Cruising down the A30 to Sherborne, if your eye is drawn to Sherborne Castle, you might miss the turning to this ‘excellent little hotel’ in a village on the edge of Blackmore Vale. That would be a shame, say loyal Guide readers, at whose urging it gains a full entry. A family concern, it is a bastion of traditional values. ‘The staff and managers were all very friendly and helpful.’ Bedrooms, some contemporary, some more classic, range from compact ‘standard’ to a junior suite with four-poster and coffee machine. An accessible room was ‘a good size’, its bathroom ‘the best adapted of all the hotels we stayed in’. Balcony rooms overlooking the garden are most in demand, while some rooms, accessed by stairs, have French windows to the garden. ‘Everything we needed was on the ground floor,' reported our readers in the accessible room. 'There is a charming small lounge and a separate dining room', where menus might include slow-braised lamb shank, mint and rosemary jus; wild mushroom risotto; Brixham lemon sole fillets poached in champagne. ‘The food was delicious. The bacon at breakfast was the best ever.’ (Mary & Rodney Milne-Day, Ralph Aldwinckle)