The Woolpack Inn

Famed for its association with British author Laurie Lee (of Cider with Rosie fame), this attractive Cotswold stone hostelry clings to the side of the steeply beautiful Slad valley. On a sunny day, the best tables are in the vine-shaded garden, but venture inside and you'll discover a series of small, atmospheric rooms with locals at the bar, as well as a compact dining room with a mural of the Slad valley on the ceiling and a little cabinet displaying Lee's books for sale in one corner.

Pretty posies from the pub’s walled kitchen garden in Lypiatt adorn bare wood tables on scuffed wood floors – it all feels slightly shabby and historic, in the best possible way. There’s nothing rough-hewn about Adam Glover’s cooking, though, which brings a classical French sensibility to a wide-ranging array of European delights – say, a starter of fasolakia (Greek bean stew) with aged feta and oregano or a main course of pork schnitzel with fresh borlotti beans and girolles. You’d be well advised to work up a substantial appetite before dining here: dishes such as rabbit with pastis, saffron, fried bread and aïoli come in farm labourer-sized portions, especially if you order some 'dripping chips' on the side.

If you’ve still got room, pudding could be as simple as a bowl of cherries on ice or as indulgent as a Saint-Émilion au chocolat. There’s a decent selection of wine by the glass, carafe or bottle, but surely cider is the appropriate drink here, with properly made local stuff on tap or in fancier bottled form.