Restaurant Gilmore at Strine's Farm

Sweep up the long drive to the Gilmore's converted farmhouse restaurant for hearty modern British cooking set in a pretty cottage garden. The house has the anticipated country charm and comforts, with the restaurant divided between a number of intimate ground-floor rooms decorated in warm neutral tones and tables laid with crisp white linen. The kitchen (with Paul Gilmore behind the stove) deals in quality produce, looking to the local Staffordshire larder wherever possible, including the property's own kitchen garden which supplies some of the fresh fruit, veg and herbs. Everything is home-made, while seasonality is a given and attention to detail reigns in dishes underpinned by a classical theme. Poached blade of Staffordshire beef 'bourguignonne' (with onions, mushrooms, bacon and mash), for example, or baked fillet of brill served with a spiced tomato and brown shrimp velouté, and to finish, maybe a signature bread-and-butter pudding with rich vanilla sauce anglaise.