Askham Hall

With a Michelin-starred restaurant, Grade II listed garden, 17th-century pele tower and French drawing room, Askham Hall sounds as if it might be very formal; not a bit of it. The ancestral home of the Lowthers, now a restaurant-with-rooms, is relaxed and unpretentious with dogs and children mingling among family heirlooms, books and modern art. One drawing room has doors to a classic English country-house garden. 'A warm welcome and relaxed elegance,' reports one reader. ‘Absolutely fantastic. Great food, lovely situation,' concludes another. Main house bedrooms – some with leaded windows and fireplace – mix antiques with modern pieces, while those in the courtyard have a rustic style. Quirky shapes can mean unconventional layouts, and a walk-in shower in the bedroom surprised one couple – though some other bathrooms have a roll-top bath. The tasting menu’s ‘outstanding food’, with produce from the kitchen garden, might include Cornish crab with lobster and lovage, and Lowther red deer with elderberry sauce. Book dinner ahead, advises one reader. A ‘very good breakfast’ delighted one guest with ‘an excellent kipper!’ (Liz and David Phillips, and others)