Lavish, ‘prompt and very attentive’ hospitality is the order of the day at this ‘distinguished’ family-run hotel in an ‘imposing’ Regency house surrounded by 36 acres of grounds. The approach winds past ‘extensive, well-kept gardens with gravel paths and tended topiary’, woodland, a lake and manicured lawns. The large entrance hall’s grand piano adds to the ‘highest-quality stylish ambience’. Antiques, low-slung armchairs and fresh flowers fill two lounges. Upstairs, passing ‘an impressive triple chandelier’, Guide inspectors considered their bedroom ‘a very pleasant environment, with lined cream curtains, a super-king-size bed, firm mattress and soft pillows adding up to a most restful sleep’. More sockets and a full-length mirror would have been even better. Chef Ruadhan Furlong’s ‘tempting’ menu in the fine-dining Conservatory restaurant was ‘division one without quite being top of the league’, with such dishes as guineafowl, chicory, prune, polenta and red cabbage. Breakfast was thought ‘excellent’. Marlfield House’s garden-to-table ethos also shines through in the Duck, where the casual, modern fusion menu includes haddock tempura; lamb kofta kebabs on rosemary skewers, served in recently renovated courtyard buildings.