The Holcombe

Surrounded by a well-tended and very pretty kitchen garden with plenty of seating for summer visits, this handsome ‘contemporary British inn’ (the owners' words) promises ‘affordable luxury’ and, as far as the food is concerned, delivers in spades. The tastefully decorated dining room is spacious, comfortable and inviting (cream walls, exposed stonework, flagstones, bare wood tables), while a central woodburner creates a cosy vibe. Staff make you feel ‘like one of the family’ as soon as you walk in, and the service (led by co-owner Caroline Gardiner) is quietly friendly, professional and full of enthusiasm. In the kitchen, charismatic Alan Lucas creates sophisticated and technically accomplished modern British dishes inspired by bountiful supplies of Somerset produce and pickings from the kitchen garden – and he is rightly proud of his efforts. Our seasonally apposite dinner was bookended by courgette carpaccio with roast garden tomatoes and pesto, and a pear crumble with custard made with fruit from the Holcombe's own trees. The endearingly enthusiastic chef often brings dishes to the table himself – perhaps confit duck leg with homemade redcurrant sauce or an 8oz Somerset sirloin accompanied by wild garlic pesto, onion tempura, pickled onion and fries. Accompanying vegetables, fresh from the garden, are beautifully presented and packed with flavour. In addition to the carte, the Holcombe offers a terrific Sunday lunch and a good-value ‘midweek supper’ menu, while the drinks list includes a decent selection of wines by the glass, local beers and premium ciders from the Newt (a nearby country estate not far from Castle Cary).

2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence