Best Pubs with Rooms
Published 24 November 2025

At the end of the nail-bitingly vertiginous Bealach Na Bà Pass, the Applecross Inn is legendary for its food, craic and ‘magnificently idyllic location’. Run by Judith Fish MBE since 1989, this whitewashed pub with rooms attracts a steady stream of bikers and campervan holidaymakers ready for a nerve-calming dram (there are over 50 malt whiskies on offer) or a pint from the Applecross Brewery. Outside, picnic tables huddle above a rocky beach with dreamy wide-angle views, while a converted silver Airstream caravan (the Inn-Side Out) offers fish and chips, ice cream and coffee to go. Inside, it’s properly old-school, shabby but not chic: red carpets, orange pine panelling, the bar strung with fairy lights. The menu naturally showcases daily supplies of local seafood: the freshest squat lobsters, langoustines, plump hand-dived scallops, dressed crab salad. Portions are huge and the line-up also takes in flambéed haggis, chicken Caesar salad, burgers, pasta and excellent battered haddock with chunky chips. Desserts are in the same vein, mighty portions of classics ranging from ‘the best homemade sticky toffee pudding’ to traditional raspberry cranachan. 

From bar to beer garden, the Heathcock majors in laid-back sophistication: expect simple white walls, reclaimed furniture, a decent selection of beers, and warm, efficient service. Here, informality never equates to idleness, and the same is true of the food, which – for all its rustic edges – is intelligent and considered. A big, chunky sourdough doorstep, say, quilted with the cheesiest, beeriest Welsh rarebit you could wish for, a bottle of Worcesterhire sauce on the side. Or grilled Wye asparagus teasingly dressed in grated Welsh black truffle and breadcrumbs then laid on a swirl of wild garlic purée. Native ingredients are trumpeted: a clutch of fluffy ricotta dumplings luxuriate in a heritage tomato sauce, with chunks of fresh tomato tasting of the summer sun thrown in for good measure. Game makes frequent appearances, as do native fish and seafood: smoked eel might be breadcrumbed, deep-fried and served with horseradish, rhubarb and chard on sourdough toast, while native mussels go Welsh with a leek and cider sauce. This is a small-plates menu, so expect to try at least three dishes each – and be sure to order dessert: a flawless, cloud-like rhubarb soufflé was a ‘sparkling highlight’ for one diner, while a perfectly crisp and syrupy pear tarte tatin delighted another. A good spread of European wines includes plenty by the glass. A recent addition is a Champagne and oyster bar upstairs.

‘A real anchor in the community,' the Inn at the Sticks covers so many bases: at its heart is the pub and restaurant, with bedrooms upstairs, but it also encompasses an art gallery and a shop/deli, while the garden provides the backdrop for live music, events and summertime street food. The interior is rustic and uncluttered without being chintzy, and the place is blessed with some of the friendliest, well-informed staff you could wish for, while the menu is an ever-evolving line-up of ‘visually stunning’ tapas-style plates based emphatically on 'hyper-fresh' Welsh seasonal produce, with influences garnered from far and wide. You might find anything from boquerones with smoked mussels to crispy pork belly on creamed parsnip, Calvados sauce and wasabi emulsion, although veggie plates are the standouts – perhaps tandoori cauliflower florets or chargrilled hispi cabbage with chickpea and tahini houmous. Sunday brings further surprises – one visitor was delighted by a serving of zaatar-spiced roast Welsh lamb with crumbled feta followed by summer berry pudding with Greek yoghurt. To drink, there’s an excellent choice of ‘signature’ wines and beers.

Overlooking the Gothic remains of medieval Byland Abbey, this dream-ticket pub ‘hits that sweet spot between effortless village local and divine destination dining’. Inside, it’s pure, cosy magic, complete with flickering fires, ancient stonework and genuine Yorkshire hospitality. Pull up a stool for a pint of hand-pumped ale or graduate to one of the three dining rooms for seriously appealing food with a punchy regional accent, underpinned by produce from owner Tommy Banks’ family farm. Classics such as beer-battered haddock or Saddleback pork pie sit alongside upmarket ideas ranging from confit chicken and nasturtium velouté to BBQ fallow deer haunch and braised shoulder with sour cherries. And you can now enjoy the pub’s ‘absolutely incredible’ smash burgers indoors during the colder months. For afters, it’s hard to see past the luscious soft-serve ice creams – ‘nostalgic bliss in a bowl’. Brilliant Sunday roasts are a winning ticket too, with everything from Yorkshire hogget to rare-breed Berkshire pork reared at the Banks’ family farm. Aside from real ales and botanical cocktails, there’s a decent selection of wines with plenty by the glass.

You can drop into the Anchor for a pint of Adnams Broadside and a packet of crisps, half a dozen bracingly fresh rock oysters (from Mersea or Orford) and a glass of crisp Muscadet, or go full-throttle on a three-course meal that sings with local and seasonal produce. Either way, the Anchor is firing on all cylinders as a good pub should. 

Expect straightforward, generous food. Evergreen fixtures such as tempura-battered halloumi fries, smoked haddock fishcakes, and voluminous fish and chips sit alongside specials that make the most of allotment vegetables and local meat – perhaps pork belly with sweetheart cabbage and salsa verde. The chocolate fondant has earned its very own fan club over the years, not surprisingly given its dark, molten deliciousness.

Publican Mark Dorber, who has run the place with his chef/wife Sophie since 2004, layers the drinks list with his beer and wine expertise – he’ll happily engage on the subject with interested guests while pouring everything from local ales and complex Belgian Trappist beers to everyday wines and push-the-boat-out vintages such as a Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Mersault Clos de la Barre at £110. If you need to walk all that off, the beach is minutes away; and if you need to sleep it off, there are rooms in the pub or in spacious garden chalets (our recommendation). There’s praise, too, for the ‘lovely warm welcome’ and the ‘superb atmosphere’, especially in the charming fire-warmed bar area.

