At the heart of the South Downs National Park, this village pub with rooms is the rural sister of the seaside Crab & Lobster, Sidlesham (see entry). It is country but no bumpkin.

'A really nice place to stay, in a lovely quiet village setting,' this beautifully renovated 17th-century thatched inn lives anew as a local pub with rooms. Manager Claire Lenkowiec and chef Valerio Grimaldi-Plant run the show for the owners and, by George, they get it right!

Eat inside or dine alfresco under a striped parasol, at this exceptional gastropub with super-stylish rooms, some for a family, some dog friendly with access to the garden.

Do you remember an inn, Miranda? Hilaire Belloc certainly remembered this Georgian coaching inn, from which he described setting out in The Four Men.

There is star quality indeed at Olga and Alex Polizzi's updated version of a historic Tudor inn, in a charming medieval South Downs village.

Between the South Downs and the Sussex coast, the Newbon family's revived village pub enfolds locals and visitors alike in its warmly welcoming atmosphere.

Just a couple of minutes' drive from Petworth, with views over farmland to the South Downs, this gastropub has smart contemporary bedrooms and some exciting menu choices.

Amid a wide sweep of Berkshire countryside, this thatched inn is now a gastropub with an interesting mix of bedrooms and innovative cooking.

Saved from closure by film producer Tim Bevan and his artist wife, Amy Gadney, this honeyed-stone 17th-century village pub reopened in the summer of 2020, beautifully refurbished, with cosy bar, beautiful rustic-chic bedrooms, very superior pub grub and a full calendar of events.

On a remote corner of the Isle of Sheppey, this former inn on the Swale Estuary is a birdwatchers' paradise, with smart bedrooms and a waterside restaurant serving highly inventive dishes of locally farmed and foraged ingredients, with produce from the dynamic kitchen garden.

Close to Canterbury, this village gastropub has four stylish bedrooms, informal dining inside and out, and imaginative menus of locally sourced produce.

This former coaching inn is now an equestrian-themed gastropub and restaurant, with affordable boutique bedrooms spread across four annexe buildings.

Like all Butcombe gastropubs with rooms, this whitewashed Georgian village local retains its personality while offering smart bedrooms and creative cooking along with pub classics.

With the Goodwood Estate down the road and the South Downs on the doorstep, this rural, dog-friendly former coaching inn is popular with Barbour-wearing country-sports enthusiasts and hikers.

Old-meets-new in this revived 16th-century coaching inn, now a 'busy, cheerful pub' in a historic Wealden village.

Offering 'the perfect foodie escape', this thatched gastropub is 'ideally located' just ten minutes from Henley-on-Thames on the Phillimore estate.

Fine bedrooms, mixing antique and modern furniture, are named after designers and styled accordingly, at this Georgian-house-turned-pub by the cathedral, with a menu of old favourites and inventive dishes.

In 2013, Carole Bamford acquired the wisteria-draped, Cotswold stone, 18th-century Tollgate Inn and took it back to the bones, before complete refurbishment,

Olde worlde charm is mixed with contemporary comforts, traditional Sunday roasts and pub classics with modern British dishes, at this Cotswold-stone inn, contrived from a row of 15th-century weavers' cottages.

Between the Thames and Windrush, this 17th-century pub blends all the charm of a traditional village local with rugs on flagstone floors, comfy sofas and log-burner, country-chic bedrooms and gastropub cooking.

A 16th-century village inn has been reinvented as a fun, bohemian hangout, with rustic-chic bedrooms, upcycled furniture, modern artworks, good pub grub and an irrepressible sense of fun.

Across the road from Hove's shingle beach, Ben and Pamela McKellar's Edwardian mock-timbered gastropub is 'loved by locals for its foodie reputation'.

'Despite a wild and rural backdrop' of 'a tall sandstone ridge, surrounded by mature trees', this pub-with-rooms is just a stroll from the town centre.

With Thameside gardens and free mooring, this 18th-century inn has six courtyard bedrooms with vintage and contemporary furniture, a cosy beamed bar, a menu of pub favourites and creative dishes.

When booking a stay, don't forget to book your llama and picnic: llama treks through the Surrey hills are the unique selling point at this at this 16th-century pub-with-rooms.

A popular local, this 17th-century coaching inn has cottage-style-cum-contemporary ground-floor bedrooms, a seasonal menu of classics and specials in the bar and restaurant, and a garden bar with bucolic views.

Modern artworks by the co-owner and local artists adorn this picture-perfect Cotswolds village inn, with country-style bedrooms, that serves local ales, cream teas and updated pub fare in the conservatory and garden.

Being remodelled as The Alfriston. An outdoor heated pool, extensive grounds, Downs views, individually styled bedrooms and refined dining are among the attractions at this dog-friendly hotel on the banks of the River Cuckmere.

Dog friendly, child-friendly, cosy and characterful, this historic village inn near the South Downs Way has bedrooms that blend quirky rusticity with modern comforts, a menu of pub classics and more modern dishes.