Jesmond Dene House

It is hard to imagine that this late-Georgian mansion overlooking the woody glade of Jesmond Dene is just a five-minute drive from the centre of Newcastle; an air of rural calm pervades the place, inviting you to amble around the gardens before lunch or dinner. The house itself was built to impress visiting dignitaries, movers and shakers by shipping and arms magnate Lord Armstrong in the 1820s, and in the 21st century, a lavish makeover by Tyneside restaurant maestro Terry Laybourne has injected sleek contemporary design, classy fabrics, and an earthy colour palette spiked with flourishes of bright tangerine, cheek-by-jowl with original Arts and Crafts features. Whether you dine in the former music room or the light-flooded Garden Room with its inviting summer terrace, the service is charming and professional. Sourcing of high-quality produce is at the heart of the kitchen's ethos, with Lindisfarne oysters and Northumberland venison championed among its assured dishes. Well-honed classical French techniques are brought to bear on a creative modern output that could see braised ox tongue partnered inventively with pickled oysters, cucumber and horseradish cream - a dazzling start to a meal. Main courses might bring monkfish off the local day-boats, served with saffron linguini, razor clams and pied bleu mushrooms, or Galloway flat-iron steak with fat-cut chips and béarnaise. Desserts continue to thrill: chocolate and salted caramel sphere with peanut ice cream may well steal the show.