‘A hit! Just our kind of hotel,’ say trusted reviewers of this ‘small but luxurious’ retreat set in ‘ravishing countryside’ in the Forest of Dean. Owners Hari and Colin Fell have given the 13th-century farmhouse and clutch of farm buildings a boutique feel, so that rooms with beams and exposed stonework are equipped with ‘everything of the highest quality’. Bedrooms vary in size (the smallest ‘is not big but is well furnished’); all have a coffee machine and Bramley toiletries. Families might opt for the cottage suite – ‘perfect for us upstairs and the little ones on the ground floor’, with direct access to the ‘lovely’ garden. New chef Joe Williams joined last autumn but ‘style and quality’ of the seasonal dishes, made from local ingredients where possible, remain unchanged. The tasting menu is ‘quite superb’, and includes such delights as duck liver parfait with red onion marmalade, and pork belly with pickled pear and parsnip purée. Breakfast is ‘utterly delicious’, in particular the scrambled eggs. ‘The chef has changed but the house style and quality haven’t.’ ‘Superb in every way.’ (Peter Anderson, Andrew Kleissner, T and SR)