ENGLAND
The General Tarleton, North Yorkshire
Chef Tommy Banks, a celebrated Yorkshire chef, is most famous for the Michelin-starred restaurant the Black Swan at Oldstead, and he also has deep pub roots. Actually, the Black Swan originally operated as a pub, with Banks working behind the bar at his family’s establishment before moving into the kitchen. In 2023, he opened Abbey Inn in Byland, and he has just started a hospitality arm dedicated to restoring other pubs across the UK. First up is the eight-bedroom General Tarleton in the village of Ferrensby, near Harrogate. The cuisine is exceptional, with polished takes on pub classics made with regional ingredients – ideal sustenance for riverside strolls and into the Nidd Gorge, a scenic local area.
Bat and Ball Inn, Oxfordshire Countryside
It’s dogs by the fire and clergy at the bar at this charming pub in the village of Cuddesdon, best known for its clergy college. It launched 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 the esteemed Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons down the road. The Bat and Ball is the more casual of the pair – there’s even a dart board – and menu items elevate classic pub food and enhance them with carefully sourced local ingredients. Five guest rooms have walls painted in rich autumnal shades to match the surrounding countryside, which is nestled between the Cotswolds and Chilterns.
Kings Arms Inn, Lakeland
This family-owned pub, which relaunched at the end of August, is at the center of the Lakeland village of Hawkshead, just a short walk from 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. Just the thing to be enjoying after a hike up nearby Latterbarrow fell.
Wellington Hotel, Cornwall
Known affectionately as The Welly, this centuries-old coaching inn overlooks Boscastle harbour on the rugged north Cornwall coast. St Austell Brewery recently splashed millions renovating it, and the results are evident in the cosy dining rooms, snugs and stained-glass windows. The best rooms are the turret suites with standalone tubs, but all 14 come with artwork by local artists and ordnance survey maps and a South West Coast Path national trail book 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 local catch in ale batter.
The Woolpack Inn, Hampshire
Recently renovated by renowned designer Nina Campbell, this country pub is the social hub in the small village of Totford in the tranquil Candover valley. Set amid fields and forests, so chef Luke Stradling has abundant regional ingredients to draw on – supplemented 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, the team also donates 20% of the harvest to community charities and homeless shelters. Upstairs, eight bedrooms are named after game birds, but it’s fly fishing the local star draw – casting for trout in the world renowned chalk stream of the River Itchen.
The Fleur de Lys, Dorset
Pub and restaurant firm Chickpea has nailed the contemporary inns with accommodation formula – great food, welcoming bar and competitive rates for overnighters. The latest addition to the fold is the Fleur de Lys, a historic inn in the village of Cranbourne. Author Thomas Hardy was a regular guest here and references it in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. 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 muted colours. Walking routes loop around Cranborne Manor, with dishes such as Brixham sea bass, venison 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 palette of earthy browns, the look is more wabi-sabi minimalism than traditional pub fixtures. Located between Ilkley and Otley in the Yorkshire Dales, the new inn is part of the Denton Reserve, a 2,500-acre estate undergoing an eco-friendly overhaul, shifting to carbon sequestering and regenerative farming. It provides many of the ingredients found on the menu at the Penny Bun, such as Tamworth pork croquette salad or gnocchi with roasted garden beetroots. The calming aesthetic particularly suits the five rooms (the plum one comes with a standalone tub), with deep beds to sink into after hikes on Ilkley Moor, right outside the front door.
Ship Inn, Norfolk Coast
This summer, The Peyton sisters rebooted this historic coastal inn with nine rustic rooms in the village of Brancaster. The cooking here has Mediterranean influences, and while menus have one eye on the sea (a short walk from the coast), local game is the star turn in autumn. For Sunday lunch, expect roasted venison served with local wild mushrooms instead of the usual chicken or beef, while in the front bar relax by the fireplace and tuck into a pork roll or monkfish with a pint of local ale. Outside, Norfolk’s big skies look especially arresting at this time of year – look out for flocks of pink-footed geese – and trails cut through dunes and salt marshes.
The Leicester Arms, Kent Countryside
Opposite from the entrance to Penshurst Place, this historic pub is looking prettier than ever after a £1.2m revamp last year. No wonder it scooped Kent’s county prize at the national awards: there are plush armchairs by the fire in the bar, authentic Kent ales from nearby Larkins, and cut-above cooking in the dining room. The menu highlights local produce, with lamb scotch egg and oysters from Whitstable, while 11 nature-themed rooms are decorated in a classic style. Four of them come with rolltop baths for post-walk soaks after a ramble around the Penshurst Estate past the River Medway, lakes and giant oak trees.
The Swan, Sussex Countryside
The lengthy renovation of this Grade II-listed coaching inn in Fittleworth on the South Downs was worth the wait. Original features from its 14th-century roots mix with modern comfort in the bar, restaurant and 12 beautifully designed rooms – though it remains “proudly old fashioned”, says owner Angus Davies. Meals served in the wood-panelled, art-adorned dining room draw on local seasonal ingredients (wild mushrooms and plum pudding on our visit) and lavish breakfasts are served in a barn in the gardens. Historic guestbooks are fascinating: 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.
Nevill Arms Inn, Leicestershire
With its honeyed hamlets, pretty market towns and rolling countryside, Welland Valley is in a part of the country sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (similar to the Cotswolds but without the price tag). The Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was refurbished in 2023, with 10 bedrooms (including four-posters) spread between the inn and its converted stables – and next year they’ll add a three-bedroom stone cottage next door too. On the food front, meats are sourced from the owner’s farm, while in the blue bar there’s a changing selection of Langton Brewery beers on tap – the most popular of which is an amber ale, Inclined Plane, named after the lift at nearby Foxton Locks.
New Inn Yealand, Lancashire Countryside
Young couple Ben and Lauren Sandiford took on the running of this seven-room inn in April. Ben applied his culinary skills to the kitchen, which now turns out classy comfort food (shepherd’s pie with mashed potatoes and cheese or beef and ale suet pudding) to be eaten in the beamed dining room beside the fireplace. The bar attracts locals sipping on
