Beech House & Olive Branch

A defunct local pub, rescued by a trio of friends in 1999, is ‘a wonderful place to eat’, with rooms in ‘gorgeous Georgian’ Beech House opposite. Ben Jones, one of the original Olive Branch Three, works closely with head chef Luke Holland to maintain the ethos. The restaurant has ‘a cosy cottage feel’, where you can ‘sit around a log fire’, while alfresco dining includes gazebos on the terrace and a marquee in the paddock where produce for the kitchen is grown. Menus of locally produced and foraged ingredients include dishes such as roast 28-day mature beef, with Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes; kelp-cured Cornish cod with wild-garlic salad cream and sea vegetables. Finish up with a rhubarb and custard mess. Bedrooms have antiques and good fabrics. Chocolate suite has a king-size and twin beds, a lounge and wet room. Ground-floor Berry has a carved French bed, patio seating, a power shower over a double-ended bath. ‘Superb breakfasts’ are sourced from surrounding farms – except for the oranges, which you squeeze yourself, or ask one of the ‘attentive, knowledgeable’ staff to do it for you. (Deborah Wooldridge, MM-D)