Reporters affirm that this forward-thinking village inn ‘just gets better and better’. The Boar now boasts its own bakery and a community garden, although the heart of the place is its slate-floored bar and crimson-walled dining room. This is a real ‘home from home’ – warm, cosy, quiet and run by a team of attentive staff who ‘seamlessly accommodate your every need’. In the kitchen, co-owner Alasdair Clifford delivers supremely confident cooking built around supplies of seasonal produce, with ‘quality and presentation above anything you’d expect to find in a small village’. Duck parfait with cider jelly or monkfish ceviche with cherry tomatoes and Padrón peppers might precede grilled loin and braised faggot of sika deer, roast hake with mussel and kuri squash velouté or classic grilled sirloin of 40-day dry-aged Devon Red beef. After that, how about fig-leaf panna cotta with poached blackberries? While the pub is famed for its food, ‘it’s easy to forget that they serve a perfect pint’, as well as offering luscious cocktails and a well-curated selection of wines by the glass or carafe.

‘A wonderful example of a British inn that stays true to its roots,’ noted one reporter after visiting the Bath Arms – a place that ‘seamlessly blends historic Georgian charm with contemporary boutique styling’. A traditional public bar caters for drinkers, while the candlelit restaurant serves ‘elevated British comfort food’ utilising game sourced directly from the Longleat Estate alongside produce from local farms. Expect a fulsome line-up of pub classics (ploughman’s, burgers, cider-battered haddock) overlaid with more creative contemporary ideas. Start with a mutton shoulder croquette or a crispy courgette flower with Westcombe ricotta and peach, then proceed to chalk stream trout with potato terrine and celeriac or venison haunch with carrot, wild blackberries, dark chocolate and port jus. Round off in style with a ginger parfait paired with baked plum and oat crumble. As for service, the team ‘consistently delivers an experience that is welcoming, memorable and rooted in quality,’ according to one satisfied customer. To drink, the decently priced, wide-ranging wine list offers plenty of interesting options by the glass and carafe – and there’s homemade ginger beer, too.

Standing at a country crossroads on the edge of the Fonthill Estate, this handsome, ivy-clad 18th-century inn is a hugely enjoyable retreat and very much an all-rounder. ’Picture prefect’ from the outside, it really scores with its gorgeous interiors and succeeds in delivering ‘an exceptional country pub experience’ every time. Excellence combined with warmth is what makes it such a special place. Gentrified country-luxe decor defines the interior, and there’s a covered terrace opening onto an acre of mature gardens. The main menu is a carefully considered crowd-pleaser, although one reporter is drawn to the ‘tempting bar snacks chalked above the fire’. Whether you’re after a ploughman’s, a ‘Beckford burger’ or something more upmarket, the kitchen is always rigorous when it comes to sourcing local and regional produce. Fish and West Country meats share the billing, so expect anything from cured Cornish gurnard with black-garlic mayo and pickled celery to roast Prescombe partridge or West End Farm pork chop partnered by spiced sausage, squash and damsons. A well-spread global wine list suits most palates and pockets.

From its hillside perch in a village a couple of miles outside Stroud, the Bell at Selsley commands a quintessentially Cotswold panorama – watching over five converging valleys, looking up to blustery commons above, and down to venerable mills beside rushing streams.

The inn itself is also easy on the eye, built of honey-hued stone, with a cosy beamed bar as well as a more contemporary dining room, where floor-to-ceiling windows allow guests to watch the last slanting rays of sunset illuminating the rooftops of the town (if the weather is kind).

The menu brings together British and European influences, with ingredients drawn from the region and much further afield. Bright ideas and deft execution are the kitchen's hallmarks: Italian black fig, burrata and home-smoked duck made for a spirited medley at our June dinner, likewise salmon tartare topped with wild garlic.

Local flavours loom large among the mains – notably a mighty blade of Gloucestershire beef presented regally atop roast garlic mash and king oyster mushroom – although the real highlight for us was a serving of beetroot gnocchi with courgette, rocket pesto and Parmesan cream, a dish positively bursting with bright notes.

Desserts have some old-school flourishes (baked Alaska, for instance), but many will prefer to go for the cheeseboard with its heavy West Country accent. House wines start at £22, and the locally brewed Uley Bitter is also a winner.

Dating from the 12th century and secluded even in this quiet corner of the Peaks, this classic (and beautifully restored) country pub – real ales, open fires, dogs – has a seriously ambitious kitchen. But make sure you arrive hungry in order to make the most of the ever-changing seasonal menu, which shows off the owners’ dedication to local producers. The main action is on the ground floor, where there are comfy armchairs around the hearth for drinkers and a conservatory space that puts food first. Upstairs, a handful of tables are laid out within metres of the open kitchen, which allows you to scope out the full range of food on offer. 

On weekday lunchtimes, the bar menu ranges from proper bar food (battered sausage with curry sauce) to more experimental light bites (seaweed-cured cod with pickled cucumber, buttermilk and caviar). Roast lamb rump, shoulder, braised carrot and Cambridge sauce was a great example of the kitchen’s ability to make even the most everyday ingredients into something memorable, but an undeniable highlight of the main courses was the many-layered flavours that were piled into wild mushroom and Hartington Bomber twin ravioli with king oyster mushroom and gremolata.

Desserts are elegant takes on pub classics in very manageable portion sizes, from warm Bakewell tart to sticky toffee pudding with a superb sauce and ginger ice cream. Save for a few extra wines by the glass, the drinks options are roughly what you’d expect from a historic coaching inn in the UK’s original National Park. It’s the food that brings it bang up-to-date.

‘It feels like a traditional pub, but with so much more,’ observed one visitor to this handily placed hostelry opposite an expansive village green midway between Norwich and the coast. The interior is a tasteful and nicely judged mix of old and new decorative touches, with the bonus of an orangery overlooking two acres of award-winning gardens. Service is spot-on and the hands-on owners ‘go above and beyond on every level’, while the kitchen delivers an enterprising menu that wouldn’t look out of place on one of London’s leafier fringes. Carefully sourced meats are the main attractions among the main courses (slow-roasted lamb shoulder with roasted root vegetables, for example), but there’s also some more imaginative stuff on show, from tuna tataki with pickled cucumber to a pithivier of beetroot, leek and vegan feta. Tuesday night is steak night, and proceedings are rounded off with old-fashioned puddings, crumbles and brownies – although you might also be tempted by the Norfolk strawberry pavlova. Well-kept hand-pulled ales and a serviceable wine list are the top shouts for liquid refreshment.

Currently part of the Public House Group (which also runs contemporary venues such as the Pelican in Notting Hill), the reenergised Bull has become a magnet for the smart out-of-town set, although ‘the locals can still be found occupying its nooks and crannies’. The departure of big-name chef Sally Abé early in 2026 hasn't affected the fortunes of the place one jot – judging by recent reports of ‘superb food’ and ‘exceptionally attentive staff’. A good time is had by all. There's plenty of finesse on show in the kitchen, which proves its prowess across the board: the ever-present ‘Bull pie’ is ‘exceptional’, or the whole table can splash out on a rib of beef with horseradish.  A pairing of mushrooms and monk’s beard has hit the spot, likewise a strawberry and custard bun for dessert; also, don’t ignore the ‘Bull Whippy’. The atmospheric, moodily lit interior feels just right – or you can head to the lovely garden space for a summertime BBQ. A terrific drinks selection includes an enterprising list of local cask ales alongside an adventurous wine selection.

Pure Totnes, this maverick pub with rooms runs by its own eco ‘Bull rules’ and promotes itself as ‘organic, radical and ethical’ – although the vibe is always warm and approachable. Menus change twice daily, the attention to detail is exceptional and dishes arrive ‘bursting with unique, bold flavours’ (without running riot). Served on quirky crockery, tapas plates with a strong veggie bias are the main contenders from the seasonal line-up, so expect anything from aubergines ‘under oil’ with apricot salsa and dukkah to a hogget chop with whipped tahini, chilli honey and sumac onions. If something more substantial is required, consider a bavette steak with turnip purée, romanesco and green sauce or share a whole crab with wild garlic mayo if it’s in season. To finish, Basque cheesecake is a sweet stalwart. Super-friendly staff are always on point, prices are affordable and the pub has a cracking drinks list with organic ales, cocktails ‘to die for’ and a sharp selection of adventurous European wines (organic, biodynamic and natural, of course).

At the hub of a Sussex hilltop village, with a sunny terrace overlooking the local church, this reimagined 16th-century inn has all the nooks, crannies, inglenooks, oak beams and floral displays that you could wish for. Efficient, cheery staff keep things rolling along, bringing ‘pint milk bottles’ of water to each table as a matter of course. The place gets packed and everyone is here for the food – thanks to a confident kitchen that can deliver consistent crowd-pleasing dishes from a regular menu and a chalked-up specials board that included a tempting with a crab-topped crumpet with cucumber and almond cream.

Burgers, pies and battered fish keep the traditionalists happy, but there's room for invention too: a well-balanced goat’s cheese brûlée delivered on all fronts, with a fine lavosh cracker alongside, while cod fillet was perfectly pan-fried, with impressive accompaniments including a crayfish beurre noisette, silky-smooth celeriac purée, savoy cabbage and crispy Parmesan-crusted potatoes. Meaty choices range from Surrey ribeye steaks with peppercorn butter to haunch of local venison richly embellished with a braised shoulder tartlet, quince poached in mulled wine, potato terrine and a boozy sauce. And on Sundays, the prospect of three ultra-traditional roasts guarantees regular full houses.

The kitchen puts on a show when it comes to desserts: our deep-filled lemon tart had bags of citrus tang, with blackberry purée and blackberry sorbet on the side, while a dark chocolate terrine was lifted by a raspberry sorbet and maple-flavoured honeycomb. The well-considered wine collection offers oodles by the glass, including a range of Sussex sparklers.

Located alongside the Galloway Forest Park, the family-run Clachan has everything you could wish for – a traditional, cosy vibe, slate floors, fireside chairs, a ‘fabulous choice of real ales’ and a ‘seriously terrific restaurant’, plus quiz nights and music sessions.  And everyone has a good word for the friendly, engaging staff and their caring attitude to young and old alike. Expect superbly cooked local ingredients and smartly presented dishes, whether you’re opting for a ‘light bites’ lunch or the full works in the evening. Meat and game are well represented with the likes of wood pigeon with potato gnocchi, sweetcorn and ‘nduja or Scotch ox cheek with potato terrine, while fish fans could home in on North Sea turbot with Galloway girolles, peas and baby gem. To conclude, you might find a choux bun with raspberry, white chocolate and lavender or a Scottish cheese plate with house oatcakes and chutney. Aside from the line-up of draught beers, drinkers can dip into a short, accessible wine list with seven by the glass.

Originally named because it was the last coaching inn before Cornwall, this extensively refurbished Devon hostelry has shaken off any geographical confusion and now plies its trade as a lively venue for all-comers at the heart of the old stannary town of Tavistock. ‘I will never tire of eating in their restaurant or just popping in for a relaxing drink,’ observed one regular. Whether you’re after a pint in the garden with a Scotch egg or a full three-course dinner ahead of an overnight stay, there’s ‘utter consistency’ across the board and the attention to detail is mightily impressive. Creative small plates such as beef-brisket croquettes with Asian pickles and firecracker mayo open the show, ahead of a broadly based selection of main courses mixing traditional pub fare with modern classics – everything from all-battered Cornish haddock to poached and roasted lamb belly with devilled kidneys, lamb-fat onion, spiced aubergine and lamb gravy. Fans dote on the Sunday lunch, while desserts might offer Yorkshire strawberry trifle with kalamansi sorbet. A drinker-friendly wine list is arranged by style.

