With splendid views over the Dartmoor National Park to Haytor, Ilsington offers a very warm welcome to its guests. An important part of that welcome is the splendidly modern cooking which brings to the table dishes of sufficient excellence to meet the challenge of an appetite whetted by hours of walking amongst those stunningly beautiful hills.

Start perhaps with the chicken liver and fois gras parfait, with a kumquat and red onion compote and warm brioche. The pan-fried saddle of venison accompanied by seared wild mushrooms and a juniper and thyme jus, seems to bring the very spirit of the moors to the table.

The egg custard tart with a lemongrass ice cream might just leave sufficient space for an incursion in amongst those West Country cheeses to which I have referred so deferentially before, especially when there is some interesting port on the wine list.