The Walnut Tree sits on the Old Ross Road, B4521, a couple of miles east of Abergavenny. It has an impressively long pedigree, having been a famous inn and restaurant for over 40 years.

The inn became a beacon of gastronomic excellence in South Wales under the talented Franco and Ann Taruschio, who served up an idiosyncratic and muchloved mix of Italian and international dishes. Now the restaurant is run by Shaun Hill, who made his name at Gidleigh Park in Devon and then at The Merchant House restaurant in Ludlow. The dishes have changed but the original informal atmosphere and unpretentious approach to cooking remain the same. The menu, comprising around ten dishes at each stage, is an eclectic mix based on personal taste and sound cooking techniques, rather than any particular country’s cuisine. Perhaps choose monkfish with cucumber and mustard sauce, or scallops with lentil and coriander to start, with saddle of venison and goat’s cheese gnocchi, or Welsh lamb with a choice of gratin potatoes or cheese soufflé to follow.

It isn’t a cheap place to eat – three courses and wine will set you back around £50 per person – but The Walnut Tree does offer great value for the outlay. This is a dining experience you won’t be forgetting in a hurry.