Looking for a self-catering holiday in the heart of the Somerset countryside? Charlotte Skidmore may have found the place for you

Great British Life: Self catering at its bestSelf catering at its best (Image: Archant)

With three bedrooms and three bathrooms, the Piggery Barns in Corton Denham can sleep up to eight people and they come equipped with all the home from home comforts you can shake your walking boots at.

The Piggeries are two semi-detached barns with beautiful high ceilings and big open plan living areas.

With beds made up on arrival and fluffy towels awaiting, the accommodation has lots of the mod cons to make a stay easy and pleasant.

There is a washer dryer, a separate fridge and freezer, dishwasher and electric oven and grill, plus all the cups, glasses and crockery you need.

The Piggeries are surrounded by beautiful countryside – great for walking or simply to sit and look at whilst enjoying the lovely garden area in spring or summer or cosying up by the fire in colder months. The barbecue outside could be really well utilised when the weather allows.

There are lots of lovely long windows throughout the property, which means you can appreciate the views without having to get out of your seat. The setting is surrounded by nothing but green fields and farms for miles upon miles.

Great British Life: Perfect for dining with friendsPerfect for dining with friends (Image: Archant)

All bedrooms, each set up for two but with the options of extra beds, have doors leading outside into the garden – perfect for warmer times of year.

A large utility room provides a really useful space for coats, boots and four-legged friends – who are welcome.

The master bedroom has a king size bed and I can vouch for how comfortable this is.

The lounge area is situated around a log burner and a flat screen television and there are plenty of board games on hand to enjoy.

On our arrival we found a lovely welcome hamper with eggs from the owners’ farm, cereal, local butter and coffee, tea and sugar. We had ordered an online shop for convenience so the hamper was really welcome to see us through until its arrival.

The Piggeries are based just inside Somerset and very close to the Dorset border, so not far from the accommodation is the delightful town of Sherborne – try the fabulous coffee shop Oliver’s, which has a mouth-watering selection of homemade cakes.

Eating out

The Piggeries belong to the Queens Arms pub – somewhere that has earnt itself a great reputation.

The pub, not half a mile from the barn, prides itself on the fact that it measures its food in metres not miles. It sources much of its ingredients from the surrounding countryside and the menus are designed to reflect the best seasonally available food the area has to offer.

I enjoyed the sticky barbecue ribs to start, which had the sweet taste of honey running through them. The portion was very generous, very meaty and easily enough for two.

My main course was, of course, the 28-day aged ribeye steak with the most delicious triple cooked chips and a nice peppercorn sauce. Our companions for the weekend were full of praise for the fish and chips – which I have to say looked superb. It was made from hake and should be top of the list for anyone visiting.

For dessert it had to be the locally-sourced cheeseboard – the Montgomery Cheddar was my favourite and very tasty.

All of the food is nicely presented and from the way it is laid out on the plate to the glasses and crockery – the Queens Arms is a touch above many others on flavours and appearance.

I really admire the pub’s ethos on local produce and I hope others take a leaf out of its book.

During your stay...

While you’re in the area, travel 20 minutes down the road to The Haynes Motor Museum.

The attraction houses the UK’s largest collection of the greatest cars from around the world, with more than 400 cars and bikes from the dawn of motoring in the late 1800s through nostalgic classics of the 1950s and 1960s, glorious Bentleys and Rolls Royces to world renowned super cars like the Jaguar XJ220.

Another Little World...

As part of our visit we arranged to visit Another Little World – gorgeous treatment rooms which label themselves ‘an organic experience’.

My husband and I truly lost ourselves in peace and tranquility during our pampering – a full pedicure and express facial for me and a full body massage and mini facial for him.

Another Little World’s adventure was created by Carly in 2010. With years of experience spent in the beauty industry, Carly felt it was time to create something of her own that reflected her passion for the extra details that make the treatment experience that little bit more wonderful. Learning along the way what detrimental effects certain ingredients can have on oneself, she felt that it would be very hypocritical to continue to use products that contained these on her clients.

It is important to Another Little World that people visit and have an overall experience rather than just a treatment and the lovely ladies there really do listen to your needs and concerns and make you feel like royalty. Lovely touches like fruit, chocolate, fluffy robes and herbal tea on demand, just add to the wonderful experience on offer.

Another Little World has just started using Bramley products as well, which I love, and the bonus is that they are made in Somerset too. Whilst staying at The Piggeries do book in here and treat yourself – it is literally three minutes around the corner from the barns.

Visit The Queens Arms website here.