New Forest trails lead to a gingerbread Arts and Crafts house, the home and B&B of ‘perfect hosts’ Ciaran and Cheryl Maher. Freshly baked cupcakes appear on guests’ arrival, perhaps with a pick-me-up from the well-stocked honesty bar. ‘Spacious, beautifully decorated’ bedrooms, in the main house and a prettily converted cottage, have a wide bed, plantation shutters; a well-appointed bathroom or wet room; a Nespresso machine; hand-made chocolates. Cottage suites have their own patio with garden access; the shepherd’s hut has a wood-burner. Breakfast orders, placed in the flowerpot outside at night, are transformed into ‘fantastic’ Aga-fresh fare: home-baked soda bread, artisan jams and honey, eggs, bacon, sausages from a nearby farm.