Tuddenham Mill

Located in northwest Suffolk, in between Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds and not far from Cambridge, Tuddenham Mill, a converted 12th century flour mill has all the inbuilt charm and permanence that one might expect from its history and such a superb setting. Much of the machinery remains intact and on view and the mill pool provides a soothing view from the restaurant and a number of rooms.

The clever combination of new and old is one of the principal charms of this restaurant with rooms and nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the bedrooms where old oak beams run riot, the floorboards are white, and the massive doubled-ended stone baths in some of the rooms are an object of extreme envy to those who do not have one in theirs. Walk in showers, fluffy bath sheets and exclusive toiletries by Jo Malone, an innovative, contemporary brand that embodies British luxury and is loved equally by men and women the world over, provide further evidence of a dedication to excellence.

Choices between the three main Mill bedrooms, eight Mill Stream and Watermeadow rooms, and the Loft Rooms are by no means easy to make, but rest assured they all attain to the same high standard including Bose sound systems, Loewe flat screen TVs and Italian designed furniture, and those memorable 6ft beds with fully sprung mattresses.

You will find an enticing choice of dishes on the main Mill menu, with five starters that include the trio of duck, each delightful in its own way and presented as spring roll of shredded duck, bean sprouts and soy; pancakes with spring onion, cucumber and hoi sin sauce, or smoked duck breast with a pickled ginger, orange and sesame salad.

Denham Estate is brought to you on a plate when you order the roast loin of venison, endive tart tatin, potato gratin and a blackberry sauce, or an assiette of lamb. One of the best things about Britain is you are never too far from the sea and vastly improved facilities for keeping seafood fresh have changed our attitude to such shibboleths as never eating fish on Monday, so dishes such as grilled délice of salmon and wild sea bass with roasted salsify, Lyonnaise potatoes and a tempura of baby fennel are both popular and trusted.

In this haven of high eating it would be nothing short of a tragedy to miss out on the desserts, and warm cherry and Kirsch pithivier with a stratachelli ice cream catches many an eye. Mill's own chocolate and mulled orange cheesecake with a glazed whisky sabayon provides a very unfair contest, but some will stick out for the cheese, not least because of its supporters, chutneys, relishes, celery and homemade breads.

A taster menu cleverly involves the leading lights amongst the chefs, with Head Chef Richard Bargewell, the inspiration behind the Tuddenham Mill menus, doing the cured fillets of sardines with grapefruit and Suffolk cyder.

Tuddenham Mill has set a new benchmark for excellence in the area. Click on their Website for further information about meetings and private functions.