredients for The Olive Branch. The shop sells beef from Dexter and White Park cattle; English cheeses like Cornish nettle yarg and Cropwell Bishop; locally made Stilton; plus honey, preserves and mustards.
Northfield Farm Shop, Whissendine Lane, Cold Overton, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 7QF Tel: 01664 474271
Thirteen miles up the A1, take the turning for Clipsham and you’ll find The Olive Branch (LE15 7SH). It is in the Vale of Belvoir and to me this is the capital of food in England. Stilton, Melton Mowbray pies, butter, fresh vegetables and fruit – all fundamental resources for a chef – are here on the doorstep. Ben Jones and Sean Hope bought the pub in 1999. They also run a guesthouse the Beech House across the road; do cookery demos; cure and smoke salmon, bacon and trout; and make pickles and jams.
The Olive Branch & Beech House, Main Street, Clipsham, Rutland, LE15 7SH Tel: 01780 410355
Melton Mowbray is a diversion from the A1 (around 15 miles west along the A606) but worth it for the Kings Road Bakery (LE13 1QF) alone. The range of loaves is incredible – think American corn bread, the dark and malty Dutch Donker and flavoured breads like bacon and coriander. Seek out one of the town’s famous pork pies, too, now granted PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status.
Kings Road Bakery, 21 Kings Road, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 1QF Tel: 01664 410065
Ben and Seean now have another pub – The Red Lion Inn (LE14 4HS) in Stathern (off the A607), which was voted AA Pub of the Year in 2006. The chef uses the best local producers to create a menu that changes daily. Call to book your place at our cookery demos.
The Red Lion Inn, Stathern, Leicestershire, LE14 4HS Tel: 01949 860868
Peterborough to Doncaster
THE NORTH: Doncaster to Newcastle
Heading north 16 miles from Doncaster, you come to Pontefract – try this lovely old market town’s famous Pontefract cakes, or pay a visit to the annual Liquorice Day on 13 July.
Pontefract Liquorice / General Festival enquiries: Wakefield Tourist Information, Tel: 0845 601 8353 or email tic@wakefield.gov
Harrogate is 10 miles off the A1, and home to Bettys Café Tea Rooms (HG1 2QU) – the most English of tearooms. A byword for elegance since 1919, it serves breads, cakes and chocolates to more than a million customers a year. There are five other Bettys tearooms in the area.
Betty's Cafe Tea Rooms, 1 Parliament Street, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 2QU Tel: 01423 502746
Not far from Harrogate – and just three miles from the A1 at Ferrensby – is a highly regarded former 18th-century coaching inn called the General Tarleton (HG5 0PZ). It’s more than a gastropub really, with an incredible menu – fish, game, lamb and beef all as local as you like – and smart bed and breakfast rooms. In fact, it won the Yorkshire Tourist Board’s Yorkshire Pub of the Year in 2007.
The General Tarlton, Boroughbridge Road, Ferrensby, Knaresborough, HG5 0PZ Tel: 01423 340284
Well worth a visit 15 miles further north is the Crab & Lobster Restaurant, Thirsk (YO7 3QL). This is a traditional restaurant with a quirky design – plastic crabs and lobsters crawling all over the thatched roof. But the food is seriously, seriously good. Try its famous fish club sandwich, or for something more substantial – local codling fishcakes or oven-roasted Scarborough woof (firm-fleshed white fish). The meat’s just as good.
The Crab and Lobster, Crab Minor Hotel, Dishforth Road, Asenby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3QL Tel: 01845 577286
Take the A170 turning to discover Ampleforth Abbey Orchards (YO62 4EN), situated between the villages of Ampleforth and Oswaldkirk. Planted by the monks who lived in the 400-year-old Benedictine abbey some 200 years ago, the trees are now presided over by Father Rainer Verbourg. There are more than 60 varieties including the local Ribston Pippin. Try the apple juice, cider and apple brandy.
Ampleforth Abbey, York, YO62 4EN Tel: 01439 766778
A few minutes drive NORTH and you’ll arrive at Helmsley. The Star Inn (YO62 5JE) is two miles east – quite a distance from the A1, but worth it! We have game from the North York moors, fruit from the Vale of York and fish from the North Sea. The building is a 14th-century longhouse and we have a fantastic English kitchen garden where we grow over 500 different vegetables and herbs. Perns of Helmsley (YO18 5BL) is a fantastic butcher and deli a few miles away.
