St. Mellons Hotel and Country Club

Many of the cars belting along the A48 would easily miss the turning to the St. Mellons Hotel and Country Club. Should you see the new illuminated sign for the hotel you'd do well to take the otherwise inconspicuous turning off the road, and potter along the quarter of a mile lane, bisecting the golf course of this well-regarded retreat.

If you're staying in one of the 41 or so bedrooms at the hotel you could work up a sweat in the gym, take a dip in the pool and soak in the spa, before settling down to dinner in the traditional splendour of the Llanarthen Restaurant.

However, you don't need to be a guest of the hotel to eat in the restaurant, as they take reservations for evening meals from 7pm, or for a midday or 2pm sitting for Sunday lunch, where you can relax over a two-course carvery meal for £9.95. Two-course evening meals cost £16.95 with only a meagre £2 extra for a luxurious dessert to make up a three-course meal.

Expect a fresh new look for 2008, as the restaurant was being refurbished during our visit; the meal therefore took centre stage. I chose the duck and vegetable pancake, which saw pieces of soft duck meat nestled among finely sliced strands of courgette, carrot and red and yellow peppers, all wrapped snugly within a sweet pancake on a raspberry sauce. My partner chose the leek and potato soup, after much deliberation over the pork and leek toad in the hole with onion gravy.

I then opted for a main of creamy vegetable risotto with a smattering of herbs and oblong parcels of swede, carrots and green beans, wrapped in leek. I had almost plumped for the sea bass fillet or fillet of pork in a sweet orange and brandy sauce, but the risotto quickly justified my decision. To round off the evening we scoffed a poached cinnamon pear with vanilla ice cream - the only instance of the night where we hurried - simply perfect.