If travel is about getting away from it all, then a flit to the countryside to escape the grind of modern life definitely fits the bill. Outside of the urban hubs, Britain and Ireland are blessed with country houses that have been transformed into elegant rural hideaways in which to spend the night. As the Good Hotel Guide award winners for 2024 are announced, The Independent can reveal the picks for the best 10 country house hotels in the UK and Ireland. Whether you're after Michelin-starred dinners in Devon or a hearty Cumbrian breakfast to start the day, whether exploring ancient woodlands or lounging beside a pool appeals, there's no shortage of options across this green and pleasant land. To find out more, visit the Good Hotel Guide website. But for now, here are some exceptional hotels that are sure to inspire an escape to the country. Viewfield House Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland A house-party atmosphere prevails at this 19th-century mansion in 20 acres of woodland garden, home to the Macdonald family for 200 years. Victorian interiors are filled with antiques and paintings, and you won’t find a TV in your bedroom – though it might have dual-aspect windows, a pedestal desk and original fireplace. In a dining room hung with ancestral portraits, guests sit down to a full Scottish breakfast, kippers or a vegetarian option, while at night there is home-made soup, cheese and charcuterie, devilled smoked salmon and vegetarian platters. Mallory Court Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England Built in 1916 in the romantic Elizabethan vernacular and set within formal gardens and pleasure grounds, Mallory Court welcomes families and their dogs. Described as “sumptuous and relaxing”, bedrooms in the main house blend traditional and contemporary style. Elsewhere, you’ll find places to relax over afternoon tea after a game of croquet or tennis, and in the spa or pool. Dinner in the panelled dining room is formal and fine. Gidleigh Park Chagford, Devon, England A single-track lane leads to this 1920s Tudor-style house, amid 107 acres of gardens and woodland on the banks of the North Teign. It’s home to a Michelin-starred restaurant, tennis court, croquet lawn and putting course. It is family friendly, with picnic hampers available to order and Dartmoor almost on the doorstep. Accommodation ranges from contemporary “classics” to spacious “master” rooms, up to the vast Spa Suite (where guests will find panoramic views of the valley). Chef Paul Eden’s “nouvelle but exquisite” dishes might include steamed turbot, mixed squash, pumpkin seeds, caviar and seaweed. Langar Hall Langar, Nottinghamshire, England This Georgian house in the Vale of Belvoir has been welcoming guests since the late Imogen Skirving was inspired by a dream to open her doors, greeting strangers as friends. Granddaughter Lila Arora now presides over a delightful, faintly eccentric operation. Bedrooms have intense charm; Cartland was a favourite of the late Dame Barbara, and Bohemia, featuring a four-poster bed, has poetry on the walls. Public rooms are filled with antiques and curios. Chef Gary Booth cooks locally sourced dishes, such as assiette of Langar lamb and warm salad of garden beetroot. langarhall.com Enniscoe House Castlehill, County Mayo, Ireland In wooded grounds on Lough Conn, against the backdrop of solitary Mount Nephin, this ancestral home is the very epitome of a Georgian country house in Ireland. Guests are hosted by Susan Kellett and her son, DJ, in a warm, inviting ambience. Bedrooms are spacious, and there is a comfy drawing room with open fire and much-faded Adam wallpaper. Guests meet over drinks before excellent, pared-back suppers cooked by Susan with produce from the organic walled garden. After breakfast, explore the 19th-century pleasure grounds, fish in the Lough, or follow nature trails through ancient woodland. Ty Mawr Brechfa, Carmarthenshire, Wales On the edge of Brechfa Forest in the Cothi valley, this 17th-century country house wins plaudits as “a lovely comfortable hotel”, with individually styled bedrooms, locally sourced food, and great walks from the door. Lastingham Grange Lastingham, Yorkshire, England There is a home-from-home ethos at this former farmhouse on the edge of Spaunton Moor, owned by the Wood family for 70 years, where comforts include tea with scones, a dinner menu that changes each night, and breakfasts of kippers and Yorkshire ham. Warwick Hall Carlisle, Cumbria, England Fishing is popular on the River Eden, which loops around the estate at this dog-friendly mansion, where the day begins with a hearty Cumbrian breakfast, tea is served by the drawing room fire, and guests convene for dinner in the dual-aspect dining room. The Priory Wareham, Dorset, England Four acres of English cottage gardens on the banks of the River Frome surround this former monastery, home to smart and stylish bedrooms and a glass-walled dining room, where chef Stephan Guinebault’s menus draw inspiration from his grandmother’s cooking on her Loire Valley farm. The Old Rectory Martinhoe, Devon, England In a remote hamlet in rolling countryside between Exmoor and the sea, Huw and Sam Rees-Prosser have created the kind of hotel where friends would love to gather, hosting guests for drinks and canapés before they dine from an imaginative nightly menu. oldrectoryhotel.co.uk Read reviews of the best UK hotels Read More Best UK hotels 2022 Best luxury hotels in Scotland for 2022 Family-friendly hotels in the UK for style, location and value Best Isle of Wight hotels 2023 Best hotels in Devon 2023 Best hotels in Europe 2023

