Ashfield House

How can I count the ways I love Ashfield House?

- The fact that it's so tucked away in a residential area that you can imagine nobody else knows about it?

- The truly AMAZING food?

- The fact that my sister loves it so much she decided to have her wedding reception here?

I could go on, but to put it bluntly, Ashfield House is probably my favourite place to eat bar none. My family has been coming here for years, and long may that tradition continue.

The place itself is set in a grand old house, tucked away out of sight. We usually go for Sunday lunch, where the set menu is a ridiculously cheap £16 per head (or thereabouts). On my last visit, this got me possibly the finest black pudding I've ever tasted to start, followed by a creamy and wonderful vegetable risotto rounded off by a carrot cake far better than any I've ever tasted. My companions opted for melon and soup respectively, followed by pork and roast beef. We shared a bottle of Bottle Tree, a fantastic red Australian Shiraz which they have in the cellar but isn't listed on the wine list.

Ashfield House is a smart place - people do dress smartly to come here - but it's not pretentious, and the prices don't limit its appeal to a particular strata of society. The place is always busy, and booking ahead is essential (sometimes many weeks in advance).

The only downside I would say is that the bar is on the small side, so when it's busy you may be stuck without a place to sit whilst waiting for your meal.