All is peaceful at John and Sue Cushing’s 18th-century manor house hotel, approached down a country lane embraced by green fields. ‘Intimate and informal’, the ‘uniformly brilliant’ family enterprise was begun by Mr Cushing’s mother, Helen Ward, in 1983; today, the Cushings’ daughter Victoria is a ‘chatty and personable’ presence front-of-house. Bedrooms are stocked with bathrobes and slippers, fresh milk, home-baked biscuits and ‘lots of different teas’. ‘Our cosy room was tastefully furnished, and had delightful views of the grounds. The bed was super comfy – we could have slept for days.’ ‘Inviting’ lounges have plenty of space to breathe easy, but make time for a stroll down the great lawn and into the walled garden – the work of ‘talented gardeners’. At dinner – there’s an open fireplace in the Arts and Crafts-style dining room – chef Chris Weatherstone’s ‘beautifully presented’ dishes, perhaps poussin, braised leeks, chervil root, make imaginative use of produce from the ‘extraordinary’ fruit and vegetable garden. Breakfast is roundly praised: freshly squeezed orange juice, home-baked bread, ‘perfectly poached eggs’, ‘excellent veggie options’. (PI, and others)