The Best Pubs with Member Perks
Published 08 November 2025

‘We moved out of London to the Hertfordshire countryside with one very important requirement: we needed a brilliant local pub. And somehow, we struck gold with the Fox & Hounds,’ notes one reporter. Revamped back in 2018, this hostelry has everything you might expect – weathered beams, brick fireplaces, a bar serving excellent ales – but much of its success is down to the ‘wonderful staff’, brilliant family atmosphere and ‘the genuine sense of belonging’. That said, the pub’s trump card is its ‘absolutely superb, restaurant-standard food’. Expect a well-thought-out, fairly priced menu that’s equally appealing for slap-up celebrations, midweek drop-ins or sociable Sunday lunches. There’s also an understated commitment to seasonality that might yield anything from rabbit and ham hock pie with chive mush and mustard sauce to wild sea bass with bean stew, chorizo, brown shrimps and lovage. Burgers, steaks, battered fish and salads cater for more traditional appetites, while desserts have all-round appeal – ‘Ronnie’s apple pie’ is a best seller. The pub has an inviting catch-all wine list, and Friday’s ‘happy hour’ brings the whole village together.

At its heart, this gem of a village pub is a proper boozer, ‘pouring great drinks with passion and consideration’, although much depends on the sheer inventiveness of chef Adam Spicer’s menu. There’s more than a passing nod to the ‘St John’ school of cookery (devilled pheasant livers and hearts on toast), with its emphasis on beautiful ingredients, unadorned simplicity and full-on flavours. Great-value bar snacks are perfect with a pint, but that’s just the start. The kitchen’s black treacle and rye sourdough bread is a thing of beauty, while openers on the weekly menu might run from onion, mushroom and sherry broth to fallow buck tartare with St Ewe’s egg and Gentleman’s Relish. Main courses also have an East Anglian flavour, from Suffolk sea bass with mussels, samphire and vadouvan sauce to Naunton Hall partridge with bread sauce and Muscat grapes. Weekday ‘landlord’s lunches’ are great value, and the ‘Sunday Club’ is something special, with whole hay-roasted chicken as the centrepiece, bookended by Colchester oysters, game broth and desserts such as ‘Great Granny Rose’s’ bread pudding. The top-drawer wine list fits every occasion, whether you're after a vintage Burgundy or a lunchtime sip from the Languedoc.

‘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.

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.

Between the Tyne and Gateshead Millennium Bridges, the Broad Chare stakes its claim to be a 'proper' pub in every sense. There are no fancy-dan decorative touches here; instead, bare wood floors, painted brickwork and a frosted-glass partition protecting the Snug set the scene. Eat upstairs or down, or in a garden at the back where the parasols and grassed areas feel faintly rural. When it comes to food, expect well-wrought versions of Scotch eggs and ploughman's lunches, but those in the market for more ambitious cooking will encounter an extensive menu of contemporary classics such as whipped cod's roe or a terrine of parsleyed brawn with pickles, followed by pedigree beef dishes, respectfully treated fish including hake or sea bass, with perhaps chargrilled summer squash for vegetarians. Properly filling sponge puddings and apple strudel complete the deal. Weekday 'worker's lunches' are a steal for the likes of Irish stew followed by greengages with Jersey cream, and Sunday roasts are a good way to top off the weekend. Beers are every bit as good as you would expect.

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).

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.

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.

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.

For decades, the Milbrook has defended its reputation as a reliable source of decent pub food in the South Hams but since Caitlin Owens took on ownership in 2021, it has found a new stride. Elegant restoration has amplified the cosy low-ceilinged hostelry into a sophisticated destination, whether you’re staying in the rooms across the road, or rocking up sandy-footed from the beach, ready for a pint of Salcombe Brewery Ocean Cider by the babbling brook at the back.

Beyond good looks, the menu is bolstered by its connection to Fowlescombe – a luxury rural retreat and working regenerative farm – and by Elly Wentworth, who works as executive chef across both sites, balancing prime ingredients with an approachable menu. Brixham crab and fresh corn chowder made for a swoon-worthy opener on our most recent visit, while a Toulouse sausage was packed with flavour and the triple-cooked chips were as good as you’d hope.

Sunday lunches and seasonal desserts such as Fowlescombe farm honey and fig trifle with roasted hazelnuts complete the package, while on dark nights the fireside beckons for a pre- or post-prandial trip through the adventurous wine list, which uses the Coravin system to offer maximum interest by the glass. Service can fluctuate with the seasons but it always supports a convivial hubbub of happy diners.

