26 cosy pubs with great-value menus during The Good Food Guide Restaurant Month 2026
Published 04 February 2026

Stablemate to The Heathcock in Cardiff, this snug village pub brims with folksy features: wonky whitewashed stone walls, stripped floorboards, a Welsh dresser loaded with jars of preserved fruits, and a wood burner in an inglenook that contrasts with the polished metal of the open kitchen. The ever-changing menu takes its cue from the setting – traditional by inclination, but shot through with contemporary freshness. Executive chef (and local boy) Tom Watts-Jones previously worked at Fergus Henderson's St John in Clerkenwell, and it shows. Welsh rarebit (unctuous, glossy and perfectly charred) arrives on a chunky piece of sourdough (from the Hare & Hounds Bakery in Cowbridge) with a bottle of Worcestershire sauce on the side, while seasonally attuned starters might range from a thick, silky soup of new-season's asparagus and wild garlic topped with a runny-yolked crispy egg to a fresh, light risotto incorporating plump mussels and more wild garlic. To follow, our braised, crisp-skinned duck leg – an absolutely wonderful combo of crunchy and fatty – was teamed with velvety butter beans, chunky bacon and a rich cider sauce cut through with the spiky brightness of aïoli. We also enjoyed a tender, perfectly rosy hanger steak with flawless chips and a punchy peppercorn sauce. For dessert, dainty brown butter cakes – oven-fresh and nutmeg-spiced, fluffy in the middle and caramelised on top – were a huge hit, as was the almost impossibly thick and creamy honeycomb ice cream. A compact list of European wines offers plenty by the glass or carafe.

Famed locally for its food and drink, the Parkers Arms sits on a stretch of the B6478 as it unwinds across the Trough of Bowland, not far from the river Hodder. Locations don't get much more rural than this, and it's all the more gladdening to find the interior hasn't been suffocatingly boutiqued. 

In 2021, The Hairy Bikers stopped in here, and helped turn the curried mutton pie into a viral sensation, and it remains true that the pies are a powerful part of the draw – majestic constructions of exemplary pastry, crusts crimped, the glaze shining them up like burnished armour, the insides generously filled with good things.  Otherwise, fish from Morecambe Bay is worth considering, perhaps roasted sea bass with foraged samphire and Ormskirk potatoes. Start with a single whopping hand-dived Hebridean scallop in a butter of its own roe and garlic, or salt cod fritters in lemon mayo, and close the deal with cherry frangipane tart and matching ice cream.

Simple lunches for intrepid walkers offer sanctuary from the Lancashire rain-pelt. The Bowland brewery's ales are a mainstay of the drink offer,  while wines are an accessibly priced classic selection.

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.

Just steps away from Hampstead Heath and originally built as a coaching inn in 1721, the recently restored Bull & Last still knows how to feed its customers well. It’s pitched just right. While the studied neutrality of the decor is gloriously juxtaposed with a plethora of taxidermy, its broad roster of menus – curated to evoke pubby nostalgia, yet pitched a good few notches higher – elevates the most familiar dishes. From lunchtime Scotch eggs, 'sandos' and fish and chips to Sunday roasts, everything is built around top-drawer ingredients, assured cooking and creative tweaks. 

Buttermilk fried chicken with aïoli is a popular opener, ahead of pan-fried king scallops with a silky, tangy apple purée – deftly cooked and lightly burnished, with a verdant Catalan-style picada. Onglet (skirt steak) can be notoriously hard to cook, but here it is rare and as tender as can be, with ample char and a textbook béarnaise sauce on the side. Although the kitchen excels at meat and game cookery and often champions less obvious cuts, there are always plenty of veggie alternatives: tenderstem broccoli and wild nettle risotto with sheep’s ricotta and hazelnuts for dinner, perhaps, or wild herb gnudi for lunch..

To conclude, there’s almost always a baked or steamed pudding, a panna cotta, and a generous cheeseboard. And we thought the two-course set lunch menu was a steal at £20. The Europe-centric wine list homes in on producers with a minimal intervention ethos; otherwise, check out the roster of British craft ales (especially from the booming London scene).  

