Daisybank Cottage

Free-roaming ponies and donkeys wander past the garden gates of this Arts and Crafts-style single-storey house in the magical surroundings of the New Forest. Owners Cheryl and Ciaran Maher have turned the family home into a boutique B&B, equipping all rooms (two in the converted gardener's cottage) with an espresso machine, mini-fridge, Roberts radio and Bramley toiletries. For longer stays, choose, say, the Courtyard Suite, with its Spanish-style courtyard, the Brightiff Suite, overlooking the front garden. Perhaps best is the Marryat Suite (after Captain Frederick Marryat, author of The Children of the New Forest), with a private entrance, patio area, barbecue and heater. A reader this year wrote of an uncharacteristically brusque reception. On the plus side, ‘the bed was very comfortable, the breakfast was excellent, as was the service at breakfast.’ Place your order in a flowerpot outside your door at night. Choices include a full English or vegan, American pancakes, homemade granola and soda bread, local free-range eggs, kombucha, kimchi and microgreens.