ENGLAND
The General Tarleton, North Yorkshire
Tommy Banks, a celebrated Yorkshire chef, is best known for his award-winning restaurant the Black Swan at Oldstead, and he also has deep pub roots. Actually, the Black Swan started out as one, with Banks working behind the bar at his family’s establishment before moving into the kitchen. Recently, he opened the Abbey Inn in Byland, and he has recently launched a hospitality arm focused on reviving other pubs across the UK. The first project is General Tarleton with eight rooms in Ferrensby village, near Harrogate. The cuisine is exceptional, with polished takes on pub classics made with local produce – the perfect fuel for riverside strolls and into the Nidd Gorge, a local beauty spot.
Bat and Ball Inn, Oxfordshire
It’s dogs by the fire and dog collars at the bar at this quaint inn in the village of Cuddesdon, famous for its theological college. It was opened at the start of the year by the proprietors of Lamb Inn in nearby Little Milton, and the culinary team at both locations gained experience at two-Michelin-star Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons down the road. The Bat and Ball is the more casual of the pair – it even features a dartboard – and dishes take typical pub fare and enhance them with premium local produce. Five guest rooms have walls painted in deep fall colors to match the surrounding countryside, which is sandwiched between the Cotswolds and Chilterns.
King’s Arms, Lakeland
This independently run inn, which relaunched at the end of August, is at the heart of the Lakeland village of Hawkshead, around the corner from the Beatrix Potter gallery and Hawkshead Grammar School Museum, where a young William Wordsworth carved his name into his desk. There’s plenty of history in the oak beams and slate floors at the King’s Arms too, which originates in the 1600s. At the dark-wood bar is a selection of regional ales including Coniston Old Man Ale and Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold, while the food leans towards classic with Cumberland scotch eggs and beef wellington. The perfect meal to be tucking into after a hike up nearby Latterbarrow fell.
The Wellington at Boscastle, Cornish Coast
Affectionately called The Welly, this centuries-old coaching inn overlooks Boscastle Harbor on Cornwall’s dramatic north coast. A local brewery recently splashed millions doing it up, and it shows in the cosy dining rooms, snugs and stained glass panelling. The best rooms are the two in the pub’s turret with standalone tubs, but all 14 come with local art on the walls and OS maps and guidebooks for the coast path for walks. The path runs right outside: west to Tintagel Castle, legendary birthplace of King Arthur as per myth, or east towards Pentargon waterfall. Post-hike, there’s pints of Proper Job by the fire and servings of fish and chips to look forward to, made with fresh local fish in Gem Ale batter.
The Woolpack Inn, Hampshire
Fresh from a makeover by renowned designer Nina Campbell, this rural inn is the social hub in the small village of Totford in the tranquil Candover valley. It is surrounded by fields and woodlands, so chef Luke Stradling has plenty of local produce to draw on – complemented by the pub’s large kitchen garden, right now filled with pumpkin, celeriac and winter leaves. As well as supplying almost all the vegetables on the menu, staff also contribute 20% of the harvest to local charities and homeless shelters. Upstairs, eight bedrooms are named after game birds, but fly fishing is the local main attraction – angling for trout in the famous chalk stream of the River Itchen.
The Fleur de Lys, Dorset
Hospitality group Chickpea has mastered the modern country pubs with rooms formula – excellent cuisine, welcoming bar and keen prices for overnighters. The latest addition to the fold is the Fleur de Lys, a historic inn in the village of Cranbourne. The novelist Thomas Hardy was a regular guest here and makes reference to it in his novel Tess. The renovation reflects its period charm: hops hang over the large open fireplace, candles flicker on tables and, upstairs, the nine bedrooms are decorated in subdued tones. Walking routes loop around Cranborne Manor, with dishes such as Brixham sea bass, venison barnsley chop and sticky toffee pudding to look forward to back at the pub afterwards.
Penny Bun Inn, Yorkshire Dales
Named after a mushroom found in local woods, Penny Bun is a departure from your traditional boozer. With its earthen walls and earth-toned palette, the style is minimalist than brass beer pumps. Located between Ilkley and Otley in the Yorkshire Dales, the new inn is part of the Denton Reserve, a 1,012-hectare estate undergoing a sustainably led transformation, shifting to carbon sequestering and regenerative farming. It supplies many of the ingredients found on the menu at the Penny Bun, such as Tamworth pork croquette salad or beetroot gnocchi. The serene decor particularly suits the five bedrooms (the best room comes with a freestanding bath), with plush beds to sink into after hikes on Ilkley Moor, just steps away.
The Ship, Norfolk Coast
Recently, Sisters Siobhan and Caitriona Peyton rebooted this seaside inn with nine beamed bedrooms in the village of Brancaster. The cooking here has a light Mediterranean touch, and while menus have a focus on seafood (less than a mile’s walk away), local game is the highlight in autumn. For Sunday lunch, expect whole pot-roasted venison shoulders served with foraged mushrooms instead of the usual chicken or beef, while in the bar relax by the fireplace and enjoy a mangalitza pork sausage roll or monkfish with a pint of Moon Gazer Ale. Outside, the vast skies look especially arresting at this time of year – watch for flocks of migrating pink-footed geese – and trails cut through dunes and marshes.
The Leicester Arms, Kent Countryside
Across the road from the entrance to medieval Penshurst Place and Gardens, this historic pub is more attractive than ever after a major renovation last year. It’s easy to see why it scooped Kent’s county prize at the national awards: there are plush armchairs by the fire in the bar, authentic Kent ales from a local brewery, and superior cuisine in the dining room. The menu focuses on local produce, with Kent lamb scotch egg and oysters from Whitstable, while 11 nature-themed rooms are decorated in a classic style. Four rooms come with clawfoot tubs for post-walk soaks after a stroll around the Penshurst Estate past the River Medway, lakes and giant oak trees.
Swan Inn, Sussex Countryside
The two-and-a-half year refurbishment of this Grade II-listed coaching inn in Fittleworth on the edge of the South Downs was well worth it. Period details from its 14th-century roots mix with stylish comfort in the bar, restaurant and 12 beautifully designed rooms – though it remains traditional, says the owner. Dining in the wood-panelled, painting-lined dining room utilize local seasonal ingredients (foraged ceps and plum pudding on our visit) and generous breakfasts are served in the barn in the pretty gardens. Historic guestbooks are interesting: notable guests include JMW Turner, John Constable and Rudyard Kipling. There’s plenty to do nearby, from browsing antiques in local villages to downland walks, Petworth House and Arundel Castle.
The Nevill Arms, Leicestershire Countryside
With its picturesque villages, charming towns and rolling countryside, the Welland valley is in a region sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (like the Cotswolds but without the price tag). Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was revamped in 2023, with 10 rooms (including four-posters) spread between the pub and former stables – and next year they’ll add a stone cottage next door too. Culinarily, beef, pork and lamb are reared on the owner’s farm, while in the inky blue-painted bar there’s a changing selection of Langton ales on tap – the favorite of which is an amber bitter, Inclined Plane, named after the canal lift at nearby Foxton Locks.
New Inn Yealand, Lancashire Countryside
New owners Ben and Lauren Sandiford took on the running of this seven-bedroom village inn in April. Ben brought his chef experience to the kitchen, which now produces classy comfort food (shepherd’s pie with mashed potatoes and cheese or beef and ale suet pudding) to be eaten in the rustic dining area beside the log burner. The bar is filled with locals sipping on
