Pull off the A303 to find this dining-pub-with-rooms, which set the style for the small Chickpea group (see also The Pembroke Arms, Salisbury).

In a small village on the Duchy of Somerset's estate, the Victorian Somerset Arms was relaunched in 2021 as an idealised rustic-chic country pub.

The ancient stone-built Bath Arms in woodlands on the Longleat estate 'is a welcome sight after a long journey', and doesn't disappoint within, with 'appealing menus' 'attentive and pleasant staff' and great-value, well-decorated rooms.

With its bright yellow front door and rhubarb-pink sitting room, this Georgian town house with cottages, forge and Michelin-starred dining is 'classic and chic, a place exuding love and care'.

When Max Wigram took on this 17th-century village pub, with Margot Henderson of Shoreditch's Rochelle Canteen to oversee the kitchen, it was on the foodie map before it even opened.

Koos Bekker and Karen Roos have brought to Somerset the vision behind their hotel on a Dutch Cape wine estate, creating an idyll around Palladian Hadspen manor house, with farm-to-fork dining, dreamy spa, unique rooms in converted outbuildings, beautiful gardens – and a Roman villa as well as two interactive museums.

Little has changed at this restaurant-with-rooms in its three decades, but spotless bedrooms with thoughtful touches, and a slightly retro gourmet dining experience have their own appeal.

With its Tuscan columns and pedimented gable, this coaching inn appears solidly Georgian, but the interiors are contemporary, with well-equipped bedrooms, a clubby bar and dining room serving wood-fired pizzas and bistro-style dishes.

With a menu of bistro classics, this little restaurant has a real French vibe, with pristine bedrooms upstairs and above the sister bar.

The fun, hip, relaxed ethos of this pub with exceptional-value rooms on the edge of the Fonthill Estate is evident from the minute you walk in the door. Guide insiders couldn't believe the buzz when they arrived at this 'comfy, characterful place' in the afternoon, long after lunch.