Restaurant at The Woodhouse Hotel

A former farmhouse amidst ten of the rolling acres of Warwickshire, The Woodhouse is owned and run by a Swiss chef whose motto is 'the best ingredients, simply cooked, served in a friendly, relaxing atmosphere at a sensible cost'. Well, that's fair enough and unlike so many mottos, mission statements or well-meaning aspirations it actually seems to happen at The Woodhouse. The Orchard Room Restaurant, for this is where it all happens, looks out over the patio and gardens. Seafood is a strong point and repeated reminders about fresh oysters and mussels, not to mention North Sea Bouillabaisse tend to eclipse everything else. But who cares?

For starters such old friends as mulligatawny and lentil soup, cold buffet hors d'oeuvres, Loch Fyne scallops and baked salmon with a creamy horseradish sauce leap into the forefront. Moving on to the mains more traditional, as well as more liberated, dishes come to eye, including sautéed kidneys in a rich sherry sauce (my word, that Swiss chap knows how to lay on the pressure), a roast Barberey duckling, or a succession of carvings limited only by the ferocity of your appetite, from various joints located at a help-yourself area.

Puddings? Well, a heavy duty trolley arrives well laden down with rum babas, apple pie, trifle and other less distinguishable confections all with one thing in common, they exude cream at every point. Ah, the good old days! Wonder if they bought the trolley off The Savoy?

There seem to be a number of conclusions to draw - don't go there unless you have previously undertaken a period of starvation, don't check your cholesterol level unless you have reason to believe it may be down and don't take the children or you may need to hire a room in which to make them transportable après la guerre. Leaving such minor considerations to one side go there and thoroughly enjoy yourself, particularly for Sunday lunch which is an incredible bargain.