You don’t have to head to big cities to eat like a king or queen. Sometimes the very best flavours are right under your nose, as we discovered recently when we spent a gourmet weekend right on our own doorstep.

We picked a couple of journalist friends up from Peterborough train station – not a tourism hotspot, I know. One of them, here to review establishments in the area, was pleasantly surprised that the city was only 47 minutes from Kings Cross and not somewhere up near Manchester, as she’d thought!

Within 20 minutes of exiting Peterborough train station, we were preparing to dine inside a gilded bird cage.

Mention to someone that you’re spending the weekend near Peterborough and they may ask you if you’re okay. The city, which shares little in common with its posh neighbour, Cambridge, has repeatedly been named as one of the worst places to live in the UK.

Personally, I think the title is quite undeserved and, while it does have some pretty undesirable areas, like all cities, it does make me wonder if those who voted have ever been to the likes of Luton, Bradford or several places in the central belt of Scotland.

Google ‘best restaurants in Peterborough’ and you’ll be underwhelmed with a list of national chains and pizza houses (not that there’s anything wrong with great pizza). Peterborough city centre itself isn’t known for fine dining. It’s more Nando’s and McDonald’s than Michelin Guide.

But whatever you feel about the city, which sits on the edge of the fens, you don’t have to travel far to find gently rolling countryside, perfect market towns and villages carved from golden limestone in an area known as the ‘The Little Cotswolds’ and fabulous food.

The Haycock Manor Hotel, Wansford-in-England

First stop on our mini tour of this area, slightly too far west to be truly East Anglian and too far east to be in the Midlands, was the former 16^th century coaching inn of The Haycock Manor Hotel.

In my youth, The Haycock was the local bar to go to on a Friday or Saturday night, when you could always guarantee that it would be full to bursting with young farmers and other country types, downing pints and propping up the dark wooden bar, which had a great atmosphere. I broke my wrist there, once, falling off the table I was dancing on, whilst at a hunt ball. Entirely my own fault.

It was the place to go for a wedding reception and if you got an invitation to go, you knew the couple had class.

It was taken over some time later and, in my opinion, had all of its character ripped out. I was therefore pleased when I heard that it had been sold again and the new owners were spending time and investing significantly in redeveloping the hotel, which sits on the banks of the River Nene in the village of Wansford-in-England.

According to local folklore, the name Wansford-in-England comes from the tale of a local man who fell asleep on a haystack and when he woke up, found himself floating down the river. He asked someone on the riverbank where he was, and upon hearing the reply “Wansford”, asked, “Wansford in England?”.

While so many pubs and hotels have closed in recent years, it’s good to see that this isn’t one of them. When we visited, work was ongoing in the gardens and the barn to the rear.

We dined at Prevost restaurant within the hotel’s restored conservatory, which is where the bird cages are. Prevost used to be located in Peterborough city centre, but now brings its 3 AA rosettes to the Haycock..

We enjoyed the eight-course tasting menu (£95), the highlights for me were the salted baked carrot, fennel, white chocolate and Ossetia caviar, the Cornish cod with cauliflower, verjus and coastal shoots and the Prevost lime pot. With a couple of extra morsels, we reckon the course count was up to about 10! We gather the head chef has subsequently moved on since our visit and I have no idea if the food is still of the same standard.

Dinner service was beautifully polite and perfectly friendly, and hats off to the sommelier who described our accompanying wine flights with dedication and love.

Our friends said that the shower in their room was the best they’d ever had, mostly due to its intuitive controls, meaning you didn’t have to spend a couple of minutes standing there, in the buff, trying to work out what to do to make the water hot. Our room, in my opinion, had more of a Best Western feel than luxury. The breakfast room we were in was nothing special (it was nicer down the stairs), but the bacon was incredible.

It was a nice stay but it wasn’t the luxury I was expecting and lacking in atmosphere in some areas, including the bar.

Rooms start from around £140 per night.

The Finch’s Arms, Hambleton

Next stop on our culinary tour of the region was the Hambleton peninsula in Rutland, England’s smallest county, and the cosy yet effortlessly stylish 17^th century English country inn, The Finch’s Arms, which is family-owned and run.

Hambleton is set on a thin slip of land which is surrounded by manmade Rutland Water, submerged under which is the deserted village of Nether Hambleton. Hambleton peninsula itself is a very exclusive slither of land.

As tiny as it is (3,500m long and 1,000m wide), the Hambleton Peninsula has repeatedly been voted one of the best – and most expensive – places to live in the UK. It has also has earned a reputation as a millionaires’ playground, with several multi-million-pound houses on this tiny strip of land.

You’ll find low ceilings and cask ales by the fireside in the bar of the Finch’s Arms, where we played board games and drank spiced apple fizz cocktails, which were terrifically autumnal, tasty and extremely potent. You may even spot a celebrity, as we did. It was the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon.

