A small-scale country house with a resolutely traditional charm, Esseborne sits in undulating countryside high above the beautiful Bourne Valley. There is plenty of Victorian character in its plushly furnished interior, and pride of place goes to the formal dining room, where immaculately-laid tables look through large sash windows to the gardens and rolling farmland. The kitchen garners raw materials from the local area for an ambitious, sparsely-worded menu of contemporary dishes built on classic and modern flavour combinations. Pan-seared scallops with beetroot and apple is a typical starter, then beef might appear as a 53-degree-cooked fillet with foie gras, white beans and wild mushrooms.