Hi Chuck
I prefer B&Bs for independent travel, partly because I don't like to cook - I get more than enough of it at home. Breakfast is one of the joys of any stay in the UK for me, although I don't order all of it. Just various parts - how many and which ones depend on how hungry I am.
Usually, I have my big, hot meal at lunch time, with gleanings from a deli or similar retailer for dinner. Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer's Simply Food have good take-away selections, but the best I've found so far is Pret A Manger.
In London, I strongly prefer Passfield Hall, the LSE dorm at the north end of Bloomsbury. When classes aren't in session, it becomes a B&B, and it has amenities not usually available in B&Bs like a lift and on-site laundrette. The building has loads of character and the location can't be beat. I usually spring for one of their en-suite rooms, but they have to be booked as soon as the new season becomes available. I'll be there for several nights in mid-September while I do some genealogy research at the British Museum.
For the "organized holiday" part of each trip, for the last 20 years or so I've stuck with HF Holidays. Their country house hotels are great, with laundry facilities, a bar and free wi-fi at least in the public rooms and usually in the guest rooms, as well. No lift, but the staff is happy to help with luggage. The holidays are full board with varied, tasty and plentiful food. The holiday content is wonderful, too - lots of different topics, as well as the walking that they're known for. In September/October I'm spending a week at one of the North Wales houses (Beddgelert) for landscape photography and a week at the Derbyshire house (Thorpe) for industrial history.
Marianna