Star rating: * * * *

After decades of sad, slow decay, Norton Manor, near Presteigne, has just been restored to its former glory.

Instead of crumbling walls and flaking stucco, there is now the elegance and opulence of its earlier days.

Even better, you can go and savour its splendours for yourself, and enjoy a drink in the bar or a top-class meal in its sumptuous dining room, or stay the night in the refurbished bedrooms.

The luxurious Norton Manor Hotel is now open at lunchtime and in the evenings, with a stylish bar, conference facilities, and lots more.

From the entrance in Norton village, between Presteigne and Knighton, a mile-long drive through the lovely estate takes you to this beautiful country house, with a huge gravel forecourt in which there is plenty of parking.

Statues flank the imposing entrance. On your way through the hall to the bar, you can’t fail to be impressed by the wide, sweeping staircase leading to the rooms on the upper floors. It’s all glitter and gold, like a scene from Titanic.

The dining room is even more impressive. It’s almost like dining at Chatsworth. About 50ft long and 25ft wide, it seats 70 or more diners comfortably.

Some 15ft high, with a wonderful gold-leaf stucco ceiling and chandeliers, it has huge windows overlooking the garden, large mirrors, and fine furnishings.

This is definitely dining in style. The question for us was, would the food live up to it?

We were given ample time to study the attractively designed, art nouveau menu over drinks in the bar, a characterful room with a fine fireplace, which would be even more tasteful without the photographs of car racing.

Of a good selection of house wines, I chose an excellent Chilean Merlot. My husband was most impressed by the array of beers on offer, and opted for a favourite of ours, the flavoursome Italian Peroni Nastro Azzurro.

The menu isn’t one of those huge affairs, offering so many dishes that of course they must obviously be microwaved. It’s much more modest, but with a wide and tempting enough choice, and all freshly prepared.

I’m a vegetarian, and in restaurants struggle with limited choices more often than I’d like to. Not so here, I am delighted to relate. My starter, red onion tartlet topped with Welsh goats’ cheese, was really delicious.

The choice of vegetarian main courses would have sufficed, but manager Jose, taking my order, immediately picked up on the fact that it didn’t impress.

Courtesy personified, he ascertained what I really would like, then had Mediterranean vegetable tagliatelle especially made for me. How about that? It was delicious, too.

My omnivorous husband has no problems with menus, and had a plentiful choice of meat, poultry and fish dishes. He said his starter, a salmon roulade with a filling of prawns, mascarpone and cream, was simply out of this world.

For the main course, he was greatly tempted by the pan-fried sea bass with lemon butter caper sauce, but eventually opted for shank of Welsh lamb on a bed of leek mash, redcurrant and rosemary gravy. Verdict: Absolutely delicious. The lamb, which he said was cooked to perfection, succulent and full of flavour, practically fell off the bone.

All the dishes on the menu come with fresh and perfectly cooked vegetables, or a salad. Both of us deplore the tendency in some restaurants these days to bring you quantities of food that belong in wheelbarrows.

You end up either leaving lots of it, and feeling guilty, or persevering and ending up feeling sick and bloated. Quality before quantity is our motto.

The quantities at Norton Manor are spot on. Each dish looks and is a feast, but isn’t too much. That left us, for a change, in the mood for dessert. Not having a sweet tooth, I chose as usual the cheese board, which was really excellent, and included a couple of tasty blues. My husband went for Eton mess, which he said was scrumptious.

With all this we had a bottle of really excellent Rioja chosen from an exceptionally good wine list containing lots of things one would like to try on a future visit.

All is relaxed, nothing is rushed, and the service is discreet, attentive and friendly. Norton Manor provides a feast for the eyes and the tummy, and a genuinely special experience.

In the short space of time since it opened, the place has already become a very popular lunch venue, and people drop in just for a drink, too, which provides a good opportunity to have a look around and study the menus.

If you’re planning an event for a large group (office or club “do”, wedding, birthday celebration etc) it would be hard to think of a better place.

If you really want to let your hair down, without having to drive home afterwards, there are luxurious rooms upstairs in which you can spend the night.

I must say the loos are rather de-luxe and worth a visit. Facilities for disabled people are excellent and there is the easiest possible level access and wide hallways and doorways.

Manager Jose, who originates from Portugal, is charming. He has something like 35 years’ experience in the business, and it shows in the relaxed, efficient atmosphere and attention to detail.

Surprisingly, it’s not expensive. Considering the very high quality of the meal, the excellence of the wine, and the overall elegance of the place, the bill was very reasonable indeed. We can’t wait to go back!

By Sophie Bignall

RESTAURANT GUIDE

Sample starters: Pan-fried king prawns in garlic and olive oil with crusty bread £6.50; Red onion tartlette topped with Welsh goat’s cheese £5.20

Sample mains: Shank of Welsh lamb on a bed of leek mash, redcurrant and rosemary gravy £13.50; Wild mushroom and Parmesan risotto with mixed leaves £9.95

Sample deserts: Selection including Eton Mess, chocolate mousse, cheese board (all £4.50)

Atmosphere: Elegant and opulent

Service: Relaxed and faultless

Disabled facilities: Easy access to everywhere on the ground floor and special accommodation for people with disabilities on the ground floor.

Contact: Norton Manor Hotel, Norton, Presteigne, Powys, LD8 2ED. Telephone (01544) 267854