THERE have been some pretty swanky new dining and hotel venues opened in the last 12 months and the latest is at Middleton Lodge, a small Georgian country estate between Darlington and Richmond.

The home of the Allison family for 30 years, they opened the main house, the Lodge, as a private dining and wedding venue a few years ago. Now they have converted the adjacent stables and outbuildings into a hotel and restaurant called The Coach House.

About £2m has been spent (including some European dosh as its website credits the EU’s Rural Development Programme for England) and the result is undeniably impressive. The classical symmetry of the buildings designed by the celebrated Yorkshire architect John Carr has been retained but all the style and modern comforts associated with a contemporary boutique hotel have been accommodated.

In the future, other outbuildings will be restored and a kitchen garden recreated to supply the restaurant.

The restaurant/bar is in one wing of the stables/coach house building with the bedrooms on the other side of a wide courtyard. Entrance is via the bar/reception area with a cosy snug to one side and the dining room to the other.

There’s lots of exposed brickwork and stone, high ceilings and exposed beams. The spaces are cleverly lit, subtly subdued but not to the extent that aged aunts would struggle to find the loo or read the menu. Despite the high ceilings it also feels cosy - an important matter on the perishingly cold Sunday we called between Christmas and new year.

The dining room is big – it must seat up to 80 or so people – but feels intimate thanks to soothing neutral colours and the aforementioned lighting. I was slightly perturbed by the state of the walls above the wood panelling, initially thinking they had a bad case of penetrating damp but then realising this was probably the original plasterwork artfully left in its distressed state to lend an air of gentle decay.

Our starters took some time to arrive but hunger pangs were kept at bay with fresh speciality (granary and date and hazelnut) breads and creamy, slightly salted butter.

My mushroom veloute (£6.50) arrived in stages. The first stage was little pile of brioche croutons and sliced mushroom in the centre of a large soup bowl. I was about to say “They’ve forgotton something” when the veloute arrived in a jug and was poured into the bowl – a clever way of ensuring the croutons didn’t turn into soggy mini dumplings.

The soup was very thick and creamy and intensely mushroom-y. Perhaps it was slightly over seasoned for some tastes.

Sylvia loved her Yorkshire ham terrine served picked vegetables and black pudding bon bon (£6). Meaty and moist it was prettily presented with the brightly coloured vegetables arrayed around the slab of terrine with the breaded and deep-fried bon bon of slightly spicy black pudding on top.

There was another decent interval before our main courses were presented. Sylvia had opted for the roast beef (£12.50) – two thickly cut slices of very tender and well flavoured rump. The accompanying selection of vegetables were very good too with well crisped and coloured roast potatoes.

The only thing sub-standard on the plate was the Yorkshire pudding – large, crispy and fluffy in all the right places but unquestionably burnt on top. A unfathomable shame.

My roasted cod, with brown shrimps, broccoli and samphire and gnocchi (£12.50) was an unqualified success. The fish was as fresh as could be, firm fleshed and cooked just so with no hint of dryness. The gnocchi had been cooked and then slightly browned to give a slightly crispy exterior. The samphire was absent (presumably not available) and had been replaced with young spinach leaves – a decent alternative.

The only drawback to these dishes was the way the elegant and stylish cutlery slid down into the steep-sided serving bowls, an element of impracticality at odds with the rest of the experience.

Sylvia felt she had really eaten enough but couldn’t resist the apple crumble (£5), served on request with vanilla custard instead of the vanilla ice cream billed on the menu. She was glad she made room, describing it as possibly the best crumble she could recall – and she has eaten (and made) a few over the years.

The apple filling managed to be both sweet and tart and was topped with a nutty, nutmeg-infused crumble which was nicely caramelised in places. She very nearly finished it and considering it was substantial serving that spoke volumes.

My orange cheesecake with gingerbread ice cream (£5) was another beautifully presented plate, a really zesty combination of textures.

It was, a few minor irritations aside (well, actually, Sylvia thought the burnt Yorkshire pudding an unforgiveable sin) a very good lunch enjoyed in beautiful surroundings. There is real talent in the kitchen. Service was also good – perhaps a little relaxed but it was Sunday and nobody was in a hurry.

The bill of £54 was on the high side but we still felt it represented good value. It included one glass of Prosecco; I was sticking to water in lieu of not taking part in dry January.

The Coach House, Middleton Lodge, Kneeton Lane, Middleton Tyas, Richmond DL10 6NJ

Tel: 01325 377 977; email info@middletonlodge.co.uk; web: middletonlodge.co.uk

Open: noon-2.30pm, 6-9pm Wednesday to Saturday. Sunday noon-4pm, 7-9pm. Closed: Monday and Tuesday.

Disabled access

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 9, Surroundings 10, Service 9, Value 8