Lewtrenchard Manor

The quintessentially English charm of this Jacobean manor hidden away in a secretive valley on the fringes of Dartmoor's elemental beauty is impossible to resist. Lewtrenchard is shot through with the patina of four centuries and comes with a full complement of oak panelling, magnificent plasterwork ceilings, stained-glass windows, roaring log fires in walk-in fireplaces, and period furniture. Despite the rich banquet of ancient features, this is not a hushed, mind-the-antiques sort of place, more comfortingly opulent, and run with correctly formal, but never frosty service. While all of this is reason enough to visit Lewtrenchard, chef-patron Jason Hornbuckle has also made the place a dining destination in its own right. Once you have walked up an appetite exploring the woodlands, streams and ponds of its immaculate grounds - perhaps humming Onward Christian Soldiers, as a nod to Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould who wrote the hymn when he lived here - the candlelit, panelled dining room overlooking the delightful colonnaded courtyard awaits. Jason Hornbuckle and his team place great emphasis on seasonal, local and home-grown ingredients - the walled kitchen garden produces much of the fresh produce for a repertoire of bang up-to-date ideas. A melt-in-the-mouth ballottine of salmon arrives with caper purée, tomato salsa and seared scallop in starter of great technical precision, then roasted rump of lamb follows in a well-balanced marriage with shallot marmalade, sprouts, celery tops and rosemary jus. At dessert, pineapple and shortbread add a twist to a spot-on crème brûlée with passionfruit sorbet. If the excusivity of the chef's table concept appeals, the Purple Carrot private dining room provides an interactive experience with the chefs via a wall of split-screen TVs.