Three Cranes, The

A 17th century inn located in the attractive village of Turvey, ten miles west of Bedford, this is the sort of stuff old England is made from. Essentially an inn with rooms there are three comfortable en-suite bedrooms.

Mentioned in the Good Food Guide, the restaurant offers a menu that hovers somewhere between brasserie and gastropub, and could include amongst the starters a traditional seafood cocktail, duck pate or a classic dish of moules marinière in white wine, garlic, herbs and shallots.

Fish features strongly; look out for the butterflied seabass topped with prawns. Amongst the range of steaks a 10oz gammon steak with a brace of eggs competes for attention with a 16oz T bone, both competitively priced. Other main dishes go traditional, with a trio of Burley sausages and mash, or mushroom stroganoff on a bed of rice with salad. Steak and kidney pudding, game pie and steak and Abbot ale pie are all consistently popular, and there is a separate dessert menu that catches the mood of the day.

They say that their wine list is intended to amuse, please and intrigue, which it most certainly does, with new-source wines taking a leading role.