Phillip Gill and Anton van der Horst’s ‘warm welcoming’ B&B is adored by a cohort of regular returnees. ‘It felt like coming home,’ writes a reader after this year’s visit. ‘It is a perfect venue for a real treat.’ The afternoon teas with home-made scones were greatly enjoyed, as were Phillip’s ‘outstanding seasonal’ dinners. ‘They were obviously prepared by a confident, imaginative cook.’ An endive gratin was followed by a slow-cooked duck leg, and a delicious apricot and almond tart. ‘We left room for the cheeseboard, knowledgeably presented by Anton.’ Public rooms in the architect-designed 1960s house are filled with antiques, ‘enticing bookcases and amazing art’. They gaze across ‘beautiful gardens’, planted by Anton, to the Howardian hills. ‘Our spacious bedroom was well equipped, with Penhaligon toiletries, binoculars on the windowsill – even a bowl of chocolates to dip into while watching the rabbits on the lawn.’ After an ‘excellent breakfast’ (‘What makes the Shallowdale House scrambled eggs so good?’), there are ‘some great (hilly) walks straight from the house’. Helmsley and the delightful Scampston Garden are a short drive away. (Mary Hewson, and others)