老马厩

Neil and Louise Hitchen have been working in restaurants around the world together for 20 years, with their current venture set inside this pretty stone barn. There’s a rustic quality to the décor, which pairs nicely with the lovely warm welcome given by natural host Louise and her bright young team. Neil heads up the kitchen, producing well-priced, seasonal dishes that are so appealing you might struggle to choose – go for the banana panna cotta to finish and you won’t be disappointed. The wine list is as wallet-friendly as the food.

The eponymous John was raised right here on the family farm and now provides excellent field-to-fork dining inside its 16th-century farmhouse. His brother Tom looks after the 400-acre estate, which provides herbs, vegetables, fruits and multiple meats that inform and inspire the tasting menus. The kitchen has the skill to let these flavours shine, in dishes that come with a personal and playful touch – such as a take on classic duck pancakes. You start with drinks on the ground floor and are then shown upstairs to the rustic restaurant with its exposed bricks and beams.

The old water pump out the back hints at its days as the village forge but this is now a brightly decorated, intimate restaurant run with natural warmth by its experienced owners. The seasonally minded tasting menu is composed of ambitious, creative dishes overflowing with different flavours and textures; if you're lucky, it might include the excellent beef Wellington, which is presented and sliced at the table for a welcome bit of theatre. Boutique bedrooms are available if you're exploring the area.