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

How far? Three 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 hills), The Ethicurean serves stunning, hyper-seasonal food, with vegetables as the focus. As the name suggests, sustainability is a part of the 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 is made from milling leftover bread.

How far? One hour 30 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 serves perfectly cooked joints of beef, pork and lamb to share, carved at the table and accompanied by all the trimmings (including a fabulous cauliflower cheese). It’s dog-friendly, so four-legged buddies 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? Three hours.

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 home-made sandwiches and cakes, prepared with the finest local ingredients and served in a gloriously unstuffy way. Work up an appetite by going on 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.