Finally Leicestershire has a Michelin Star. Brilliant!” exclaims a fan of John’s House – a highly idiosyncratic restaurant in a village not far from Loughborough. The ‘John’ in question is farmer’s son-turned-chef John Duffin who worked alongside some of the biggest names in the business (including Marcus Wareing and Simon Rogan) before bringing it all back home and opening his own gaff right next to the family farm. Home-grown and home-reared produce naturally looms large on the menu in his rough-and-ready brick-walled dining room – although that’s where the homespun folksiness ends. On the plate, it’s all about precision and thrills, from starters of raw Orkney scallops with crab, cucumber and elderflower or spring onion dumplings with broad beans, peas, mint and lime to mains such as farm-reared hogget and crispy sweetbread with anchovy cream, seaweed and preserved lemon or lightly salted cod fillet with brawn, passion fruit and curry spices. For afters, how about sweet peas with coconut and water mint? Wines are well chosen and keen priced.