Built in 1719 for the Duke of Chandos, on the bailey of a Norman hilltop castle, Henry Hunter’s ‘really lovely hotel in a truly quirky village’ is sister to the highly regarded Pen-y-Dyffryn, Oswestry (see entry). ‘This was our third visit to what has become our favourite hotel,’ writes one of many approving readers this year. Smart, contemporary, ‘immaculate’ bedrooms, some for a family, some with in-room bath, overlook the town to Shropshire’s vaunted blue hills, or the south-facing gardens with tables for alfresco eating and drinking. ‘Staff are friendly and helpful.’ Steve Bruce’s ‘superb’ locally sourced dishes range from gastropub classics (beer-battered hake and chips, Welsh lamb burger) to more inventive fare, especially for veggies (black garlic risotto, butternut squash ragout, field mushroom, crispy leeks). A rare complaint came from regular guests who, on successive nights, found service slow, dinner disappointing. Nothing but praise, however, for the ‘excellent breakfast menu’ with pancakes, free-range eggs Benedict, the full Shropshire. Dogs can stay at no charge and are not merely welcome but ‘positively encouraged’. (Mr and Mrs J Glynn, Sue Cook, and many others)