SWINDON really is blessed in its location. With the rolling hills of the Ridgeway to the south and the beautiful villages of the Cotswolds dotted around to the north and west.

It was one of those unique villages on the Gloucestershire/ Wiltshire border that I had the pleasure of staying in. The small market town of Tetbury, where there are enough antique shops to quench the thirst of the most avid of Bargain Hunt fans, was my destination.

Located just past the iconic market house and opposite Prince Charles’ Highgrove shop is a former coaching inn.

Whilst it may no longer welcome travellers on horseback The Ormond Inn at Tetbury is still a popular spot in the town for people to rest their weary legs and it appears as popular with the locals as it does with those just passing through.

A warm welcome greeted us when we arrived and walked into the bar, which already had a buzz building with people finishing work after a long week and wanting to wind down.

After being guided through the maze of corridors, painted in a bold royal purple and lined with unique artwork, we arrived at our room and I was pleased to see that the daring colour scheme had stopped at the door.

Our room was light and spacious with the high ceilings you would expect form a 17th century building, a large window which looked out over the courtyard and a bathroom which was bigger than some of the rooms I have had the displeasure of staying in over the years.

The hotel had done well to get the balance between its historic past and bringing it into the 21st century with modern touches.

As I left my partner Kate to get ready for dinner, something I was sure she had already spent an hour doing before we had departed for the hotel, I went to move the car to a free public car park, which was about a five minute walk away, before grabbing a paper and taking my place on a comfy sofa in the corner of the bar.

The room was filling nicely, with the fire in the corner adding to the warmth, and I had barely had enough time to pick out all the unique bits of art dotted around every surface, which I assume had been picked up from the array of antiques shops in the town, before Kate had joined me.

The restaurant, which is separated from the drinking area by the open plan bar, was refurbished at the beginning of last year and a new head chef, Mariuz Przeworski who had been at the Calcott Manor and The Swan at Southrop previously, had been appointed.

Mariuz's food had been billed as modern British using seasonal produce, an area in which he is spoiled with the collection of farms in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, and if he was struggling there was always Prince Charles's Duchy Home Farm.

You can understand my surprise then when along with the main menu and the drinks menu we were presented with a menu dedicated to pizzas.

The choice was good and had some unique options like the French Country, which consisted of confit duck and poached pear, or the Spanish Lover, with smoked chicken chorizo and basil oil.

However it was something I was not expecting from a country hotel in the heart of the Cotswolds. Although it did prove to be a popular choice of those we shared the restaurant with.

We opted for the more traditional menu, looking forward to seeing the local produce in action.

After being given a complimentary side of homemade bread, which was delicious, our appetites were wet for the main event.

Kate went for the potted rabbit starter which was, as you expect from a game dish, rich and indulgent, while I called dibs on one of my favourite starters, which I so rarely have, scallops.

I often say that when there is a way of doing something that is so tried and tested it takes a brave person to steer away from it.

Fortunately the chef was a fan of the traditional as he served the scallops with crispy pancetta but was able to add his own twist by pairing it with a butternut squash puree and slices of kumquat.

While the puree added a nice sweetness to counter the saltiness of the pancetta the kumquat was too much sweetness for my liking and almost over powered the scallop. However Kate was a fan which shows how subjective these things are.

For my main course I like to test the skill and creative side of the chef by opting for their special. So often you can tell if they have put in thought to what should be their unique dish or just opted to throw together what they need to get rid of in the kitchen.

This time that was a confit leg of duck with roast potatoes, red cabbage and a red current jus. Maybe it wasn’t quite a Turner Prize winner on the creative side but the skill in the cooking was spot on.

The duck was moist while having the crispy skin, that bathing it in the oil produces, the roast potatoes were up there with my mums, which is high praise indeed, and the cabbage was cooked with star of anise which accompanied the duck perfectly.

Kate went traditional again and boeuf bourguignon with a creamy mash which, for a dish which is often tricky to plate elegantly, was presented well in a deep circular dish and the local beef just melted in the mouth.

For dessert the pizza reared its head again. This time it was in the shape of an indulgent 8’’ sharing dessert with a topping of Belgian chocolate sauce, chocolate brownie, chocolate buttons and marshmallows.

Again we opted against the Italian treat and went for the more traditional with a sticky toffee pudding and a chocolate terrine. Both were equally indulgent and finished off the meal perfectly.

Full to the brim we returned to the bar, which had become full over the two hours we spent over dinner, and enjoyed a night cap before falling into one of the comfiest beds I have slept in.

The Ormond is a real antique with a modern touch and while it may no longer be a stopover for the equine variety I would happily gallop back for another night of comfort.