Christmas Day 2007 was to be the third in succession that we had opted to eat out instead of cook in. Two years ago we had a superb Christmas Day lunch at The Carved Angel in Earls Colne (now sadly closed) followed by a comparatively disappointing meal at the Marks Tey Hotel near Colchester in 2006 (this being the only place we could find to accommodate a party of 11 at the eleventh hour.)

Despite being only a short distance from Lavenham, the village of Kersey which bestrides a hidden miniature valley, has earned the accolade of the most 'beautiful village in South Suffolk.' It is indeed a picture-postcard village with a wonderful array of timbered merchants' houses and weavers' cottages most of which retain their large windows on the first floor to give plenty of light to the cottage industry of weaving dating back to the fifteenth century.

Many will know of Hadleigh’s prominence as a wool town in medieval times, but few may realise that this bustling little place was once home to an avant-garde art school attended by Lucian Freud. There’s so much more to Hadleigh than meets the eye…

The small but very beautiful and bustling market town of Hadleigh is a convenient base for exploring the aesthetic delights of Constable Country and an increasingly popular holiday destination in its own right owing to a rich history and profusion of mostly privately owned shops and eateries.

A mecca for antiques enthusiasts owing to its excellent range of shops (and appearances in the Lovejoy television series), Long Melford also boasts the longest village high street in the country, a church of cathedral-like proportions, two historic mansions and an atmosphere that will have you planning your next visit before you’ve even departed…

It’s amazing to think that the peaceful village of Long Melford is only about 53 miles away from the hustle and bustle of London.

Cavendish is a picture postcard village in the Stour Valley,18 km from Bury St Edmunds and 23 km from Newmarket and 35 km from Cambridge