1861 ****

Cross Ash, Abergavenny. 0845 3881861 / www.18-61.co.uk

Abergavenny is awash with excellent restaurants: The Walnut Tree, Foxhunter and the lovely Bell at nearby Skenfrith. 1861 has slotted neatly into this bracket and has earned an enviable reputation in the relatively short time Simon Wright and his wife Katie have been at the helm. Simon’s credentials are of the finest pedigree: a stint under the Roux brothers at Bray and continuing under the Viking-esque Martin Blunos at Lettonie, in Bristol and Bath. After meeting Katie at Llansantffraed Court, he settled in Wales and they opened 1861.

We recently went for Sunday lunch, and as driving constituted a three-hour round trip, an evening meal was a bit of a stretch. However, the drive is very picturesque and a warm and homely welcome awaits you on arrival. All produce is fresh, many items from Katie’s father’s nursery or nearby farms and suppliers. The tasting menu (from £49.50 per head) was a considered option of seven surprise courses, created daily with the best ingredients available, but we chose from the Sunday lunch menu. To start, cauliflower soup with a stilton mousse, and wild garlic risotto. For mains, roast topside of beef and Yorkshire pudding in a red wine gravy with beetroot and roast potatoes; plus escalope of turkey in a sage cream served with a mini hotpot.

Desserts were all tempting, but as we were both quite full we shared caramelised pineapple with rum and raisin ice cream. Everything was tremendous: beautiful homemade bread, the sensible cutlery and serving dishes, as opposed to a wobbly, inappropriate piece of art/slate which seems to be the craze, the service, food and experience were all above average. For us it’s too far to make a regular trip, but worth it for a special occasion or if you live nearby. ANTONIA LEVAY