Colchester, Mediterranean Restaurant Guide

This attractive hotel in Constable Country is “a very pleasant place to eat”, owing to its terraced gardens and “good basic bistro food” (“plus it’s always open”, which doesn’t hurt). Service is not always a highpoint though, and can be “slow”.

“Locally sourced food cooked to perfection” and a “charming welcome” reward visitors to Constable Country who are lured by the distinctive yellow facade of this 15th-century coaching inn, owned and operated for 22 years by Piers Baker. The “great menu”, which takes most of its cues from Italian cuisine, makes this “a place to while away the afternoon” over a long lunch.