Combe House - Devon

The drive through the 3,500-acre estate engenders a sense of anticipation here, and the first glimpse of the Elizabethan manor cannot fail to impress. The interior gives the impression of an ancestral home: all elegant plasterwork ceilings, panelled walls hung with oils and fires crackling in large grates. The chefs depend on the restored Victorian garden for vegetables, fruit and herbs, sourcing all meat, fish and game nearby. Seasonality is thus the key, and some top-end ingredients are well handled, with a thought for the marriage of flavours and textures. Scallops might appear - seared and partnered by parsnip purée and spiced raisins - as might quail - roasted and accompanied by pancetta and cauliflower two ways (pannacotta and tempura). Main courses could present seared John Dory with crab cannelloni and ginger cream, and good use is made of fruit at pudding, with rhubarb going into a crumble and parfait, and raspberries into summer pudding and served with ripple ice cream.