Fans of The Kardashians are thrilled to have Scott Disick back on screens, mostly for his chaotic one-liners that some viewers have said "carry the show". Well now, Disick, Kourtney Kardashian's ex-partner of 10 years and father of their three children Mason, Penelope and Reign, has expressed a very unique birthday wish for his 40th back in May. On a recent episode of the famed reality show, Disick, who required back surgery as a result of a car accident in August 2022, said it "changed everything" in his life, including his weight and sex life, candidly telling a doctor: "Now I can’t move, so I’m terrible." Khloe Kardashian then asked him whether sex was the motivator for him to complete physical therapy, to which he asked: "Get back on the wagon to f***? No motion to me.” He then shared how a spiritual healer suggested microdosing mushrooms, which he admitted to not being his thing. "I figure better off doing the therapy than getting possibly abused by her," Disick said, seemingly referring to the healer. "So I’m happy to commit to this." Things then took a wild turn, when he brought Khloe into the mix. "And then on my 40th birthday, or something maybe? Me and you?" he joked, to which a confused Khloe hit back: "Me and you, what?" "I don’t know, you heard him," Disick responded. Khloe hilariously shut down his ideas, saying: "You might have bumped your head as well. Maybe you need a brain surgery." "No, but on my 40th birthday maybe I’ll feel better," Disick replied. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

During an exclusive interview, Jack Antonoff spoke about his working relationship and friendship with Taylor Swift

'Publicly speaking, we are seeing this robust support from President Biden,' said Kristen Welker, 'But privately, US officials are urging restraint'

Will Smith has broken his silence after Jada Pinkett Smith made a bombshell revelation about their relationship last week. Ahead of her memoir Worthy, Jada revealed to Hoda Kotb on Today that she and Will hadn't been together for seven years – they just simply never divorced. Jada told the host that she "made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce" and that the pair will "work through whatever". "I just haven't been able to break that promise," she said. Jada went on to confirm that she and Will also live separately, and when asked how the two maintained the arrangement, she responded: "I think just not being ready yet." She also added that they are "still trying to figure out" how to be a partnership and how to explain that to people. EXCLUSIVE: Jada Pinkett Smith reveals she and Will Smith have been separated since 2016 www.youtube.com The star then discussed to infamous Oscar slap, when Will assaulted Chris Rock after the comedian jokingly called Jada "G.I. Jane". But, there was one small detail that shocked her even more than the incident itself. "First of all, I’m really shocked, because mind you, I’m not there. We haven’t called each other husband and wife in a long time," she said. "I’m like, ‘What is going on right now? Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth?’ I’m really worried for Will because I don’t know what’s going on." Will has since opened up about the revelations from Jada's new book, calling her more "resilient, clever and compassionate than he’d understood". "When you’ve been with someone for more than half of your life a sort of emotional blindness sets in, and you can all too easily lose your sensitivity to their hidden nuances and subtle beauties," he told The New York Times. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

