I have three children aged 1, 6, and 8. I would love to rent a house/nearby cottages in the UK so we could go away with another family. However, I don't want to cook. And I would love some child care for the baby. I know that Scott Dunn does this sort of villa with staff holiday on the continent, but is it available in the UK? Nicky Connor, by email

Family travel expert Emma Mahony (middle in picture above left) responds: Well Nicky, you are in luck. Fortunately for our modern times, the competition in the holiday cottage market means that more places are offering services over and above logs in the fire basket.

There is an excellent website called childfriendly cottages which lists 99 cottages across the UK that offer babysitting and catering - where the food is supplied from companies such as Top Nosh or "Sue, who will deliver home-made meals to your door". This should be your first port of call if you are wedded to certain areas of the country.

However, may I also direct you to the many well-researched and independent reviews we offer on the subject, because what the website can't tell you is how good the places are.

My favourites are Down on the Farm where Fred Mawer takes his toddlers twice a year they love it so much, and our own family trip to Holwell Cottages in Devon where delicious home-made meals were put in the freezer for our arrival and the local 20-something babysitter was kept amused by our three children (two 6-year-old twins and a 10-year-old) while we ate at the local hotel.

Other features worth noting if you are using the tour operator of Scott Dunn as an indicator of the quality of holiday cottage you are looking for, is an excellent round-up of Self-Catering cottages with Hotel Service published last year and 15 memorable hideaways, many from the LandMark Trust in our feature on the Best Holiday Cottages in Britain .

One other thing, if you are going with another family, and looking for childcare and catering - have you thought of going the whole hog and booking in to a hotel? Not one where there are "tuts" at the children, but family-friendly places where everything, including high tea, is laid on.

Can I recommend a piece called Britain's best family-friendly hotels, which offers a choice of 18 hotels in the South and South East/West. All of which should send your head spinning with choice. So here's hoping you can join up the dots, eat well and put your feet up with other grown-ups for company.

Got a question about family travel? Email our trio of experts at yoursay@timesonline.co.uk - Chloe Bryan-Brown takes care of questions for the 0-6 year olds, Emma Mahony handles the 7-12 age group and Jane Owen writes about teenage and single parent travel

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