‘It’s clear why so many guests return again and again.’ Huw Rees and Sam Prosser’s converted Georgian rectory, in large, well-maintained grounds, ‘is a haven of rural peace within easy reach of Exmoor and the sea’. ‘The hosts are very welcoming and accommodating.’ Guests this year ‘were delighted that drinks are a sociable event – be it afternoon tea with home-made cakes or pre-prandial drinks in the conservatory’. ‘Superbly appointed’ bedrooms, in the main building and converted coach house, have muted hues, a ‘large, comfortable bed’; those overlooking the garden are serenaded by its waterfall and stream. Pleasing extras include cafetière coffee, posh toiletries and spring water. Michael Caine acolyte Thomas Frost took over the kitchen this year. His modern British menu features just-landed fish and garden-fresh produce. ‘Well-cooked, interesting dishes, served by cheerful staff’ might include smoked duck, asparagus salad, sesame dressing; Devon beef, chateaubriand sauce. ‘Breakfast has plenty of choice’: fresh fruit smoothies; mushroom eggs Florentine; bacon from traditional breeds. Afterwards, the Exmoor coast beckons. (IM, and others)