The Farmhouse at Redcoats

‘A few minutes from Stevenage and yet you feel like you are miles away in somewhere like the Cotswolds,’ thought one satisfied visitor to Anglian Country Inns' well-established, multi-faceted venue. A t its heart is an atmospheric, centuries-old farmhouse, which glides along as a polished country restaurant with rooms. Further bedrooms are in a magnificently converted barn, while another makes a stunning wedding venue – although you could eat in the restaurant and not realise there was a wedding party across the way. The Farmhouse's conservatory dining room is a top local destination, delivering welcoming warmth alongside a modern repertoire of seasonal menus that showcase the best ingredients, either homegrown in their kitchen garden or sourced from local and regional suppliers. Our fiercely seasonal autumnal meal was bang on the money, delivering confident and assured cooking in dishes ranging from roasted baby carrots with Bevistan Dairy sheep’s yoghurt, pickled radish, walnuts and sherry vinegar to roasted Stanhope pheasant breast with confit leg and root vegetable pithivier, caraway cabbage and wholegrain mustard. As for dessert, our burnt Basque cheesecake with caramelised fig was the star of the show. The whole package is fleshed out with bundles of personable charm from an amiable front of house team and an appealing wine list with lots of accessible, familiar options at fair prices, plus real ales and cocktails.

2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence