Somewhere to stay: Tufton Arms Hotel, Appleby-in-Westmorland

Regional Winner of Wine List of the Year 2005, this establishment has been beautifully restored by the Milsom family. The 16th-century building became a coaching inn in Victorian times and the ambience of that period is reflected in the fireplaces, wallpapers, prints, drapes and table lamps. Light lunch and supper menus are served in the clubby bar, with a more formal choice available in the stylish restaurant with its conservatory extension. Cooking is of a high standard and locally sourced, with beef from Ewbanks butchers next door, cheese from The Appleby Creamery and grouse and pheasant from the Saddleback Smokery in Plumpton. Wines are imported directly from France, Italy and Spain. The 22 bedrooms vary from suites with antique furnishings and large old-style bathrooms to more conventional en suite rooms.

Bed & Breakfast double/twin room from £94, Dinner Bed & Breakfast, £167. Set dinner £26.50. Restaurant mains from £17.20.

Tufton Arms Hotel, Market Square, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria CA16 6XA: www.tuftonarmshotel.co.uk, 01768 351593