Lemon Tree, The

The Lemon Tree is a comfortable, 11-bedroom hotel in Wrexham town centre. The contemporary style and authentic flavours of its Italian restaurant recreate a host of Mediterranean memories. Carmine and Colette de Pasquale offer a wonderful blend of home-cooked Italian food, comfortable accommodation and warm hospitality.

The "neo-gothic" style building on Rhosddu Road has a long history. It was designed by a local Wrexham architect, James Reynolds Gummow, built as a private residence in 1865 and named "Abbotsfield". At some stage it became the Denbighshire and Clwyd Area Education Office; during the war years, one wing was given over to "The Abbotsfield Priory War Nursery".

In 1982 it opened as an hotel, retaining both the Abbotsfield Priory name and many of the features from the original building. It also had a spell as the "Graffiti Italiano", before its current transformation by new owners into The Lemon Tree.

Head Chef, Carmine, from Abruzzo, infuses all his cuisine with genuine Italian passion. The aromas from the kitchen let you know you have the genuine article. Flexibility, or as they say in Italy, "siamo flessibile", is the key when it comes to their menus. You can pop in for a bowl of delicious pasta or you can linger over a full-blown Italian extravaganza. Parties are welcome with menus selected to suit.

Every dish on their menu is home-cooked using the very best in fresh seasonal and local ingredients. You could start your meal with a mouth-watering range of antipasti, fresh homemade soups or seafood. For pasta lovers there's a huge choice of well-known and original dishes plus Carmine's award-winning risotto.

Main courses may include meat or fish dishes in quintessential Italian sauces or a typical rich flavoured steak with balsamic roasted red onion and Dolcelatte cheese whilst a wide range of vegetable and cheese dishes make the menus eminently accessible for those wanting a vegetarian option.

Sweets are always an Italian love and Carmine's menus include classic tiramisu, with sponge biscuits soaked in Amaretto, and crostata di cioccolata, a dark chocolate tartlet with sweetened mascarpone cream.