Goldstone Hall

There are many special things about John and Sue Cushing’s red brick Georgian manor house in Shropshire dairy country, from the ‘excellent food’ to ‘spotless, spacious and well-planned bedrooms’, but the flower-filled borders and vast kitchen garden are truly remarkable. Open to the public from March to October under the Royal Horticultural Society Partner Garden scheme, they supply much of the produce for Liam Philbin’s tasting menus. Garden-to-plate dishes might feature venison loin, faggot, parsnip, pine, cavolo nero, elderberry sauce; for vegetarians, beetroot, goat’s cheese mousse, truffle honey, sourdough crackers. Of the wide choice of bedrooms, one has an impressive antique four-poster, while a garden room with a massive bath and power shower looks out over resplendent rose beds, through an ancient acacia. All have a fridge, milk and home-baked cookies. A ‘delicious breakfast with freshly squeezed juices’ is served in the orangery. ‘The gardens are beautiful, but the overwhelming memory is of the proprietors and the friendly yet totally professional staff.’ (Christopher Smith, and others)