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Located in a very traditional brick-built Essex gentleman's house this Chinese restaurant has achieved a reputation for excellence and high standards. They specialise in Pekingese and Szechwan cuisine, served in surroundings that are impeccably Oriental. One of their specialities is hand-carved vegetables, which strikes me as the ultimate sacrifice or extreme dedication. But very beautiful they are and you soon summon up the necessary sang froid to devour them. They also do excellent mornings when you can learn how to cook the proper way, followed by lunch, which is excellent value at £25. In the gastronomic desert which is Essex, with the customary notable exceptions, it is heartening to be able to number an ethnic cuisine amongst them.

With distinctive flair, Richard Forbes and David Whitnell have created at Crofters Brasserie a pleasant, innovative style encapsulated in their menu and wine list, all aided and abetted by a casual, laidback atmosphere, making the whole a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Crofters is located just off the high street in Witham; their décor is colourful, warm, soothing, and sophisticated urban chic. They describe their menu as natural fusion 'blending the very best and freshest that nature has to offer', with a variety of seafood, steaks, pastas, as well as more sophisticated dishes and delicious desserts.

Examples of popular dishes might include first courses such as shredded duck wontons and Asian spice baked crab crispy croutes, followed by slow roasted belly of pork, and Crofters gourmet beef burger.

What was once a large period farmhouse with outbuildings has been converted to the delightful Rivenhall Hotel in the late 1960s, now with an oak-beamed Wildberry Bistro, a large banqueting suite, 55 bedrooms and a hi-life fitness centre, it certainly makes a remarkable bid for attention.

If you're toying with the idea of trying some bistro favourites take you pick from sautéed duck liver and raspberry vinegar, to smoked salmon served with a warm blini and a chives crème fraîche. Main courses too follow suit with the chef's signature dish of supreme of chicken filled with garlic and lime mousse with Parmesan cheese risotto and tomato salsa giving it that peppy complement it needs. Desserts of iced banana and praline parfait and spiced poached pineapple served with vanilla bean ice cream also create an impression.

There's plenty of activity to keeps outdoor enthusiasts busy, with the neighbouring historical towns of Colchester and Chelmsford not too far away.