Kemps Country House

Embraced by rolling Dorset countryside with views across the Frome Valley and Purbeck Hills, and with easy access to the coastline, this refurbished Victorian rectory is home to a delightful country-house restaurant. It's a soothingly traditional sort of place, with well-spaced tables spilling into the adjoining conservatory that overlooks the garden. The kitchen takes a broad brush approach to its modern international output, basing its menus on fresh seasonal ingredients cooked without undue fuss. Things might get under way with a classic seafood cocktail of prawns, smoked salmon and local crab with brandy Marie Rose sauce, ahead of slow-braised shank of Dorset lamb teamed with honey-glazed roasted parsnips and rosemary jus. Finish with something comforting - bread-and-butter pudding, say, with orange, a boozy hit of whisky and vanilla custard.