Only a few miles from Hay-on-Wye, this former drovers’ inn close to the Welsh border is so peaceful and secluded that it's no surprise many visitors remark on the ‘spectacular setting’. Sympathetically renovated and reopened in 2021 by local regenerative food and farming company Wild by Nature, the pub has a timeless charm. Inside, the split-level dining rooms have thick stone walls, wonky-beamed ceilings, slate floors and a large open fireplace. Outside, a large, pretty garden offers tables with stunning views under the watchful presence of Herefordshire’s imposing Black Hill.

A strong connection to the land and a deep respect for ingredients shine through the seasonally changing menu. Dining here is farm-to-table and nose-to-tail, with ingredients grown or reared at a nearby farm owned by the restaurant group. Almost everything, from the charcuterie to the cheese biscuits, is made in-house. Whether this is a wild garlic soup with a fried hen’s egg and prosciutto, Black Mountain hogget and merguez with white beans and green sauce, or a buttermilk pudding with rhubarb jelly, hyper–local ingredients are treated with a respect and care that enables their flavours to sing. 

Everyone has a good word to say about the friendly and attentive staff, while drinks feature local beers and ciders as well as a short list of minimal intervention wines, which offers a better choice by the bottle than the glass. Accommodation is in four bespoke 'wild cabins' in the grounds of the pub.

A staple of the Pontypridd scene since 1851, this forward-thinking community pub is a veritable hive of activity. Not only a staunch champion of Welsh produce, it’s also home to the Otley Brewery, which sits in the grounds behind the building. There's a tap room if you want to chill out, as well as a craft beer shop selling an astonishing range of cans and bottles, and assorted special events from live music and cheese nights to macramé workshops.

As for food, local and sustainable ingredients dictate the show, with Welsh heritage proudly showing its colours in the form of cockles on toast with laverbread or a Merthyr brisket pie with mash – although much of the action centres on the charcoal barbecue. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the menu is limited to eclectic small plates – pork belly burnt ends with pickled ginger or home-smoked salmon fishcakes, say. From Wednesday to Saturday, a full repertoire takes over, so expect anything from beer-glazed charred chicken with grilled leeks to buttermilk-crusted sea trout to a vegan laab salad with enoki mushrooms.

Sunday means roasts, while desserts could bring lemon meringue tart or whisky and orange cheesecake. Beer is the drink of choice, with a rolling roster of Otley ales (and others) at the bar.

Stripped back in terms of both decor and dining, this Stoke Newington sibling of the Canton Arms and The Anchor & Hope is the embodiment of everything you’d expect from a London dining pub. Straightforward, concise cooking from Harry Kaufman’s kitchen puts quality ingredients at the heart of things and lets them sing for their supper. In a salad starter, rich, unctuous confit duck is paired with fresh leaves, crisp radish and buttery broad beans, while a plate of chicken livers on sourdough toast is a bear hug of a dish, with the huge earthiness of the offal and cooking liquor balanced by the spicy tang of wild garlic. To follow, more ramsons – this time as a light, bright, herbal sauce served over homemade cavatelli and dressed simply with sharp, salty pecorino. Elsewhere, braised rabbit is sweet, succulent and served on the bone, with crisp saffron potatoes soaking up the gamey broth beneath. Desserts are as classic as treacle tart and chocolate mousse. The tart is tar-sticky, loaded with dark sugar and a slight bitterness, while the silky sweetness of the mousse is tempered by the savoury crackle of crumbled peanut brittle, and a big, milky dob of crème fraîche. To drink, there are all the beery trappings you’d expect of a proper pub, and a wine selection you wouldn’t. A sprawling list leans heavily towards France and Italy and rarely leaves European soil, featuring a dozen or so options by the glass and a similar number of magnums, should a casual dinner need to turn into a grand occasion. An inviting, satisfying local, with a hearty menu to match.