Found down narrow lanes a few miles from Chard, this remote but civilised hostelry of some character encapsulates many people’s idea of what a rural inn should be like. The Englishness of the setting – quietly hugging a gentle, verdant slope at the foot of the Blackdown Hills – combined with wood-burners, a medley of old wooden tables and chairs, local ales, beer garden and all, create a feel of well-ordered rusticity.

Maddie Beaumont and Ben Porter run their business very personally, the relaxed atmosphere and easy-going service working well with the comfortable, simple interior and stunning location. Apart from the views and the glorious summer dining terrace, people come here for the sourdough pizzas and for the Cotley Estate Ruby Red burger (with Monterey Jack, spiced beef brisket, roasted garlic aïoli, chilli relish, house slaw and chunky chips) that was proving so popular on our visit.

Indeed, the seasonal menu reflects a strong relationship with local suppliers, the dishes a familiar combination of quality ingredients along the lines of grilled Cornish monkfish tail with braised baby gem, marie rose sauce, king prawns and violet artichokes, plus a warm tomato salad on the side. There are steaks too, popular Sunday roasts, a British cheese slate and generous desserts that play the comfort card. The wine list is very reasonably priced (from £28), and mainly European, with a handful from the New World. Comfortable bedrooms are in the former stables,

‘So consistent, cosy and welcoming,’ commented one regular visitor to this fine old 16th-century inn a short detour from some of the National Park’s best trails. Since taking over in 2019, the Barker-Jones family have given the oak-beamed, slate-floored interior a satisfying makeover, with lots of attention to detail (note the lovely hand-painted photos on the walls). ‘You would feel welcome to just pop in for a drink,’ noted a reporter, but it would be a sin to miss the pub’s main attraction – its menu of carefully sourced local and seasonal food.

The kitchen delivers ‘deep full-on flavours’ across the board, from hunks of warm home-baked bread with Netherend butter and bowls of verdant pea soup topped with seasonal ramsons to panna cotta with rhubarb and shortbread or treacle tart given extra zing with confit orange, candied zest and crystallised ginger ice cream. In between, Jail Ale-battered haddock with triple-cooked chips is a winner, likewise the cider-braised West Country pork fillet and the stone bass and Teignmouth mussels with fennel, samphire and mussel velouté. It’s also worth working up an appetite for the effusively praised Sunday lunch with its offer of roast moorland sirloin and the like. 

Service from really professional, welcoming staff is all you could wish for, as is the wide-ranging drinks list, which covers everything from local Dartmoor Ale to classic cocktails and a small but varied list of mostly Old World wines.

Ambleside is well served by the Drunken Duck. It is not one of those pubs that has left its drinking side behind (not with that name); instead, it throws a welcoming arm around locals in an atmosphere of free-and-easy conviviality. That said, an appreciable attempt has been made to give the dining area its own identity with some framed art prints of flowers, a festooning of dried hops, and an open-to-view kitchen. Last booking for food is 8pm.

Staff are expertly clued-up, not least with knowledge of the Barngates beers brewed on site. The food is distinguished by nutritious heartiness, seen to impressive effect in a vegetarian main course of roasted cabbage and mushrooms topped with capers and horseradish, served with potato cakes, which might be preceded by a fricassée of Jerusalem artichokes with apple, black garlic and sunflower seeds.

Homely main dishes make great cold-weather sustenance, even when the cold weather comes round in late June: a bowl of fortifying marjoram-scented rabbit stew arrives with chunky veg, potent gravy and a cloud of lovely mash. Sides of perfectly textured chips and aïoli will help fill any holes.

In the context, the afters seem pleasantly light: yoghurt mousse and rhubarb sorbet team up for a refreshing finish, under a summery dusting of dried raspberries, or there may be a raspberry and fig version of Bakewell pudding. Gluggable wines by the glass head up a no-nonsense list.

‘Eat, Drink, Sleep’ is the mantra at this ever-popular pub with rooms from Charles and Edmund Inkin, who also run the Gurnard’s Head and the Old Coastguard in Cornwall. In many ways the Griffin is an archetypal dream of a country inn – all fireside sofas, knobbly brickwork, low beams and quarry-tiled floors, with craft ales at the bar and fresh, home-cooked food. But for all its heritage vibes, this is a slick, modern operation, with polished service and a kitchen headed by Tom Kerridge alumnus Gwenann Davies. Her repertoire includes traditional ideas such as crab risotto with crème fraîche alongside more contemporary dishes – perhaps brill with silverskin onion, pancetta, cavolo nero and bourguignon sauce. Each dish is carefully considered, right through to dessert – chocolate and coffee crémeux with Chantilly cream, for example. Sunday lunch is an ultra-traditional feast featuring beef and lamb from the lowland hills, greenery from the kitchen garden and plenty of homely touches. In addition to regional ales and Welsh spirits, drinkers can pick from a personally annotated wine list with plenty by the glass or carafe.

With pubs closing week on week, you might wonder why Tommy Banks would take on a tired old roadhouse between Knaresborough and Boroughbridge and transform it into a modern inn for the 21st century. But Banks has form: in 2005 he took his local village boozer, the Black Swan at Oldstead, to stellar status in just five years; later, he bought a mock Tudor tavern in York and made Roots a destination, and recently revived the beautifully located Abbey Inn at Byland.

The General Tarleton is the first restoration in Banks’ new group, Jeopardy Hospitality, and good money has gone into the smart makeover. The homely bar with old-style oak tables and Windsor chairs is dedicated to drinkers, while the sunlit atrium is a fresh, modern space filled with light ash tables. Beyond is ‘the barn’, another dining room with attractive beams and exposed stone walls.

