IT HAS one of the best views in the area, a distinctive charm, and a top local chef to boot – so news that the Monsal Head Hotel had been bought out by a hotel chain set the alarm bells ringing.

Change is certainly afoot, with plans to refurbish the old Stable Bar, expand the number of bedrooms and establish the site as the company's head office. But aficionados of the Peak District bar and restaurant can relax.

The new owners have the highest credentials and they're about as far from the average hotel chain as a Thornton's truffle is from a gobstopper… Which is an appropriate analogy since the new owner is Penelope Thornton, a member of the illustrious chocolate-producing family.

She laid the foundations of her hotel empire a few years back when she bought the exclusive Riverside Hotel at Ashford-in-the-Water.

Since then, with the support of director and experienced hotelier James Lamb, she has added the Plough at Brackenfield, the Samuel Fox Country Inn at Bradwell and the Monsal Head, which has its sights set on a three-star rating.

Some things have already been improved, like the colonial-style furniture, which has been replaced by antique oak dining tables and wooden chairs.

More ambitious plans due to get under way in the new year include extending and reflooring the popular Stable Bar to make more space for the walkers and sightseers who compete for places in fine weather.

The work is being done in consultation with architects who have a historic association with the former station house – a move designed to ensure the quality and integrity of the redevelopment.

Meanwhile, the quality of the restaurant is assured by head chef Rob Cochran, the Aussie who has set the standard at the Monsal Head for some years now. He remains in place at the head of a competent team, while other staff have been drafted in to match his lead in the rest of the hotel.

Front of house manager James Squires was in charge on the night of our visit, pausing for a chat between taking orders and stoking the fire. The views are awesome but bare windows are pretty chilly at this time of year and the blazing logs make a cheery welcome.

Real ale is a speciality; there are usually six on offer, all from local micro-breweries. The wine list, shared with sister hotels, offers a fair mid-range selection with one or two more upmarket options.

The menu is seasonal (winter arrives this week), with a regularly-changing choice of specials. Rob's popular Chicken Hartington and Monsal Wellington are year-round standards but new on are chargrilled sea bass with mussels, layered root vegetable lasagne and a shortcrust pie of gammon, pork, leek and potato.

Rob's cooking has the assured touch of one who knows his art. He allows the food to speak for itself, combining flavours in a way that teases and enhances without swamping the tastebuds.

Butternut squash and Roquefort soufflé is, quite simply, one of the best starters I've had. Double baking makes it firm, with a meltingly soft centre; light as a whisper yet rich and intense. Heavenly! And nicely complemented by a green bean and mixed leaf salad and tangy red cabbage salsa.

Soup of the day is leek and potato: velvety smooth, nicely seasoned, with a hint of celery and plenty of crusty bread.

After a start like that, the main course could have been doomed, but not a bit of it.

Lamb, lentil and ale pie is top notch – a hand-crafted cannonball of marinated meat and vegetable chunks encased in the lightest, shortest of pastry.

No less impressive is Greek marinated and roasted lamb from the specials menu. Tender slices of rump, studded with garlic and rosemary and blushing pink in the centre, are served with a rich jus and a timbale of feta and olive couscous – a great combination.

There's a choice of salad or veg and we tuck into beautifully al dente broccoli, mange tout, carrots and cauliflower.

Desserts follow and there's no let-up in the standard. A ramekin of chocolate and mint brulée is more like a thick cream than a custard, but delicious none the less. Sticky toffee pudding is just divine: light, moist and soaked amply in butterscotch sauce.

We finish our meal with coffee and chocolates (Thornton's, of course). Dinner for two, excluding wine and service, is £48.35.

lVerdict: A room with a view – and a chef who's top of his tree. But wrap up, or fight for a table by the fire in chilly weather.

lOpen: noon-9.30pm Monday-Saturday; until 9pm on Sunday.

- Monsal Head Hotel, Great Longstone, near Bakewell. (01629) 640 250.