‘The homely ambience and first-rate hospitality make this friendly place exceptionally attractive.’ A cottage in name only, Katrina and Derek Gray’s Georgian manor house in the Yorkshire Wolds stands amid landscaped gardens, farmland, and grounds shared, improbably, with a caravan club. Guide inspectors in 2017 stepped into a ‘gracious entrance hall’ to receive a ‘warm welcome’. ‘Personable and easy with conversation – as is her husband, who farms the lambs – Katrina offered help with the suitcase, and a cup of tea.’ There are fresh flowers, original art and a pair of Staffordshire china dogs in the public rooms; ‘excellent-value accommodation’ is upstairs in the main house and in a converted barn across the paved yard. ‘Our spacious, elegant suite had a huge bed and a spotlessly clean bathroom. Thick curtains – and a bottle of sloe gin – ensured that we were always cosy.’ For guests too cosy to head out in the evening, Katrina Gray cooks a communal dinner by arrangement. ‘We enjoyed a fresh prawn and avocado starter, chicken casserole with vegetables and rice, and decent wine by the glass – with a free top-up.’ Breakfast, with home-made jams and bread, is praised.