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The country house hotel concept lives on, thrives even, and nowhere better than in Britain where the concept of entertaining in the country not only lives on privately but acts as a point of reference for the commercially owned variety. This has been much helped by the get-away-from-it-all principle as the hectic pace of urban life takes its toll.

So the notion of a privately owned and owner-run Victorian country house hotel tucked away in eleven acres of mature and beautifully nurtured, wooded grounds on the borders of three of our most attractive counties, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, is an appealing one. Add to this eight bedrooms each of which is straight out of an individual mould with its own name and character. Supremely comfortable beds, interesting antiques well supported by the sort of modern comforts you would expect to find in a country house hotel offer a degree of luxury that is exemplary.

As one guest remarked, "...a complete unique experience for one who is used to staying in chain hotels the difference stood out a mile..."

Peter Hauser, the co-owner with his wife Nita, is in command of the kitchen working to an interesting blend of classic French and English cuisine. That it is tinged with an underlay of Austrian influence could just have something to do with Peter's native Austrian upbringing and training at the Hotel Schwechaterhof in Linz. Here in Dorset he draws heavily on the local produce, including herbs from his walled garden. His philosophy can be best summarised in the words, 'I don't cook like anyone else, I cook like me'.