Wallett's Court Country House Hotel & Spa

You would never guess from the simple whitewashed exterior, but this family-run country-house hotel has at its heart a 17th-century Jacobean manor house. It sits in lovely gardens handily close for appetite-sharpening walks over the white cliffs of Dover; no bluebirds, though - they are not native to the UK. At dinner, the restaurant's oak beams, inglenook fireplaces and candlelit tables conjure a romantic ambience, but there's nothing stuck in the nostalgic past when it comes to the kitchen's efforts. The kitchen explores the modern British idiom creatively but without ruffling any feathers, and there's a solid sense of place in the locally-sourced ingredients. Begin with a tartare of Sussex Red beef teamed with a sous-vide duck egg, watercress and pickled shiitaki mushrooms, then give Kentish venison a workout with a three-way presentation of roast loin, pan-fried liver and suet pudding with celeriac fondue, red onion marmalade and truffled pommes purées.