'Love is Blind' Season 5 star Stacy Snyder is speculated to be dating 'MAFS' star Ryan Ignasiak

'Love is Blind' Season 5 stars Stacy Synder and Izzy Zapata kissed each other after the show

Cristina, Ana, and Antonio Donatti make a dramatic appearance on 'Stranded With My Mother-in-law'

There’s something enchanting about the mellow-misted colours of Borough Market in autumn that I find utterly absorbing and truly magical. Hypnotic shades of rusted ochre reds, dark butterscotch browns, plum purples, mustard yellows, forest greens and golden copper oranges. It’s a palette of comforting abundance, which ushers forth the only season of the year whose flavours exhilarate the tastebuds just as much as they soothe the soul. Russet red Discovery apples are one of the first fruits to arrive. Their sweet-acidic bite and floral strawberry notes pair fantastically with cheeses like Cumin Gouda or Bath Soft Cheese, drizzled with a kiss of truffle honey if feeling fancy. Tart ombré-green Bramley apples call for slow baking into cinnamon-sugar scented pies, old fashioned crumbles or streusel-topped crisps – the latter being particularly delicious with the addition of toasted coconut, rum-soaked sultanas, and a pinch of warming green cardamon. But the cornucopia of autumn’s apples also takes wonderfully to savoury treatment in the kitchen. A recipe I discovered recently from a north Italian neighbour is Tuscan sausage baked apples. The apples are sliced across the top to create a lid, hollowed out, then stuffed with a piquant filling of spiced Italian sausage meat, garlic, crushed fennel seeds, finely chopped shallots, toasted breadcrumbs, pecorino, wine vinegar and a splash of vermouth. Bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes until the apples are burnished outside and the filling cooked through – it makes for the most sumptuous autumnal supper with big hunks of focaccia to mop up the juices. Braeburn and Egremont Russets are great varieties for this, their hard-fleshed nuttiness adding an extra dimension of flavour to the dish. One of the most thrilling markers of autumn in the market are chalkboard signs blazoned with the word “WILD”: a moniker attached to both mushrooms and game birds, both of which have their moment at this time of year. Girolles, chanterelles, pheasant and partridge are a quartet of ingredients that cry out to be married together in a pie. This is an occasion for a crumbly lardy pastry, generous sprigs of fresh rosemary and a good splash of vin jaune or dry sherry for yeasted acidic kick. The comedic sight of squashes piled high in wooden market crates in an assortment of gnarly shapes and speckled colours always looks to me like a convention of delicious misfits gathered together for their annual symposium. Their names alone – butternut, acorn, pumpkin, delicata – have an inviting poetry that autumn’s harvests alone possess. My favourite among them is the kabocha – a dappled green gourd with a fluffy orange inside that tastes of fired chestnuts, floral honey and sweet potato all at once. Roasted at 180C for 30 minutes in elliptic boat shapes with a generous glug of olive oil and either a sprinkling of ras al hanout, a splash of ponzu or a scattering of freshly torn sage, it makes the perfect accompaniment to any autumnal roast. But I think kabocha squash is most delicious when gently baked with a little brown sugar and grated nutmeg, then blitzed to a velvety orange mash for enriching autumnal deserts. A deep-filled pumpkin pie is the truly classic way to go, but the bake I turn to on repeat every autumn is the kabocha, olive oil, and bittersweet chocolate cake from Los Angeles-based restaurant, Gjlena. Eaten warm from the oven in a puddle of vanilla custard, its rich, buttery texture and intense roasted-squash flavour is the bear-hug of comfort that autumn’s colder days demand. The market’s fruits of the sea also flourish at this time of year. Turbot – king of the flatfish – is exquisite in the prime of autumn. With its firm flaky texture and delicate flavour, it takes well to spicing – but always do so with subtlety. I like to pan fry well-seasoned fillets in a little