Trinity Bistro at The Crown and Castle

Orford, so close to London, really is one of the last bastions of old England, good for a weekend away from it all, a mini holiday or even an overnight break; whatever the cause be sure to include the Crown and Castle somewhere on your itinerary. Ruth Watson, she of Fat Girl Slim fame, besides showing people the way towards enjoying their eating whilst retaining a decent figure, caters for those who soldier steadily on enjoying the good things of life, notably decent food.

Starters could include a fish panoply with Orford-smoked trout and prawns, gravadlax, oyster and Shetland-smoked salmon, or Spanish almond soup, with its normally rather mild flavour energized by the addition of smoked paprika and crunchy toasted almonds.

The rump of English lamb comes with Moorish-spiced cauliflower, pistachio and barberry ragout, and a local, properly hung sirloin steak with porcini and tarragon glaze accompanied by hand-cut chips has a good ring to it.

The gooseberry fool is made with Jersey cream and is legendary. Their wine list is not far short of 150 bins with a good range of half-bottles and house wine at £14.50. No children under 9 years.

There has been an inn on the site of the Crown and Castle for centuries, although it is the Victorians whom we have to thank for its present red-brick exterior and high, gabled roof.

With a picture-book, Norman castle (or keep, to be precise) just yards away, the hotel stands on the corner of Orford's old market square, and has a south-facing garden to the rear, where guests can eat al fresco in the summer.

The 18 en-suite bedrooms are divided between the main house and the garden, the latter being particularly suitable for guests bringing dogs, or those who prefer to be on the ground floor.

Each garden room also has the benefit of a small terrace with table and chairs ideal for reading the papers or soaking up the afternoon sun. (The east coast enjoys particularly dry weather with lots of blue skies.)

Bedrooms in the hotel itself are all on the first floor and either look out over a pleasant neighbouring garden and the market square, or have far-reaching views over the tranquil estuary and out to the North Sea, where ships dot the horizon.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.