The tight menu is packed with pub classics: oozing Scotch eggs and twice-baked cheese soufflé to start, then pork schnitzel with a fried egg or fillet steak with fabulous triple-cooked chips. There are Dexter beef burgers and handsome pies too, laced with Black Sheep ale and served with 'baked potato' mash. Dishes are refined and carefully executed, as in a snow-white fillet of cod with deep-fried cockles and a roast onion or a chocolate pot with sour cherry, miso and almond.

This is elevated pub cooking, so don’t expect average pub prices, but there's also a terrific-value three-course set menu at £30 (available most sessions).  Bar snacks of pork crackling and Old Winchester croquettes go well with pints of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and Knaresborough’s Turning Point on tap; there's also a strong selection of wines by the glass, including some New World highlights. If this is what it takes to keep a village inn thriving, they may be onto something.

Set in the picturesquely named Vale of White Horse, in a village not far from Wantage, this Greyhound is a thoroughbred if ever there was one. Its interior spaces have been fashioned in accord with best modern style, with plenty of light wood, walls in primary colour schemes and a dining room that boasts white-clothed tables. A couple who found the place bathed in unseasonal February sun after a fogbound 50-mile car journey had their spirits lifted – especially when presented with the ‘lunch for less’ menu, enjoying Camembert with black garlic aïoli, and then sensational roast guinea fowl from a three-course deal that comes in at under £35.

The principal menu deals in ambitious modern British food full of enticement from the get-go, with preliminary nibbles such as venison croquette with gribiche dressing and watercress to consider. For an opening salvo, mackerel might be soused and scorched, partnered with rillettes of its smoked version, and energised with a beef-fat crumpet and grated horseradish – a spectacular composition of flavours. The vegan main course is hardly lacking in imagination, either – think Crown Prince squash accompanied by dressings of hazelnut dukkah and pistou, along with Swiss chard, apple and pickled walnut. Otherwise, look to Cornish skate wing with smoked leeks, cockles and capers in beurre noisette, or harissa-fired pork tomahawk steak with Guinness-infused onion purée and pearl barley.

There are the almost-obligatory pub classics too (when only a plate of fish and chips will suffice), and proceedings conclude with, say, banana pain perdu, torched banana, peanut-butter ice cream and butterscotch. British and Irish cheeses are top-drawer selections served with spiced pear purée and boozy chutney. A wine list with helpful tasting notes adds to the cheer.

‘A really unique spot’ set within a 1,000-acre deer park just four miles from the Norfolk coast, this idiosyncratic pub/restaurant with rooms is quite a prospect. The grey-stone exterior may seem rather stark but inside there’s a feel of ‘inviting, lived-in elegance’, thanks to soft, warm furnishings, lots of varnished woodwork, leather, blazing fires and the owners' unrivalled collection of contemporary British art. Despite its impressive credentials, the place has never lost its pub atmosphere, with ‘locals enjoying a pint in the bar, a well-used pool table, darts, dogs and muddy-booted walkers’ adding to the country vibe. However, much attention focuses on the mighty Elk Room fire where joints of locally sourced venison, Blickling beef and South Creake pork are dramatically cooked over open flames. Also look for rich, carefully seasoned pies and fish from the coast (perhaps whole grilled mackerel with heritage tomatoes from the walled garden and herb aïoli). For afters, buttermilk pudding with raspberries is suitably comforting. Sunday means roast joints, while drinks range from Norfolk ales to a short, fairly priced wine list.

Single-track lanes wind among gale-blown moorlands, high hedgerows and ancient monoliths to reach the Gurnard’s cheery mustard-yellow facade. Stepping inside, it immediately feels like a place of sanctuary, with locals sipping Cornish ales and ciders beside venerable hearths, and others gravitating to the candlelit dining room, where cartography and artworks often depict the raging seas outside. Unsurprisingly, seafood looms large on the menu, though inspiration comes from near and far – perhaps red gurnard ceviche swimming in ginger, chilli and soy or a warming Thai broth of mussels, chilli, coconut and coriander. The kitchen is also deft when it comes to working with produce from the fields (a main of pork belly with smoked morcilla, BBQ apple and mash, say), as well as fashioning sea-and-land medleys such as 'ndjua-flecked cod balanced atop a tower of mussels, with a tang of cider appropriate to this West Country location. Finish off with a pub classic such as sticky toffee pudding doused in butterscotch sauce. House wines kick off with a dozen 'open' whites and reds by the glass or carafe.

Some pub restaurants flatter to deceive, with fancy menus that don’t deliver. Others offer a short repertoire of dishes that transcend expectations. The Howard Arms is of this second happy breed – and some. A handsome and venerable Cotswold hostelry, it is well-used by locals who gather in the bar to sup pints of local ale. Up a few stairs is the restaurant, which provides decorum as well as conviviality (note the old pictures of country scenes, all fashionably decorated with allium seeds in November). 

Chef Chris Ellis (formerly at the Killingworth Castle) has produced a brief menu that has space for the classics (burgers, fish and chips) as well as more elaborate dishes. Choose the latter and you’re unlikely to be disappointed. For us, a thick chunk of pork belly set the tone: luscious fat, crisp skin and tender meat, accompanied by mouthwateringly tangy homemade brown sauce, plus crunchy rémoulade and a mound of flavoursome black pudding. To follow, a perfect, plate-filling lemon sole was cooked with split-second accuracy on the bone and matched with an abundance of potted shrimps, samphire and new potatoes in a pool of butter. Meat-based mains more than pass muster too, judging by an equally generous portion of juicy duck breast with Puy lentils and beetroot.

To round things off, an exemplary apple and blackberry crumble with custard was zesty, crunchy and creamy in all the right places. The concise wine list provides admirable back-up, service is informative and friendly, and prices are moderate for the Cotswolds. What’s more, Sunday lunch receives special acclaim for ‘melt in the mouth’ meat, a ‘great veggie option’ and (our favourite) ‘unlimited gravy’. How civilised.

