As the seasons turn, The Dining Room at Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa unveils its new Autumn menu for 2025. Set within the five-star country house hotel in the Cotswolds, the Michelin-starred restaurant is led by Ricki Weston, one of the UK’s most exciting young culinary talents.
The menu celebrates the richness and warmth of autumn’s bounty, from butternut squash and sunflower seeds to truffle-infused brie and fresh Cornish lobster. Each dish reflects Ricki’s inventive yet grounded approach to modern British gastronomy. The Dining Room offers a nine-course menu for £175pp or a six-course menu at £145pp, along with expertly curated six and nine-course vegetarian menus. The restaurant is open Thursday to Sunday, with bookings from 6pm to 9pm.
Notes from the Chef:
- Of the new menu, Ricki comments, “This menu feels different. It’s the clearest expression yet of how I like to cook”’
- Insights on Squash and Seeds: “In the kitchen garden, the squash grows beneath the towering sunflowers – so it made sense to create a dish that celebrates the two. After all, they say what grows together, goes together…”.
- Insights on the Cornish Lobster: “I wanted each dish to be linked to the garden, and our fig tree is abundant. This incredible flavour combination was an experiment that has evolved into something truly special”.
Menu Highlights Include:
- Squash & Seeds – A showcase of the season’s finest ingredients, this plant-based dish features a sunflower ‘pudding’ made from fermented and pulsed seeds, filled with pumpkin and topped with 16 individual squash petals to form an edible flower.
- Truffled Baron Bigod – Britain’s only raw milk farmhouse Brie, Baron Bigod, meets the earthly and umami flavour of black truffles, a luxurious pairing in a crisp pastry crust that captures the essence of autumn indulgence.
- Cornish Lobster – Sourced fromTheFlying Fish Company, lobster is brushed with a fermented cabbage glaze, served atop lobster rice infused with a spiced shell stock and paprika. On the side, Trout roe is marinated in tomato liqueur and topped with crispy rice, alongside a fig leaf blanquette and lobster claw tempura seasoned with chilli lime salt.
- SN16 Honey – This autumn, the hotel introduced four handcrafted French oak beehives, each home to up to 50,000 thriving honeybees. Supporting local pollinators while also producing Whatley’s signature floral honey, infused with the rich variety of blooms found across its gardens, these colonies have inspired The Dining Room’s SN16 Honey dessert. A honeycomb-shaped tuille and set pudding are made with the estate’s own honey and fermented edible flowers.
- Beef & Beets – The current main course from the new menu, grass-fed Aberdeen Angus from the neighbouring farm, is paired with seasonal beetroot. Using every element of the produce, kimchi is made from the leaves and xo from the peel and trim.
Ricki’s experience spans some of the UK’s finest restaurants, including Matt Gillan at The Pass and Michelin-two-starred Restaurant Sat Bains, which opened his eyes to the intricacy and artistry of fine dining. Born and raised in West Sussex, Weston describes his style as influenced by classic British cooking and a commitment to sustainable dining. Dishes at The Dining Room are impeccably presented and use unexpected flavour combinations which evoke a sense of nostalgia.
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