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The Crazy Bear Beaconsfield is a meticulously restored 15th century coaching inn, rated by Conde Nast as one of the 'best new hotels in the world'. The decor is luxurious and opulent and provides diners and guests with the feeling of unmitigated indulgence. So you could savour Beluga caviar with vintage Krug in an intimate crystal studded leather booth or sit down to a twelve plate Thai tasting menu, or snack on Aberdeen Angus mini burgers on the terrace beside the pool.

In the English restaurant, diners enjoy dishes like confit belly of home reared Gloucestershire Old Spot pork with Lyme Bay scallops, apple, chorizo and crispy potato. The vegetarian menu includes delights such as goats' curd and beetroot salad, and caramelised shallot tatin with rocket and aged balsamic. There's also a set lunch menu which changes monthly featuring recipes and ingredients from the Crazy Bear farm and farm shop. Sunday lunch is extremely popular, served from midday till 10pm.

At the Thai restaurant you could try crispy duck salad with mango, roasted cashews, pomegranate, spring onions, and cherry tomatoes, and steamed red snapper with lemongrass, galangal, chillies, garlic, kaffir lime leaves and coriander.

Leading mixologists create some interesting cocktails at the bar including Crazy Bear exclusives such as the Foaming Mojito and Mad Hatter's Tea Party. For those who might want to combine dinner with an overnight stay, ten luxurious bedroom suites are available.

The impressive and beautiful chateaux style Waddesdon Manor draws its fair share of visitors who are keen on seeing the gardens up close or learning more about the various collections housed there by the Rothschild family. The Manor Restaurant is located in what used to be the Old Kitchen and Servant's Hall where traditional and seasonal British and European dishes are on offer. Breakfast, snacks, lunch and afternoon tea is served in this fully licensed restaurant while dinner is available on only one Saturday evening in a month.

For quick morning sustenance, you could opt for the scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toast or even indulge in a full English breakfast. Lunch time options include cep mushroom and potato soup, smoked haddock and spring onion fishcake and traditional free range turkey roast. Homemade cakes, biscuits and sandwiches are available during afternoon tea and the award winning wine list has some of the finest Rothschild wines.

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.