oil with a good knob of butter, crisping up the skin side for 3-4 minutes. Complete by flipping over and adding a pinch of a single spice to the frothy butter, as suits your mood. Crushed black lime will add zesty smokiness, finely ground pink peppercorns bring lemony fruitiness, or for something a little decadent, a pinch of crushed saffron pairs perfectly and tints the turbot bright sunshine yellow. Whichever direction you take it, serve with leeky spring onion champ on the side. For autumnal suppers with a more brazen hit of spice, I turn to the season’s fresh clams, which arrive at the market in abundance at this time of year. Their sweet brininess has a special affinity with the powerful flavours of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. I love them stir-fried with fresh ginger matchsticks, bruised lemongrass, slivers of garlic, a little tamarind paste, palm sugar, fish sauce and a chiffonade of Thai basil to finish. Add a birdseye chilli if you want a touch of autumnal heat and serve with fragrant jasmine rice. Alternatively, there is no better time than now to be making spaghetti alle vongole on repeat! Bundles of freshly excavated beetroot, dotted around Borough’s market halls like giant purple baubles, are the quintessence of earthy sweetness that makes cooking in autumn so homely. For a simple warming lunch dish, keep the beets unpeeled then slice into thick discs. Jumble together in a shallow roasting tin with blanched purple kale, a jar of Spanish chickpeas, a glug of tarragon vinegar, maple syrup and a generous sprinkle of smoked salt. Roasted at 190C for 30-40 minutes, it makes for a delicious vegan bake. These cooked beetroots are equally delicious blitzed into a soup with some good vegetable stock and obligatory ripple of double cream just before serving. Garnishing with Kentish cobnuts will add hazelnutty crunch, while shavings of manchego cheese add a delicious tang. Among Borough’s most welcoming autumn arrivals are the wicker baskets of pear-shaped quinces in muted shades of custard yellow. They make for the most delicious autumnal breakfast compotes and chutneys – marrying just as well with vanilla bean, cinnamon and sugar as they do with freshly grated ginger, cider vinegar and star anise. Their sweet citrussy bitterness also makes them wonderful for baking into brown sugar upside-down cakes, pairing gloriously with toasted almonds and marzipan. I particularly love cubes of quince gently stewed in orange juice, honey and cognac for layering into nostalgic trifles, with dense madeira cake and pillowy orange blossom whipped cream. But of all the sights in the market, it’s the majestic purple of ripe autumn figs that brings me most joy. Their flavours are so intensely raisiny at this time of year that I like to eat them fresh – simply score in a cross with a knife, then gently squeeze open like a ruby-seeded lotus. Their syrupy sweet flavours can be amplified even further by adding savoury sweet adornments for devouring together in the same bite. The flavour-chord trio of ripe figs, crumbled Stichelton and sour cherry molasses is rather special. But what I love most is a slice of warm sourdough with the jammiest soft figs of the season smooshed on top like an avocado – then decorated with slivers of pickled walnut, fresh thyme and a little flaky salt. It’s a combination that both enlivens your palate and comforts your senses in equal measure. All the magic of autumn on toast – simply sublime! For more information on what you can find at Borough Market, visit: boroughmarket.org.uk Read More How to shop at Borough Market in the summer Obsessed with Boursin? It’s the perfect way to elevate your leftovers Spice up your life: Three recipes from Nadiya Hussain’s new book that bring the heat Budget Bites: Three one-pan recipes that minimise on washing up

While Devin Hoofman tries to impress her partner's parents to win their approval for marriage, Nick finds it hard to adjust in the US

Johnie Maraist split with Chris Fox after he cheated 'Love is Blind' Season 5 star

President Joe Biden is weighing a trip to Israel, adding to the US diplomatic push after Secretary of