Ty Mawr Mansion - Lampeter

Caring owners have nurtured this Grade-II listed, Georgian mansion and turned it into a beguiling country house retreat with a cracking reputation for its patriotic food. Set in lovely Ceredigion countryside, it also has access to seasonal fruit and vegetables from Cilcennin's 50 acres of organically maintained farmland. Just about everything else comes from within a 10-miles radius of the hotel, including locally reared meat and fish from the nearby heritage coast.

Dinner menus are written in Welsh, with English translations, which give some idea of the kitchen's loyalties and intent. Start with a bowl of traditional cawl with cranberry tartlet and Caerphilly cheese or seared scallops with saffron sauce, crab ravioli and buttered leeks. Mains might feature local Goetre Farm duck, fillet of Welsh Black beef with truffled mash or rack of new season's lamb with wilted wild garlic and thyme jus. To finish, perhaps an assiette of rhubarb or banana and toffee tart.

Around 50 classy wines are drawn mainly from classic growers across Europe, with a few New World additions. The dining room, all lush fabrics, heavy drapes, pictures and prints, creates a suitably cosseted setting for leisurely meals.