Coltsfoot Country Retreat - Datchworth

Once a working farm, set in 40 acres of Hertfordshire countryside between Welwyn Garden City and Knebworth, Coltsfoot Country Retreat now promises 'the last word in modern luxury'. Inside, it has its quota of beams as well as Spanish tiles, modern settees and lots of unusual fittings.

The main restaurant is in a converted barn and it makes a pleasing setting for European dishes including seared scallops with quails' eggs, pancetta and herb oil, shank of lamb with roasted root vegetables, mash and juniper jus, and fillet of sea bass with baby leeks, boulangère potato and Champagne sauce. Alternatively, dine in the galleried mezzanine and soak up the views over the paddocks.