ARRIVING at The Methuen Arms one warm summer’s night was almost like turning a corner into a scene straight out of my Instagram feed - had I not been driving I probably would have stopped and posted a picture there and then.

Just a stone’s throw away from the striking Corsham Court grounds, this Georgian hotel and restaurant is every inch picture postcard perfection.

Now under new management, we were keen to see what direction the award-winning establishment was taking.

My dining companions for the evening were already waiting for me in the courtyard to the rear of the building, soaking up the early evening sun with a glass of something fruity. We toyed with the idea of dining alfresco, but I was swayed by their better judgement having dined here previously that I simply must see the hotel’s beautiful interior and network of snug little spaces and dining rooms.

We greedily set to work on the bowl of mixed olives we ordered while we decided on our mains, passing up on the starters of pea veloute (£7.50), wood pigeon (£8) and seared scallops (£12) to instead focus our attention on the main event.

The restaurant offers a bar classics menu featuring favourites such as salt and pepper squid (£7), the Methuen burger (£13) which comes in a brioche bun with dill pickles, tomato relish, slaw and fries with the option of adding cheese or bacon for £1 each, as well as the old British favourite, fish and chips (£13.50).

One of my companions was swayed by the Methuen burger and went all in with cheese and bacon, which turned out to be a good shout. While it may seem like a simple option, the kitchen had crafted this one well, and had I not been completely sold on my own choice I would have suffered proper food envy.

It had been a tough call. The Methuen’s main menu is bursting full of mouth-watering options, from skrei cod (£18) to Castlemead chicken breast (£17) and duck pie and chips (£24) made up of Creedy Carver breast, confit leg tart, creamed leeks, peas and a side of duck fat chips.

The olives were long gone by the time we had made our final decisions on what we were going to order (then changed our minds, then re-decided).

I ordered the duo of beef, which was a gorgeous plate of ashed beef fillet and crispy brisket complemented by scorched onions, pickled mushrooms and tarragon. I know it’s a cliché that is overused beyond belief but the fillet of beef melted in the mouth. I’m sorry, there’s no other way of describing it. And as for the brisket...wow! I just wish I was capable of whipping up brisket like that at home!

I had almost been swayed (my duty to my own heritage) by the dry aged Ruby Red Devon beef marinated onglet, served rare (£16), but my own greediness kicked in and I decided that two cuts of beef had to be better than one. I am more than happy to return to disprove this, however.

My second dining companion – by far the one with the hardest standards to please – surprised us both by ordering the ‘ham egg and chips’, although the secret to this dish was very much in the inverted commas that surrounded the ingredients on the menu.

This was no slice of supermarket ham, slapped on a plate with frozen chips, a greasy fried egg and a ladle-full of unappealing peas. No, this dish brought quite the smile to her face with a generous cut of smoked pork belly, celeriac and black pudding arancini, with a quail egg, BBQ pineapple and bacon jam.

After such rich pickings for our main course, it’s a miracle we could even contemplate dessert, but having caught glimpses of such beautiful dishes coming out of the kitchen for other diners who were further ahead in their meals than we were, we succumbed.

Again, variety is key to this part of the menu too, with the kitchen offering up delicious-sounding dishes such as burnt passionfruit cream (£7), chocolate delice (£8), lemon posset (£7) and iced vanilla parfait (£8).

They also offer an extensive range of sorbets, which would be absolutely divine when enjoyed in the courtyard on an evening such as the one we visited. Take your pick from strawberry and lime, rhubarb, crème fraiche, passionfruit or raspberry.

Despite the lure of something sweet, I was well and truly sold on the selection of local artisan cheeses (£9.50 for one, or £14 for two to share). Alongside generous helpings of spice apple chutney, grapes and oat crackers were large slices of Wookey Hole Cheddar, Shropshire blue, Old Winchester and Bath soft cheese (which I will definitely be seeking out myself).

One of my guests was deeply satisfied from his burger, but the lure of the inverted commas over the white chocolate ‘cheesecake’ proved too much of a temptation for my other dining companion, and she was not left disappointed with this deconstructed dessert.

It’s safe to say that the Methuen remains in safe hands, and I doubt it will just be the hotel’s attractive façade that will be gracing local Instagram feeds.