‘Consistency’ is a watchword at the handsome Olive Branch: ‘We first visited this pub 22 years ago and, in that time, have only ever experienced fabulous food, amazing service and a warm welcome,’ noted one ardent fan. A ‘justifiably proud’ early adopter of local sourcing, it's now one of Rutland’s shining stars, renowned for its community spirit and forward-thinking approach to food and drink. The kitchen delivers the pub classics with aplomb (including ‘the best English seafood platter ever’) while also creating ‘some truly diverse offerings’ ranging from beef tartare with smoked egg-yolk ‘jam’, pickled shallots and Marmite butter to roast hispi cabbage with yeast butter, truffle, herb emulsion and pink fir potatoes. For afters, the Eccles cake with Colston Bassett Stilton and Earl Grey is a must-have, or you might try chocolate torte with marmalade ice cream. Sunday lunch is a bonanza headlined by roast 28-day beef sirloin with horseradish hollandaise and a harvest festival of veg from the pub’s growing patch. To drink, top-notch regional ales vie with an ever-changing list of good-value wines.

Independently owned and independently run by chef Brett Newman and his wife Nadia, this cheery, ‘incredibly welcoming’ hostelry ticks all the boxes as a genuine community-minded village local. It hosts quizzes and open-mic nights, stages summer BBQs in its expansive garden, raises money for the local primary school and is cherished by the residents of North Marston and beyond. Food-wise, the owners buy what’s local and seasonal for a repertoire that runs from tapas plates to Sunday roasts, all big on flavour and generosity. Menu formats vary with the seasons, but sharing is normally the name of the game, whether you’re into mac ‘n’ cheese, devilled mushrooms or hispi cabbage with smoked almonds, crème fraîche and Berkswell cheese. Bigger plates could bring sriracha-glazed chicken thighs studded with sesame seeds or line-caught pollack with creamed corn and chipotle chilli. Rare-breed steaks and burgers satisfy too, while desserts might usher in calorific old dependables such as treacle tart, lemon posset or chocolate truffle cake with clotted cream and praline. Locals drinking real ales in the bar can also eat from a reduced menu of similar items, right down to bowls of chips and ketchup. Proper draught cider and a refreshingly priced, varied wine list complete a thoroughly likeable local package.

Locals and visitors heap high praise on this ‘stunning countryside pub’ on a rural stretch of road three miles from Rye. The location is glorious, a garden with ‘sheep baa-ing while you eat’ beckons in fine weather, and a ‘joyous, welcoming atmosphere’ prevails. Inside, scuffed floorboards, plain tables and wood-burners set the tone, while paintings by Sussex artist William Warden ‘bring a lovely local connection to the venue’. As for food, it's ‘modern, forward-thinking cooking’, with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients taking centre stage. The weekday lunch is ‘amazing value’, while the straightforward carte promises a mix of pub classics (chicken and ham hock pie) and more complex combinations such as nori-cured chalk stream trout with pickled kohlrabi and horseradish. Sunday roasts are singled out for special praise, and desserts could include blackberry meringue with mascarpone and puffed buckwheat. Welcoming staff ‘want you to feel comfortable’, and the good humour extends to small children and dogs. Harvey’s Sussex Best is on draught, and the compact wine list offers reasonably priced drinking across the board.

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.

One local who has been frequenting Andrew Pern’s country inn for more than 50 years now feels like part of the family, making new friends along the way while being ‘treated like royalty’. Pristinely re-thatched and restored, the Star still hides more than seven centuries of history behind its thick stone walls, while its warren of beamed rooms is home to a collection of hand-crafted furniture. The bar is always buzzing with drinkers, while the serious culinary action takes place in the restaurant extension. The ‘rich man, poor man’ starter (pan-fried foie gras paired with grilled black pudding) is rightly renowned as a signature dish, although the carte and tasting menus are stuffed with fulsome, richly flavoured delights – consider pan-roasted halibut with roast hazelnut pease pudding, homemade blood sausage and smoked bone cream. To conclude, carefully matured cheeses and desserts also play with the local theme – Yorkshire strawberry and white chocolate parfait with wild strawberry sorbet and heather-honey syrup, say. Wine pairings have been thoughtfully chosen, and the full list includes ample drinking by the glass.

‘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.