The Woolpack Inn

Remodelled with a sense of style, the Woolpack is currently in tip-top condition, basking in a new lease of life under the long-term guidance of James Waterhouse. He ensures this flint-stone hostelry set in a pretty hamlet in the Candover Valley lives up to its title as an inn, dispensing local real ales and pub hospitality, while also putting on a stylish show for customers in search of food. In the kitchen, head chef Luke Stradling works to a concise modern British repertoire with confident results and more than a touch of artistic intent. A few crowd-pleasers – fish and chips, burgers – are never off the menu, but just about everything else changes with the seasons. Hits have included a beautifully composed crispy lamb belly topped with garden-grown courgette and basil, and exquisitely presented Cornish cod with creamy, herb oil-flecked sauce and confit potatoes, brilliantly enlivened by tangy, crunchy hits of apple. Cocktails prime you for the decently priced, mostly European wine list. There are also eight Nina Campbell-designed bedrooms, plus a terrace and garden for sunny days.