A SECLUDED country home hidden deep in a North-East forest has been hailed as England's best bed and breakfast establishment.

Family-run Grove House, near Hamsterley, has been presented with the Good Hotel Guide's Cesar Award as the English Guest House of the Year.

Owners Russell and Helene Close have collected a string of accolades since they opened their home to paying guests when their three children were young, more than 20 years ago.

The three bedrooms they set aside for their business are regularly filled by visitors from all over the world.

The former shooting lodge is surrounded by 5,000 acres of woodland with miles of tracks for walkers and cyclists.

Inside, the Closes have added a European flavour to the furnishings and the five-course dinners served each night.

Mrs Close said: "People come back time and time again. The setting could not be more tranquil and people appreciate that. We don't have televisions or radios in the bedrooms. Visitors come for peace and quiet.

"We try to make it the sort of place we would like to stay in ourselves, and it means we have to give 100 per cent all the time."