‘The quintessential village pub’ is one visitor's verdict on this handsome Cotswold hostelry with rooms – and we wholeheartedly agree. The ‘Killy’ retains the charm of a cosy local boozer – villagers drink real ale and chew the cud around a wood-burning stove in winter – yet its kitchen produces highly accomplished and full-flavoured cooking.

Diners head for the recently extended restaurant, where flagstoned flooring and stone walls dovetail well with the 17th-century bar. Panache is apparent early in a meal, perhaps with a delicate yet boldly flavoured appetiser of cheese and truffle gougère with a parsley emulsion. A thick little slice of smoked trout could follow, perked up by a zesty buttermilk and lovage sauce poured at table by one of the chatty, clued-up staff. Better still is a hillock of mushroom cream surrounded by celeriac velouté, with slices of cep and crunchy hazelnuts adding to the end-of-year flavours.

Mains are similarly seasonal in style – notably a serving of juicy guinea fowl breast matched with nutty risotto-like pearl barley in a creamy chestnut velouté, the dish piqued by the bitter notes of caramelised chicory. A side of shredded ‘winter spiced’ red cabbage – tangy, sweet, rich – adds to the indulgence. Inventiveness and flair continue with desserts, witness a dark and luxurious chocolate délice, spiced with Szechuan peppercorns. The expertly annotated wine list keeps pace too, with big flavours galore – even in the kindly priced house selections.

Set in ravishing open moorland near the Cumbrian border, the Kirkstyle has been a watering hole since the 19th century but now attracts customers from far and wide. It manages to be ‘a proper village pub’ with a telling sense of community and a genuine commitment to the area and its produce – although reporters agree that the owners and staff are what make it special: ‘their warmth, personality and attention to detail run through everything the Kirkstyle does.’ In the kitchen, Connor Wilson is prepared to ‘push the boundaries’, letting local produce define his enterprising, contemporary approach to all things gastronomic. Dinner might open with a game terrine partnered by damson and hazelnut, while immaculately presented mains could run from cod with artichokes and bisque to seasonal grouse paired with hen of the woods mushrooms, chicory and pickled walnut. To finish, Darling Blue cheese panna cotta dressed with guelder rose is an offbeat winning ticket. There are crowd-pulling Sunday roasts, too, while the wine list is a marvel to behold, stuffed with French classics and goodly vintages from around the globe – at remarkably fair mark-ups.

What’s not to love about this handsome pub set in beautiful Wiltshire countryside – especially as it also has a serious reputation for food. Poke your head through the door and it’s a welcoming sight: low ceilings, a flagstone floor, well-worn tables, a mixture of chairs and church pews, a woodburner under the mantelpiece, fairy lights twinkling in the windows. Chef-patron Rob Allcock cooks hearty renditions of modern British food, mixing pub classics such as battered haddock with mushy peas, chips and tartare sauce with more adventurous fare – say a starter of home-smoked salmon with cucumber, yuzu, oat and linseed granola, keta and lemon oil.

Provenance is immaculate (a lot of produce comes from the pub's own kitchen garden), and Allcock’s skills shine through – from the delicious home-baked warm sourdough at the start of our meal to the refreshing blackberry sorbet accompanying a generous slice of Liverpool tart with rhubarb and nougatine that concluded proceedings. Although there are occasional missteps, recent praise is not misplaced: Allcock’s ‘love of cooking comes out in all his dishes,’ noted one fan.

There are plenty of by-the-glass selections on the well-researched wine list, but do try the excellent local ales in this free house. Prices suggest that the Longs Arms may be more of a 'special occasion' destination rather than a weekly haunt, but if you want to make a night of it, the recently converted ‘Piggery’ offers a luxurious prospect for an overnight stay.

‘It’s a good local’ thought one reporter of this 17th-century village inn next to the church. Mixing traditional country pub virtues with a 'modern and worldly flourish’, it oozes character and charm. There are various dining and drinking spaces leading off one another, while mismatched tables and chairs, hop-strewn beams and warm lighting create a cosy feel. The kitchen pleases a dedicated pub clientele up for some ale-battered fish and chips as well as ‘top-class’ pizza and the likes of chicken Caesar salad, whole megrim sole with rainbow chard or roasted squash with Puy lentils and Westcombe ricotta. Local ales and cider are complemented by a reasonably priced, mainly European wine list.

Dating from the 16th century, the Merry Harriers is snuggled away in a rural Surrey enclave noted for its scenic woodland walks. Owners Alex Winch and chef Sam Fiddian-Green have given the place a gentle modern makeover (soft green colours, bentwood chairs, winter fires) and turned it into an ‘incredibly inviting’ destination for locals and visitors alike (keep an eye out for the weekly ‘meat raffle’). A menu that exhaustively lists all the kitchen's local suppliers inspires confidence, and the food is just what country-pub aficionados relish. To begin, a heritage tomato salad with goat’s curd might vie with sardines on toast, while mains could run from lamb’s liver with mash and shallots to halibut with brown shrimps, burnt butter and cucumber. Meat from the nearby family farm is a star turn, from braised short rib with polenta to sharing cuts of wagyu/Hereford cross. At the sweet end of things, there might be blackberry and tonka bean trifle or a ‘sandwich’ of Kentish cherries and chocolate ice cream. Tip-top draught beers and a carefully compiled wine list, too.

