Brockencote Hall

A long winding drive leads past a lake to this Victorian mansion, remodelled in the 1940s in the style of a Loire château, with parkland, fountain and 17th-century dovecote. ‘We were impressed with the service, ambience and accommodation,’ writes a reader this year. Part of the Eden Hotel Collection (see also Mallory Court, Leamington Spa), it has a country house feel with its impressive hallway and fireplace, though ‘the bar looked as if it could have been shipped in from the Premier Inn’. The hotel now welcomes dogs, who can stay in some of the 21 rooms. These are ‘spacious, with a comfy bed, more easy chairs than guests to fill them’, and have a modern bathroom. There are ‘nice touches such as cafetière coffee, fresh fruit, savoury nibbles and home-made biscuits’. At dinner – ‘fantastic, beautifully presented and delicious’ – Tim Jenkins caters to all tastes, with such dishes as crispy chestnut polenta, Jerusalem artichoke, sprouts and elderberries, or braised ox cheek, Roscoff onions, salsify and port jus. ‘Breakfast has a good choice. I was especially cheered to be able to enjoy some Bury black pudding.’ (Jill Cox, and others)