Tudor Farmhouse

‘Lovely’ bedrooms, ‘triumphant’ dinners and a ‘genuine welcome’ come together at Hari and Colin Fell’s relaxed hotel on a former working farm in the Forest of Dean. Stylish rooms (some recently refurbished) are divided between the main house and two airy, converted outbuildings: expect exposed beams, wool blankets with matching cushions, arty black-and-white photos; on the tea tray, a capsule coffee machine, fresh milk and home-made shortbread. The farm and kitchen garden provide most of the ingredients for the restaurant, where new chef Rob Cox’s ‘20-mile menu’, using super-local produce, might include Longhorn beef rump, braised feather blade, watercress, wild mushrooms. (The philosophy gamely informs the drinks list, too, with Tintern wines, Monmouthshire cider, and beers from local breweries.) Sample local honey and home-made marmalade at breakfast, along with ‘excellent’ cooked dishes. Ask for a picnic and strap on those hiking boots, afterwards: the hotel is set in acres of wild flower-rich ancient grassland; Offa’s Dyke Path is a stroll away. Foraging courses, in search of wimberries or wild strawberries, may be arranged. (MC)