Mr & Mrs Smith

We had such a lovely weekend at Oundle Mill and really enjoyed Oundle itself. There is a lovely bookshop, the most fantastic kitchen shop (well and truly crammed with fab stuff), and the jewel is a lingerie shop called Eve in a little parade of shops in an old chapel. The owner is very helpful and they had a pretty selection of stuff in many sizes.

The Pheasant in Keaston is a 20 minutes drive away and is a recent F-word runner up.

I would also recommend the riverside walk from the mill into Oundle....about two hours walking along the river, through meadows & hopping over styles...just hope for sunshine!

We thoroughly enjoyed our brief stay. We had a leisurely drink at the bar followed by a quite excellent dinner. The Jo Malone toiletries were whisked away but we forgot a pair of my husband's cufflinks. With no prompting, the front desk left a message on our mobile querying if they were ours - we forgot to reply and by the time we got home after a week's stay in Scotland, the cufflinks had been sent recorded delivery to our home in London - that's what I call service!

A visit to Stamford provides a great opportunity to call in at TD's Salon de The and French Patisserie (+44 (0)01780 755756) located at 16 Broad Street. A restaurant upstairs is open on Friday and Saturday evenings but the tea house itself is a fabulous place to enjoy a superb selection of fine teas and to indulge in a choice from the glorious French patisserie. Christophe is the epitome of charm and politeness and the salon itself is decorated in exquisite French style, creating a truly beautiful, calming atmosphere.