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The Shepherd and Dog in Stowmarket is simple and unpretentious but there's also an air of casual sophistication in the atmosphere, leaving you with the impression that you've entered somewhere special indeed. This remarkable country pub provides an excellent dining experience with its range of delicious, home cooked fare sourced from fresh, local produce. The bar provides a more informal ambience, definitely a spot for lounging with friends and nibbling on tasty snacks.

The AA rosette awarded restaurant offers British and French cuisine with the proverbial twist, and starters could typically be tian of avocado and crayfish with lemon, cucumber and tomato mayonnaise. Moving on to the main course, there's the grilled fillet of salmon with carrot puree, topped with a ginger, lemon and mango vinaigrette and the brandy snap basket with vanilla ice cream and nectarines in hot butterscotch sauce rounds off the meal with aplomb. The eclectic wine list offers choices from across the world with some priced quite reasonably.

Suffolk is crammed full of quaint old houses in a wide variety of settings, from deepest rural to tight urban, that say a lot about this quiet county, rich in charm. They do not come much more attractive than The Old Counting House in Haughley, just outside Stowmarket, and a real haven for those who like their wining and dining to be done amongst 14th century antiquity. Not that there is anything ancient about the cooking, far from it. Jenny and Eric, who ensure that the quality of the building is up to the same mark when it comes to the food, pride themselves on a menu that derives from years of travel and experience.

So what might one expect to find at this warm and welcoming restaurant? An a la carte menu, which is reviewed every three months, offers starters that could include beef teriyaki - sliced prime fillet with teriyaki sauce and garnish, beef carpaccio topped with balsamic vinegar, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and parmesan cheese or truffle and mushroom risotto - creamy risotto rice with truffles and mushrooms.

Food from the oceans is very popular here, and it was a pleasant surprise to find the traditional pan fried fresh whole Dover sole with hot parsley butter and new potatoes plus a good range of other interesting fish dishes. Carnivores however are not forgotten, far from it - amongst a wide selection of meat, poultry and game is prime British beef fillet steak, cooked just how you like it - with smoked bacon, port sauce and potato gratin. For the vegetarians amongst us, there's an impressive offering of suitable dishes throughout the menus, as to, for those wishing to venture into trying a dish or two with international influence, you will not be disappointed.