SHOE-free dining at low-level seating gives an authentic taste of Japanese culture at this restaurant in Stanton House Hotel owned by Honda and geared up for the company's visiting high fliers.

But despite it being owned by the car giant and used by employees, anyone will be made welcome for dinner in the Mount Fuji restaurant, which is housed in a beautiful gabled building in the Elizabethan manor house of Cotswold stone.

The waiting staff one Japanese and the other English wore kimonos and asked us to remove our shoes before guiding us to the Hori Gotatsu or low-level seating.

A list of names of dishes was all that was printed on the menu and they didn't mean a lot to us, but our waitress sat with us to explain what was on offer.

For starters we went for sashimi (£4.80) slices of raw salmon served with wasabi paste, a hot horseradish grated into green paste, and a dish of soy sauce.

Its presentation on a glass plate was classy. There were two types of chopped seaweed on the side, one of which I enjoyed, but the other smelt just a bit too much of a beach when the tide has gone out for my personal taste. It is probably an acquired one. Overall, the starter was simple, elegant and delicious.

I like Japanese udon noodles, which are thick and flat. They came in a broth, with tempura prawns and vegetables on the top (£9.49). I had a real feeling of well-being afterwards.

Husband John's sushi (£12.80) lived up to his expectations. The rice, topped with different varieties of raw fish and seaweed, was top drawer.

If you don't fancy raw fish there are chicken and beef dishes that come sizzling, fried, or perhaps in broths.

If you get into Japanese cuisine you can buy most of the ingredients at the hotel's food shop which is open on Thursdays and Sundays from noon till 6pm. It sells fresh fish, sauces, pickled vegetables, meat, seaweed, sake and rice.

However, the hotel's Rosemary restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, where you can eat at western tables and chairs and chose between Japanese and European dishes.

CATHERINE TURNBULL

Mount Fuji Restaurant

Stanton House Hotel, The Avenue, Stanton Fitzwarren 01793 871777 dinner: 6pm-10pm Mon-Sat 6pm-9.30pm Sunday No smoking