The Dining Room at Whatley Manor

When Niall Keating left at the end of 2021, he took two Michelin stars with him, and Ricki Weston inherited a kitchen with everything to prove. Within months Weston had won the room back one star, in February 2022, and held it through 2025 — alongside the only Michelin Green Star in Wiltshire. That second award is the one that tells you how this kitchen actually works.

Ricki Weston cooks Modern British from a country house two miles west of Malmesbury, and the Green Star is not a marketing badge — it is a description of method. The kitchen builds its menu around what the estate and a tight local supplier map can deliver, and it treats trimmings and offcuts as ingredients rather than waste, which is harder than it sounds and shows in the depth of the stocks and sauces.

The à la carte, introduced in 2023 at £120, runs three signature dishes — an Orkney scallop and a Herdwick lamb among them — while the full experience is a twelve-course tasting at £175. Weston trained under and then succeeded Niall Keating, whose cooking carried two stars; the one star Weston holds is his own, won in February 2022 and retained every year since. The address is plain on paper — Easton Grey, Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 0RB — but the cooking is among the most disciplined in the region.

The Dining Room is small and quiet — a country-house room rather than a hotel restaurant grafted onto a lobby — and it opens for dinner Thursday to Sunday, pre-booked only, from six. Whatley Manor sits in landscaped gardens outside the village, and dinner guests can walk the grounds before service; the approach is part of the evening. Lighting is low, the spacing generous, and the pace is unhurried across a long tasting menu. Dress is smart. With twenty-odd hotel rooms upstairs, the meal can run into the bar and the night without anyone driving home.

Book this room for a proposal because the whole evening can be staged as one booking: a walk through the gardens at dusk, a small and quiet room where a long tasting menu buys you hours at the table, and a bed upstairs so no one has to drive afterward. Tell the kitchen at booking and they will pace the courses and time a dessert. Ask for a corner two-top away from the pass. The Green Star also reads, to the right partner, as a sign you paid attention.

Skip it for a quick dinner — the Dining Room runs a long, pre-booked tasting menu Thursday to Sunday only, and the nearest fast meal is a half-hour drive back toward Malmesbury.

Is the Dining Room at Whatley Manor worth it?

Yes, for a special occasion. Ricki Weston holds one Michelin star, won in February 2022 and retained through 2025, plus the only Michelin Green Star in Wiltshire — a marker of genuine kitchen discipline, not just sourcing. At £175 for the twelve-course tasting it is a serious outlay, but the cooking and the country-house setting near Malmesbury justify it for a proposal or a milestone.

How hard is it to book Whatley Manor's Dining Room?

Book several weeks ahead, more for a weekend. The Dining Room opens for dinner Thursday to Sunday only, pre-booked, and the room is small, so prime tables go early. Reserve directly through the hotel and pair the table with an overnight stay if you can — it makes the evening easier and the reservation more likely to land.

What should I order at Whatley Manor?

For the full experience, take the twelve-course tasting menu at £175. If you want a shorter meal, the à la carte at £120 carries the kitchen's signature dishes, including an Orkney scallop and a Herdwick lamb. Either way, let the kitchen lean on the estate-driven, low-waste cooking the Green Star recognises — it is what this room does better than its neighbours.

What is the dress code at Whatley Manor's Dining Room?

Smart. This is a Michelin-starred country-house dining room, so jackets are welcome but not strictly required; smart-casual that errs toward the polished end is the safe call. Trainers and beachwear are out of place. If you are staying overnight, there is no need to overdress for the walk down from your room to dinner.

Where is Whatley Manor and how do I get there?

Whatley Manor is at Easton Grey, about two miles west of Malmesbury in Wiltshire, postcode SN16 0RB — roughly twenty minutes from the M4 and a short drive into the southern Cotswolds. There is no public transport to the door, so plan to drive or take a taxi, which is another argument for booking a room and staying the night.