Plumber Manor

Standing amid flower-filled gardens, with the Devilish stream skipping through, this dog-friendly, child-friendly Jacobean manor house is traditional with a capital T. It is a family affair, having been in the same family since it was built; today it is run by Alison and Richard Prideaux-Brune, with Richard’s brother Brian in the kitchen alongside chef Louis Haskell. Antique-filled rooms have a timeless air that cuts both ways. ‘It does not seem to have changed since the 1980s, and many of the clientele are delighted with that,’ write readers. Some who felt that it was looking too dated should rejoice that they have been refurbishing: the courtyard annexe bathrooms have been upgraded, and we hope now never to hear the word ‘avocado’ except in a culinary context. ‘A jolly lady behind the bar served G&Ts with gusto’ while, in the dining room, ‘Richard was very friendly, talking tennis and golf, and checking that everyone was enjoying dinner’. The nightly-changing menu comprises ‘very good if old-fashioned’ dishes from, say, chicken liver pâté to a trolley of desserts, by way of fillet of beef (‘really enjoyed’).