The Star Inn, Harome, Nr. Helmsley, North Yorkshire, YO62 5JE Tel: 01439 770397
Perns of Helmsley, 18 Market Place, Helmsley, North Yorkshire, YO18 5BL Tel: 01439 770249
Between the north yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire Dales is Staddlebridge (where the A19 meets the A172), home to a great restaurant called McCoys at The Cleveland Tontine (DL6 3JB). Brothers Eugene and Tom McCoy have run the place for 30 years. It has a great atmosphere and unbelievable food, with dishes such as pork loin with sticky shallots and cream, and côte de boeuf with béarnaise sauce. The breakfasts are legendary.
McCoy's at the Cleveland Tontine, Staddlebridge, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 3JB Tel: 01609 882671
Doncaster to Newcastle
THE BORDERS: Newcastle to Edinburgh
The A1 passes through the outskirts of Newcastle, so we’ll start with Terry Laybourne's Jesmond Dene House (NE2 2EY). It’s a beautiful Arts and Crafts building set in a wooded valley, a mile-and-a-half from Newcastle city. There are 40 bedrooms and the dinner menu may include oysters from Holy Island and herbs from the hotel garden. It’s unashamedly top-end, but high tea is just £15.50 a head.
Jesmond Dene House, Jesmond Dene Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2 2EY Tel: 0191 212 3000
Seven miles’ north of Newcastle is the Blagdon Estate (NE13 6DA). The Blagdon Farm Shop shop sells cakes, locally reared meats, artisan cheeses and ice cream.
The Blagdon Farm Shop, The Milkhope Centre, Blagdon, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE13 6DA Tel: 01670 789924
Half a mile away on the blagdon estate is the Northumberland Cheese Company (NE13 6BZ), run by Mark Robertson. Try his award-winning cheeses – particularly Coquetdale, a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese.
The Northumberland Cheese Company Ltd, The Cheese Farm, Green Lane, Blagdon, Northumberland, NE13 6BZ Tel: 01670 789798
Seven miles up the A1, near Morpeth, detour to the Meldon Park Estate. The Comfort Food Company restaurant (NE61 3SW) serves gutsy food in a pretty walled garden. Typical dishes would be Maldon Park venison burger, and treacle tart with double cream.
The Comfort Food Co., The Kitchen Garden, Meldon Park, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 3SW Tel: 01670 772558
As the a1 veers close to the sea, you’ll come to Craster – a small fishing village famous for its kippers. The Jolly Fisherman (NE66 3TR) is a traditional boozer which serves a great crab sandwich and an excellent pint. While in Craster, drop in at the 150-year-old smokehouse run by Neil Robson – L Robson and Sons Ltd (NE66 3TR).
The Jolly Fisherman, Haven Hill, Craster, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 3TR Tel: 01665 576461
L Robson and Sons Ltd, Craster, Northumberland, NE66 3TR Tel: 01665 576223
Seven miles inland from Craster is Alnwick, home to Alnwick Castle (NE66 1YU) and its famous gardens.
The restaurant in the giant treehouse – a huge wooden structure with the living tree growing through it - is wonderful. The food is fine, but the location makes it magical.
Alnwick Castle, The Gardens, Denwick Lane, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1YU Tel: 01665 511350;
Forty miles north (take the B6353 turn-off) in the Ford and Etal Estate is Heatherslaw Mill (TD15 2QA), a working mill and museum. There’s a great bakery over the road, whose products are sold in the mill shop, and the Black Bull – Northumberland’s only thatched pub – is nearby.
Heatherslaw Mill, Ford & Etal Estates, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, TD15 2QA Tel: 01890 820448 or 820200
The Black Bull, Etal Village, Cornhill-on-Tweed, TD12 4TL
Last stop before Edinburgh, near Berwick-on-Tweed, is the Chain Bridge Honey Farm (TD15 2XT) at Horncliffe. Buy all manner of honey- related products, including a heather honey ice cream made by local dairy, Doddingtons.
Chain Bridge Honey Farm, Horncliffe, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, TD15 2XT Tel: 01289 386362
Newcastle to Edinburgh
Illustrations: Sarah Hanson