Set on the pretty green of sought-after Great Massingham, this is everything you could want from your local pub. It's a sizeable operation too, spanning a drinkers' bar, a bookshelf-lined dining room, a barn for events and generous outdoor space. They even show sports on TV and serve wood-fired pizzas. The kitchen offers competently executed pub classics (fish and chips with zippy homemade tartare sauce) alongside more global ideas (Sri Lankan curry; soy-glazed duck with bao) but it’s the ever-buzzy atmosphere and the admirably capable young staff that make this a happy place to be.

The earliest licence was granted to the current inn's predecessor, once a smugglers’ drinking den, at about the same time as they were storming the Bastille over the Channel. Having seemingly played an incidental role in the action of Lorna Doone, the pub is now owned by the Greenall brewing family, who have extensively refurbished the place in tasteful contemporary style.

Chef Prim Lapuz's kitchen is justly proud of its meat supplies, which mostly originate from nearby sources, and it's no surprise that the place has garnered many nominations for its Sunday roasts: ‘I have never had such amazing beef,’ is typical of readers’ comments. The sausages are pretty good too, perhaps made from a blend of Exmoor venison and pork belly, served with wild garlic mash and Cumberland sauce. Fish dishes are equally convincing, too, with a slab of hake in a rich sauce incorporating brown crabmeat among the possibilities.

With the likes of grilled squid and chilli jam or a satisfyingly chunky country terrine with onion marmalade among the starters, it's clear nobody will turn faint for lack of nourishment. Crumbles and puddings bring up the rear in stout fashion, or you might consider something like a chocolate, orange and prune frangipane tart served with clotted cream. The drinks side of the operation is as comprehensively furnished as you would expect from proprietors who have been in the alcohol business since the 18th century.

It's worth knowing about this revamped 18th-century pub with rooms overlooking Willian’s village green – it's just a short drive from the A1. If you’re after something quick and casual, head to the smart open-plan bar for a pint of real ale and a plate of Orford oysters. Alternatively, trade up to a full meal in the atrium-style dining room. The owners have strong supply lines to the north Norfolk coast for fish, so look for daily specials and well-crafted modern dishes with lots of components – from buckets of Brancaster mussels to pan-roasted stone bass with salmon tortellini, braised pearl barley, celeriac risotto and charred baby leeks. Otherwise, there is meat and game in abundance – perhaps Hampshire pork belly dressed with pickled walnut ketchup, roasted parsnip and pine-nut crumb. The kitchen also caters admirably for those with special dietary needs. To finish, tiramisu with matcha, kirsch cherry and white chocolate aero was a winner for one visitor, although the treacle tart with buttermilk ice cream is hard to resist. Service is 'polite, efficient and attentive', while three-dozen wines include ample options by the glass. A new landscaped garden area (with its own bar) promises plenty of outside eating opportunities.

This 18th-century Grade II-listed village pub looms large in the life of Burpham. Community-owned and family-run, it’s renowned for its charming service and convivial atmosphere, while the interior is a pleasant mix of exposed beams hung with hops, wood-burners, and stylish contemporary touches. It's popular with walkers too, being about an hour’s hike from the South Downs Way. The pub's immensely likeable menus cover all bases, from chorizo Scotch eggs, a good cheeseburger, classic fish and chips, a selection of steaks and well-reported Sunday roasts, to modern brasserie dishes such as cod with 'nduja and white bean stew or raspberry clafoutis with fig-leaf ice cream. As for drink, there are local ales and a selection of sustainable, organic, and biodynamic wines.

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 short walk from Holland Park and the Design Museum, the Holland is a proper neighbourhood pub that stands out from the area’s many chains with its laudable commitment to social responsibility and sustainability. The rustic interior feels relaxed and inviting, while the chic lived-in look (think emerald tiled bar, woodwork painted in dark green, exposed brickwork, repurposed furniture and floorboards) is offset by a nostalgic 60s/70s soundtrack. A second dining room on the first floor is designed for larger groups.

Chef/owner Max de Nahlik heads the kitchen, his short, produce-driven menu showing respect for the seasons and leaning towards simplicity with the likes of asparagus risotto or rib of beef with red wine sauce. To start, rich white and brown crabmeat spread on toast delivers a spicy kick. After that, flavourful roast leg of lamb is complemented by a colourful mélange of datterini tomatoes, pesto and charred cime di rapa, Cornish new potatoes with green mojo, and a veal jus. Rounding things off, ripe Baron Bigod cheese is a great precursor to an apple and rhubarb crumble.

