Where can I start to review an hotel that I had never heard of until a day or so before I stayed there ! We had stayed in a very nice pub at the start of the week but nothing can compare to this in Richmond. We were on our way back to Sale after a break in Seahouses so decided to stay in Richmond again, the aforementioned pub was booked up so I looked on Google and The Fleece sprung into view. We arrived after booking a double room with breakfast to be greeted by the manageress who's name (I am ashamed to say escapes me) She was so welcoming and we had a lovely chat about the hotel, food, the area and our backgrounds. We made our way to our room at the front of the hotel which was very tastefully decorated and had a comfortable bed. The bathroom had a double shower with controls that could be set before entering. The room overlooked the Friary tower in the park opposite and although on a main road was surprisingly quiet. The stairway and corridors were also well appointed and had large mirrors which fitted in perfectly. We made our way out of the hotel via the lovely bar area and decided to look at the menu for dinner that night. We booked a table for two and this was probably the best decision we had made all day. We exited the bar via the side door which lead to an alleyway and turned right where its paved area and old brickwork lead to the main square the main focal point of the town. We took in a few shops, watched England get stuffed by France in the six nations and then retired to our room to freshen up. After an hour or so we made our way down to dinner where our chef Ali (the husband of our lady host) and his able assistant were waiting to give us food that danced all over our palets like a punk rocker jumping up and down in the 80's. My wife had the beautiful bubbly cheese soufflé to start and I went for the perfectly cured salmon, which was a stunning plate of food. We followed with Crab spaghetti for my wife and I indulged myself with the Loin of venison cooked blue as I asked not rare as stated on the menu. Both meals were perfect in every aspect and we decided we were pleasantly satisfied so we opted for Irish coffee in the bar with petit fours. Ali the chef told us he had trained at Claridges and we told him the food was amazing. We chatted with his wife after the meal and retired up to bed bidding goodnight to the many dogs we stepped over on the way. We ate breakfast in the light and airy restaurant next day which again was perfect. We left two very contented customers who will definately be returning and will again be indulging ourselves on the full hit of food and the comfortable rooms. NB the home made Maple bread served with the Salmon was worth crawling across the restaurant floor to get to.