The bar opens up into the elegant dining room with doors to the large terrace and stunning views over Rutland Water. Whether you eat in the bar or the dining room, you’ll find a beautifully curated menu. For lunch, I had the miso glazed salmon which came with a sesame-crusted potato which was indescribably delicious. It was probably the best salmon dish I’ve ever had.

I was planning to have the plaice stuffed with mussel mousse for dinner, but was persuaded by the very knowledgeable waiter to have the cod instead and it was flaky, soft and cooked to perfection. We were also guided us through the wine list and chose the perfect bottle of Rioja to go with dinner.

Rooms at The Finch’s have recently been tastefully renovated (with the help of my talented friend’s Hunters Interiors) and ours was perfectly cosy, with a huge bathroom and had beautiful views over the reservoir. Our friends’ room had a roomy balcony and a glass wall to the bathroom (the loo was rather more discreet, though).

Before dinner, we needed some fresh air (there is zero light pollution and no street lights here, so bring a torch) and I was excited to take my friends to have a glimpse at Hambleton Hall, a beautifully situated and grand country house with spectacular views. I’ve taken my parents to eat in the restaurant, which has the UK’s longest-retained Michelin star, on several occasions.

As soon as we had sat down and taken off our coats we were, however, asked to leave, being told that the hotel was not open to non-residents like ourselves, who were clearly unwelcome. I don’t remember seeing a sign saying so outside, which would have saved us the embarrassment.

Upon exiting, I doubled back and managed to speak to a manager who said we were, in fact, welcome to return, but my party had left and didn’t want to come back. I admit to feeling rather humiliated and I’m not sure I’ll go back with my parents again.

We slept like very stuffed logs at The Finch’s that night and woke up for a light breakfast, given we were about to consume more that day. I had smashed avocado on sour dough and there was also the opportunity to order pastel de nata.

To work up an appetite, we embarked on a well signposted 7.3km yomp around the peninsula (wellies available to borrow from the hotel). You can take longer or shorter routes, depending on how much breakfast you want to walk off.

Our route took us through woodland and by the shoreline, walking on good paths all the way round. There was an incline on the way back into the village, but the rest of the route was moderately challenging and completed within a couple of hours.

I think I scoffed four courses at The Finch’s, taking my total up to around 14 at that point. If you’re looking for the best place to eat and stay in Rutland, I think we may have found it! The Finch’s is confidently classy, without being stuffy. Rooms are luxurious and the staff make you feel special and very welome.

Rooms start from approx £340 for a two night stay.

The Chubby Castor at the Fitzwilliam Arms, Castor

Our final culinary stop was The Chubby Castor, in a village just outside Peterborough. The 3 AA rosette Chubby is situated in the former Fitzwilliam Arms in Castor – a Grade II listed cottage with thatched roof, low ceilings and stone walls.

The Fitzwilliam Arms is an important part of the Milton Estate and its name comes from the family who own the property and who have lived nearby at nearby Milton Hall since 1502.

The name of the restaurant comes from chef patron Adebola Adeshina’s outlook on life, which embraces good food, fine wine and general happiness. Ade runs a happy, calm and efficient kitchen, which is open to the beautiful restaurant itself, where you’ll find white table linen, fresh flower displays and modern art.

Ade himself worked under Gordon Ramsay for six years, cultivating his culinary craft at the three Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. He also worked under Marcus Wareing at Gordon Ramsay’s Petrus and with Philip Howard and Eric Chavot.

Ade and Alina have gardeners who grow their vegetables and herbs in raised beds behind The Chubby and, during the warmer months, you can eat amongst them in the less formal The Yard – an outdoor dining restaurant.

Ade and his team are extremely interested in the provenance, sourcing and ethics of the ingredients used in their kitchen. They use only seasonal fruit and vegetables and around 70% of the produce that they cook with is grown in the kitchen garden, while the other 30% is sourced through reliable, eco-friendly partners.

The highlights of the seven-course ‘taste of autumn’ tasting menu (£105 per person) were the pithivier of lobster and salmon and the dessert with raspberry jam and candied pistachio, all so beautifully presented and served wonderfully by lovely staff. My friends said the two dishes were among the best they’d ever had.

In addition to the seven courses were the amuse bouche and the show stopping, warm black pudding brioche, served with jerk butter. The brioche is so good, it’s served as a separate course.

Again, we opted for wine flights, and had sips from all around the world, served with passion by the very knowledgeable sommelier, the most notable for us being from Lebanon. It was such a memorable and delicious meal and I can never wait to go back.

About 25 courses consumed in totality over the weekend, it was time to take our friends back to the train station, amidst utterings that it was nil by mouth/beans on toast at a push for us for the rest of the week.

Thanks also to Nene Valley Railway who let us have a behind the scenes glimpse at the former station at Wansford, which has been used in countless films and TV programmes. It’s like stepping back in time.

Explore what’s on your doorstep. You may be pleasantly surprised.