Beyond the porch of Andrew Russell’s tile-hung 16th-century pub you’ll find everything you could ask for from a village local: imaginative food, comfy rooms and bags of atmosphere. With oak beams, inglenooks, pewter tankards and horse brasses, this is the real deal, not an olde-worlde cliché. ‘The nicest place we have ever stayed in!’ write readers. ‘The staff are warm and welcoming and so helpful. Andrew is very hands on, so you feel well taken care of.’ ‘Brilliant food with generous portions’, from a daily changing menu which includes pub classics for those fish-and-chips days to something adventurous – maybe pork fillet and braised cheek tart with burnt apple purée, or aubergine schnitzel with pomegranate, mint and pine nut salsa. The ‘very comfortable’ 'clean and well appointed' bedrooms are the Cat’s pyjamas, simple and tasteful, with ‘great attention to comfort, from fresh milk and bottled water to cosy bathrobes, lovely linen and towels’, an espresso machine, Bramley toiletries. ‘We can't recommend the inn too highly though parking is restricted.’ ‘Without doubt we will be returning.’ (Rupert Bursell, Rina Picciotto, Tony Simpson, and others)