The set lunch is good value (especially for the W8 postcode) and the Sunday roast offer is ‘a thing of beauty’ with its ‘blushing’ beef rump, ‘crackling’ roasties and more besides. Service is enthusiastic and friendly. Craft beers, cocktails and around three dozen well-selected wines (including plenty by the glass) complete a terrific offer.

With its simple whitewashed interiors, this unpretentious roadside hostelry is a relief from the many designer-led pubs hereabouts. There are no airs or graces, just a warm welcome from the staff and all the ingredients for a please-all boozer: quizzes, music, a dog- and child-friendly attitude, beers at the bar and decent food (think pizzas, curries, salads and suchlike). Otherwise, look to the specials for generous helpings of local seafood – mussels in winter, crab/lobster in summer. To drink, Brancaster Brewery ales compete with a brief wine list and a mighty rum selection. Jolly by name…

Slaggyford's finest, the Kirkstyle, has been a watering hole since the 19th century, although it did service as the local rectory for many centuries before that. In ravishing open moorland near the Cumbrian border, it capitalises on its rugged location by bringing in pedigree produce from across the county of Northumberland. Pasture-raised sheep and cattle, together with seasonal game and fish, adorn Connor Wilson's enterprising menus, and the immaculate presentational style is full of contemporary chic, although it doesn't occlude the essentially straightforward approach to its distinguished ingredients.

A party who undertook an intrepid three-hour drive weren't disappointed, but instead sang the praises of a pigeon pie starter in cherry gravy, as well as the concluding Darling Blue (cheese) panna cotta with plums and walnuts ('a work of alchemy'). Lucky locals also take full advantage of this 'fantastic community hub'. Diners might kick off with a scallop alongside mushroom and spelt ragoût and hollandaise, while mains pump up the volume for pork collar and crispy jowl with carrot and fermented hispi, or pollock and mussels with celeriac and kale. There are, of course, crowd-pulling Sunday roasts, and if you're after something offbeat to finish, look to madeleine with blackberries and woodruff.

The magnificent wine list wouldn't let the side down at a Mayfair boutique, albeit at mark-ups that Mayfair hasn't seen in half a century. French classics lead the charge, but are followed by a Brazilian Chardonnay, a German Pinot, Swiss Dôle, Uruguayan Tannat – it's all good.

Overlooking the Knebworth Estate, the unassuming, late 19th-century Lytton Arms absolutely nails being a real pub: generous with its hospitality, famed for its regularly changing roster of real ales (five craft, at least six cask) and spot-on when it comes to decent food – a genuine find, in our book. Good for everyday dining as well as easy celebrations, this is a place with an eagerness to feed people well, be it lingering Sunday roasts, lunchtime sandwiches, pub classics or seasonal specials.

Food is served in the rustic, low-key dining room or bright, spacious rear conservatory, and the deal is a regularly changing menu of British and European classics full of feisty flavours, fresh local ingredients and good pricing. Typical starters might include Brancaster mussels on toasted sourdough with lobster bisque or confit chicken and leek terrine.

At our lunch, a toweringly meaty dish of slow-braised Knebworth Estate venison and beef served atop creamed potato and excellent braised carrots (one of several generous main courses) was lifted by sweet, juicy baby onions in a glossy, full-bodied gravy, while a sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream made a fortifying finish. It’s all delivered in an unfussy manner by relaxed, enthusiastic staff, and everyone seems to be having a jolly good time. Aside from real ales, the drinks offer also includes a short, well-priced international wine list.

The venerable Merry Harriers is to be found in the village of Hambledon (not the Hampshire one) near Godalming, a rural enclave set in a buffer of fields and woodland. It has been kitted out to suit the modern mood, with a soft green colour scheme and bentwood chairs at unclothed tables, plus candlelight in the evenings and fires in winter. A menu that exhaustively lists all the kitchen's and cellar's local suppliers inspires confidence, and the food is just what country-pub aficionados want to eat, with plenty of praise lavished on the Sunday lunch offer – a choice of ‘impeccably cooked’ roast platters, piled high and designed for two to share.

