Ox Pasture Hall Country Hotel

Reclining in 17 acres on the North York Moors, only a couple of miles from Scarborough, the stone-built hall looks more soft-focus Cotswold than most people's idea of rugged Yorkshire. That said, the exposed stone walls and foursquare furnishings inside have a coolly understated air, banishing any sense of chintziness. Pastel-hued walls and a tiled floor lend the Courtyard dining-room the air of a Provençal farmhouse, and the approach of staff is cheeringly friendly. The kitchen marches manfully into the modern British arena, taking on the presentational tricks of today's ambitious cooking (think slate-plates, Kilner jars and squiggles of sauce), but it's all in a good cause, as the results on the palate are strong and convincing. Roast breast and confit leg of quail make a confident starter, alongside a slice of black pudding roulade in honey-mustard dressing, or there might be a labour-intensive, impressive four-way rendition of Whitby crab - as crabcake, sandwich, tian and bisque, served with a blini. Fish and meat combinations are handled with assurance, as when stone bass is teamed with merguez sausage, along with white beans and gnocchi, and themed desserts take on chocolate and orange, orchard fruits and caramel.