‘Cherished as a community asset… where local produce, local stories and local pride meet under one roof,’ this sympathetically renovated, family-run pub with rooms also receives high praise for its mix of contemporary and traditional styles. Delightfully wonky wooden beams divide the high-ceilinged, open-plan dining room, with large stone fireplaces at either end, plus tartan banquettes and polished wooden tables; there’s a ‘wonderful beer garden’ too. The kitchen makes almost everything in-house, from the piccalilli and potato bread that accompany the ham hock terrine to the milk ice cream that goes with the hot chocolate mousse. The self-titled ‘classic’ menu majors on pies with buttery mash, fish and chips, pastas, salads, burgers and steaks, with a few upbeat additions including Cornish mussels with ‘nduja and Piccadilly tomatoes. To finish, try the selection of three locally sourced cheeses with home-baked lavroche bread. ‘Impeccable Sunday roasts’ get the thumbs-up, as does the impressive drinks selection with its short list of easy-drinking wines, local ales and enticing cocktails – not to mention the ‘cheeky Gun Dog gin’.

Tucked away in a remote valley in the southwest corner of the North York Moors National Park, Hawnby is an estate village of mellow sandstone, with a church, a pub and a village store. John Wesley visited here in 1757 calling it ‘one of the pleasantest parts of England’ – and we agree. Surrounded by forest and the heather-covered Hawnby Hill, it is a beautiful spot attracting walkers and shooting types who pay handsomely for a day on the estate’s grouse moor. The Owl (a former drover’s inn) sits at the top of the village and gives a commanding view over this stunning countryside.

Here Sam Varley, who previously ran Bantam in Helmsley, has created a welcoming retreat, a place to come for unfussy food and a comfortable bed for the night. Whether you eat in the stone-flagged bar in front of a warming stove, the dining room or the splendid terrace on sunny days, you'll find crowd-pleasing dishes such as chicken, leek and bacon pie or pork T-bone with roasted peach, green beans and pine-nut vinaigrette. Back in the day, cheap monkfish was often passed off as scampi; nowadays it’s a luxury fish and Varley’s monkfish scampi with curry mayo is fabulous.

Also expect devilled kidneys on toast, piles of hot, melting cheese gougères and cracking Sunday lunches – generously sliced aged sirloin of beef with horseradish cream, rolled shoulder of Yorkshire lamb or game birds in season (red-legged partridge or pot-roast grouse, perhaps). Puddings might be a refreshing grapefruit and Campari sorbet or a homely rhubarb sponge and custard. To drink, there are hand-pulled Yorkshire ales, while low-intervention wines figure prominently on a list that offers plenty by the glass.

Located in an impossibly charming village about an hour's drive east of York, this delightful inn has been home to James and Kate Mackenzie since 2006, and it has gone from strength to strength over the years. Happily, the owners have never lost sight of their original vision of an informal country pub dedicated to impressive cooking with a local accent – ‘not fine dining but brilliant consistent food,’ according to one fan. There’s a commitment to Yorkshire’s bountiful larder, the same menu is served in the bar (no bookings) and restaurant, while afternoons bring sandwiches, soup and savouries. They even look after your children nicely with a sensible menu of roast chicken, sausage and mash, risotto and lots more.

James Mackenzie doesn't trade in dolls-house portions or superfluous smears; instead, his dishes are hearty and substantial – as in a generous serving of Dales lamb (BBQ rump and a crispy croquette of belly meat) alongside a delicate tartlet of spring vegetables and Yorkshire Fine Fettle cheese, plus nettle and mint purée, beer and barley jus. Our springtime visit included grilled asparagus served with a dressing of Yorkshire’s own chorizo, followed by a substantial dish of cider-braised rabbit topped with a wild garlic crumble containing pancetta, black pudding and cannellini beans. Asparagus turned up again in a special of wild halibut with Jersey Royals (doused with seaweed butter and served in a mini copper pan). Desserts are hard to resist, especially the exceedingly lemony, lemon curd parfait and meringue ice cream. And if you just fancy a little sweet something, try the ‘treats’ – a trio of macaroons or mini salted caramel doughnuts, hot from the pan and rolled in sugar.

The thoughtful wine list is a fine match for the food, with plenty by the glass and half bottle (including a Pomerol and Margaux at £38), plus a selection of ‘fine and rare’ vintages; there's also a selection of Thomson & Scott non-alcoholic tipples. Five luxurious bedrooms are located in the pub and a further four are close by in the village.

A serene village in the verdant Lyth Valley, complete with a pretty church and rolling hills, is home to this upmarket hostelry. Originally a blacksmith's forge at the beginning of the 19th century, its old bones make for a magnificent country inn, where beams and slates, real fires and real ales feel right at home across several spaces. It's been a dining destination for several decades and continues to deliver a menu that keeps its feet firmly on the ground, with produce from the owners' farm ensuring that food miles are kept to a minimum.

Lancashire cheese soufflé with caramelised red onions is a cross-border favourite, comforting and rich, or you could try a lighter option such as beetroot and pomegranate salad with goat's cheese and raspberry vinaigrette. Cumbrian lamb arrives with a miniature shepherd's pie, while fish might feature pan-roasted cod with cider and mussel sauce, plus a serving of mash to soak it all up.

During the week, lunchtime brings similar dishes, with the addition of pub staples such as fish and chips or local wild boar and damson sausages (with mash and gravy). Those damsons also appear as a sorbet with the Punch Bowl's renowned lemon tart. Sunday lunch (a weekly changing blow-out) brings roast beef sirloin with Yorkies and seasonal vegetables (some courtesy of the owner's farm). Well-chosen wines from £27.

For those in the know, the Queen’s Arms and its green and pleasant surrounds are more than just a handy pit stop near the A303 – they are a destination in their own right. In 2020, local resident and Ballymaloe alumnus Doune Mackenzie-Francis took on the pub with her family, transforming it into a model of contemporary country elegance. 

Along with charmingly renovated bedrooms and a cottage to rent, there’s a ‘pub hub’ offering coffee and provisions in lieu of a village shop. A rose-fringed garden and pleasant terrace allow visitors to drink in glorious views while inside, flagstone floors, open fires and the day’s papers on the bar make for an inviting space to lounge or dine after walking the Corton Denham Ridge.