On the regular menu, lightly horseradished smoked mackerel pâté might compete with Trenchmore Farm beef tartare and plum ketchup, before mains take flight with some more adventurous ideas. Pork chop with sweetcorn, girolles and pickled walnuts delivered an impressive array of flavours when we visited, the superlative quality of the meat shining forth; a pheasant schnitzel with pickled red cabbage and pink firs was almost as good, although it needed a little more in the way of lubrication than an evanescent suggestion of beurre noisette. A fish option could be baked hake in bouillabaisse with saffron-scented fennel, while pumpkin and spelt risotto with hazelnuts, sage and chilli provides robust sustenance on the vegetable front. 

At the sticky end of things, everybody will feel spoilt by the likes of gingered-up sticky toffee pudding or a version of knickerbocker glory that finds room for chocolate mousse, candied orange and bits of homemade brownie. There's an impressive varietal spread on the carefully compiled wine list, ascending to the majesty of a mature classed-growth St-Émilion at a fraction of what you would pay in the not-too-distant capital.

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.

A pubby success story if ever there was one, this handsome stone hostelry was gifted to Clipsham by a local squire in 1890 and rescued from extinction by three friends in 1999. Since then, it has become a shining star on the Rutland scene with its open-minded community spirit and forward-thinking approach to food and drink. The Olive Branch was an early adopter of local sourcing and still name-checks its ever-growing list of suppliers, as well as topping up its larder with home-grown produce from an increasingly productive ‘pub paddock’.

The kitchen caters for all appetites and predilections – whether your preference is for haddock and chips, courgette and sage tagliatelle or venison haunch with braised onion, roast beetroot and chocolate tortellini. Starters are equally creative, ranging from cockle-warming leek velouté bolstered by Westcomb Cheddar dumplings, miso leeks and croûtons to trendy cured salmon with nori, yuzu, pickled tapioca and buttermilk sauce, while dessert might bring tonka-bean panna cotta, mulled poached figs or an Eccles cake with Barkham Blue cheese.

Sunday lunch also ‘delivers on every level’, with locally sourced beef sirloin or roast pork loin supplemented by a ‘full house of veggies’ and rich, dark gravy. On the drinks front, top-notch regional ales and an ever-changing list of good-value wines receive equal billing, with Coravin selections signalling the owners’ serious intent in this field. Readers are also keen to praise the pub's relaxing, homely vibe and the top-drawer service from polite, attentive staff who are happy to ‘go that extra mile’. Accommodation is available at Beech House, across the road. 

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.

On a rural stretch of road three miles from Rye, the Plough encapsulates many people’s idea of what a country pub should be like. A garden with ‘exceptional views’ beckons in fine weather and a convivial atmosphere prevails. Indeed, a complete lack of pretence is an undoubted plus, from the scuffed floorboards, plain tables and wood burners to an informal approach to eating – ‘delicious, seasonal and locally sourced,’ is how it appeared to one visitor.

The simple, good-value weekday lunch is well reported and is bolstered by a straightforward carte – a mix of pub classics (battered haddock and fries, Winchelsea lamb shoulder pie), and more complex combinations ranging from cured chalk stream trout pastrami with cornichons, cabbage and mustard crème fraîche to a ‘sensational’ main course of onion bhaji Scotch egg Madras with Bombay potatoes, mint yoghurt and greens.

Sunday roasts are reckoned to be ‘leaps and bounds better than anywhere else in the area’, with the Yorkshire puddings and cauliflower cheese (made with Sussex Charmer and Twineham Grange) singled out for special praise. To finish, the sticky toffee pudding has also impressed, as have the staff, whose warm welcome and good humour extends to small children and dogs. As for drinks, Harvey’s Sussex Best is on draught, while the compact wine list offers reasonably priced drinking from £27 a bottle. Accommodation is in 'the loft' – a self-contained flat above the pub.

