Willington Hall

Willington Hall, with its intricate red brickwork and tall chimneys, is surrounded by 17 acres of gardens and parkland deep in the Cheshire countryside. The Gainsborough Restaurant (named for the original Gainsborough portrait that hangs within) is open to casual guests as well as to hotel residents.

The menu is peppered with local ingredients and has picks for every palate, from a relaxed Sunday brunch to a Welsh Black steak or creamy Sri Lankan curry. The double fowl burger and pumpkin and spinach cobbler are memorable and children get their own menu: ‘Phoebe's Favourites.' Book an afternoon tea and your multi-tiered tower of treats will appear in the Study, the Drawing Room or, on blue-sky days, out on the garden terrace.

A humble bunch, Moira and her team don't like to blow their own trumpets so we'll sound the fanfare for them: this really is a solid Cheshire choice if you seek something a little fancier when travelling up country or heading west into North Wales.