In the kitchen, head chef Rich Townsend (who hails from the Newt, near Bruton) strikes an artful balance between pub classics and proper cooking. Refreshing tomato terrine with Westcombe ricotta and earthy lovage pesto wouldn’t feel out of place in a fancier establishment, but avoids being prissy. Chicken and mushroom pie comes stuffed with full-flavoured ceps, while the aged beef burger patty is paired with thick-cut smoked bacon from down the road and a potato bun made in-house. Pub classics are moored around the £20 mark and don’t require sides but it would be a shame to miss the crispy smashed pink fir potatoes adroitly seasoned with salt and vinegar.

Cocktails take up more real estate on the drinks menu than beers but a very good £10 ‘marg of the month’ – ours with a dash of spicy jalapeño syrup – is justification of sorts. Wines are a rung above the average pub line-up, with bottles starting at just under £30.

Off the beaten track, and not an easy place to find, this 16th-century half-timbered building stands on the banks of the river Lugg, positioned by an old stone bridge on the Mortimer Trail (a 30-mile walking route from Ludlow to Kington). Inside, a warren of heavily beamed rooms with wonky floors and open fires provides nooks for a quiet tête-a-tête and separate spaces for louder crowds or those with their four-legged friends; the terraced garden comes into its own on fine days. Service is friendly and welcoming. In the kitchen, Andy Link and his team take sustainability, ethical sourcing and food miles seriously, seeking out the very best that the region has to offer from local farms and artisan suppliers, backed up by their own kitchen garden (and their own hens). We noticed that lunchtime regulars tended to favour the perfectly cooked rare-breed Herefordshire steak sandwich with truffle chips, but we enjoyed a light meal of crispy garlicky Herefordshire snails with truffle mayo, followed by eye-catching river trout cured in beetroot and local Chase gin, plus a delightful poached pear accompanied by a scoop of assertive blue-cheese ice cream to finish. Many other items have been singled out for praise, from a generous piece of grilled and lightly caramelised cod served on a pile of peas and mangetout with a lovely lovage sauce to a dish of chicken with courgettes, garden chard and wild herb pesto that 'had some body’. For afters, readers have endorsed the nettle cake and the rhubarb purée with 'custard mousse'. A good chunk of the decently priced wine list is vegan or vegetarian – though given the impressive ethos of the place, there are surprisingly few English offerings.

Its scores of fans would happily upgrade this unpretentious pub with rooms on a busy road to a Gold Cup, with additional praise ladled on to the Sunday roasts (‘simply wow’) and the ‘exceptional’ steaks. Sadly, we arrived for a late lunch on what must have been an off day. Service had too many slips and the main course of oxtail and beef-cheek pie was a rather sloppy (and expensive) version of cottage pie, without any accompanying vegetables. That said, there’s undoubted talent in the kitchen.

A first course of lobster and crab tartlet was terrific: the prawn cocktail-like filling was abundant, creamy and flavourful, encased in a crisp, brittle cup resting on a purée of avocado. Our dessert was also a rich indulgence: the Silver Cup 'Snickers Bar'– a chocolate mousse with a nutty, chocolate casing topped with vanilla ice cream and surrounded by caramel.

Several main courses (roasted turbot with crème fraîche or Gloucester Old Spot pork chop with burnt apple, for instance) are for two to share, and a menu of snacks (merguez Scotch eggs or baby burrata with leek and walnut pesto, for example) is now served in the separate saloon bar and the garden. There's also a well-annotated, globetrotting wine list that’s several notches above the pub norm. The local siblings who have run this place since 2020 know how to please their regulars.

‘Sitting on the terrace in summer, beneath the church, feels like a touch of Europe in rural Essex,’ remarked one reporter after visiting this slice of English heritage in the heart of Dedham. Run with consummate style by Piers Baker, the revamped 15th-century Sun Inn balances those heritage features (clattering floorboards, heavy beamed ceilings, real fires galore) with all the trappings of a contemporary dining venue and an on-point kitchen. Soups are ‘always a stand-out’ (perhaps spiced Crown Prince squash with lentil and coconut yoghurt), and pastas are highly recommended (tagliatelle with walnuts and Swiss chard, say); otherwise, aged British steaks receive the full treatment, while other dishes come with a noticeable Mediterranean accent – from house stracciatella with black fig and golden beetroot dressing to salt-marsh lamb chops accompanied by merguez-stuffed olive, aubergine and chickpeas. Desserts promise the comforting glow of, say, warm apple and spiced raisin tart. The attention to detail extends to ‘superb local beers’ and a carefully curated, predominantly Old World wine list with plenty by the glass and carafe at refreshing prices.

Having conquered the populist bistro scene in the north-west, serial crowd-funding restaurateur Gary Usher turned his hand to the pub sector in 2023. The result was the White Horse – a pleasingly spacious and sensitively renovated old hostelry in a pretty village near Chester.  Soft colours, vibrant food paintings and glittering light fittings set the tone, with a big conservatory opening out onto the garden.

The menu is short but suits all-comers: a solo lunch of whitebait, steak frites and panna cotta hit the bullseye for one diner, while others have raved about the Korean chicken wings with pickled ginger, the melting pulled lamb shoulder, an ‘incredible’ dish of John Dory in tarragon beurre blanc and the mighty handmade cheese and onion pie. Usher’s legendary truffle and Parmesan chips are present and correct, while puddings are of the hearty, calorific variety (unless you prefer a triple chocolate brownie). And it’s all served by absolutely charming staff who know how to look after their regulars but welcome everybody with a smile. 

Weekday two-course deals are a steal at £25, and Sunday lunches receive a round of applause – as does the terrific line-up of beers. Cocktails and fairly priced wines also pass muster. Regular community-based events, a prolific guest chef calendar and a bakery pop-up on Saturday mornings 'help to keep things fresh,’ notes one fan.