A detour from wherever you are headed is required to reach the Tichborne, but it is definitely worth it. High beams adorned with foliage, cushions on the bench seating, candelabra-style lighting, shelves packed with old books and trinkets, and a view into the kitchen from the pass all create a comforting feel, and staff are impressively on point.

The food aims to please all comers. Starter options occupy that resourceful bridge between nibbly appetisers and actual dishes, as in a serving of moreish confit garlic houmous and pickled red onion, with charred flatbread for dredging, while the croquettes that reach you mere moments after being lifted from the fryer are full of mellow Cheddar and startling little nips of hot jalapeño, soothed with garlic and herb mayo. Main courses have all the sturdiness you expect from good pub cooking, whether you opt for chicken milanese with chestnut mushroom purée, a beetroot burger, or even a fish dish such as roasted skate wing with capered brown butter and new potatoes. 

For the Sunday roast crowd, a harvest festival's worth of veg accompanies the main business, perhaps smoked beef short rib braised in red wine to the point where it obligingly falls from the bone, alongside an enormous Yorkshire pudding. Neither is there anything flimsy about the sweet end of things, when a gooey-rich brownie turns up with white chocolate ice cream and the sharpening hit of plum sauce. Local guest ales, spicy margaritas and a compact list of on-trend wines, including Exton Park fizz from Hampshire, add to the feeling of being properly looked after.

It could be just another whitewashed roadside inn, briefly glimpsed along the A149 as you drive past, but the White Horse is something special. Set on the marshes, it provides one of the best views along the coast and manages an impressive balancing act between pub and restaurant. A rustic public bar caters for drinkers who can spill out onto the front courtyard when the sun shines, while the light-filled conservatory dining room and terrace maximise the views – big skies, tidal creeks, little boats.

Here, chef Fran Hartshorne presents a strong 'when in Norfolk' case for choosing the exceptional mussels, half a dozen oysters served classically or tempura, dressed Cromer crab or delicious smoked salmon from the tiny Staithe Smokehouse on the premises. Elsewhere, pan-seared sea trout with leeks, local cockles, clams and brown shrimps, smoked cream and potato is a straightforward pleasure, as is marsh-grazed sirloin with Café de Paris butter and skin-on fries – one of the few meat options. For afters, the signature lemon tart with blueberries, Dann's Farm yoghurt sorbet and poppyseed crumb beckons.

If you want something more casual, head down to Marshside, the pub’s seasonal, alfresco hangout for a cocktail, glass of wine or beer plus a few small sharing plates – a robata-grilled scallop, devilled mussel crumpet or Cheddar doughnuts, say. You might, however, like to keep large plates of grilled lobster and chips or crayfish poutine to yourself. In both dining areas, the well-targeted, international wine list offers plenty by the glass.

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.

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.

Sometimes, pubs hit that ‘something for everyone’ note pitch-perfectly. Locals and North Norfolk coastal tourists alike can thank Anglian Country Inns for turning this rundown village boozer into a smart, forward-thinking hostelry, where drinkers are more than welcome and food is top of the agenda.

Chef Gabriel ('Gabe') Lea has impeccable credentials (Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons under Raymond Blanc, The French under Simon Rogan and Northcote with Lisa Godwin-Allen), but keeps things admirably straightforward here. His dishes are simple and unshowy, revealing a commitment to local and regional suppliers (Brancaster oysters and smoked salmon, Howard & Sons pork sausages, Mrs Temple’s Binham Blue cheese, Norfolk asparagus), while flavours are as big-hearted as the portions. Given the location, you can expect seafood to feature strongly (we enjoyed a flawlessly cooked whole lemon sole with a sauce bonne femme), but there’s excellent meat too – both a whopping bone-in pork chop and a plate of pink and perfect grilled mutton chops were triumphant highlights when we visited. 

We would also go back for the cheese and red onion tart and for the fresh sourdough from the on-site bakery, which is irresistible – especially with whipped chicken butter. To finish, dark rum panna cotta comes with local strawberries, while Norfolk cheese is paired with blackberry chutney and an Eccles cake. Lovely service and decent wines also repay the journey.