ENGLAND'S BEST PUBS
General Tarleton Inn, North Yorkshire
Tommy Banks, a celebrated Yorkshire chef, is renowned 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 serving drinks at his family’s establishment before graduating to the kitchen. Recently, he launched Abbey Inn in Byland, and he has recently launched a hospitality arm dedicated to restoring other pubs across the UK. First up is the eight-bedroom General Tarleton in Ferrensby village, near Harrogate. The cuisine is exceptional, with polished takes on pub classics made with local produce – ideal sustenance for walks along the river and into Nidd Gorge, a scenic local area.
The Bat and Ball, Oxfordshire Countryside
Dogs lounge by the fireplace and clergy at the bar at this quaint inn in the village of Cuddesdon, famous for its theological college. It launched at the start of the year by the owners of Lamb Inn in nearby Little Milton, and the chefs 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 dishes take typical pub fare and dial them up with premium local produce. The five bedrooms have walls painted in rich autumnal shades to match the nearby landscape, which is sandwiched between the Cotswolds and Chilterns.
Kings Arms Inn, Lakeland
This family-owned pub, which relaunched at the end of August, is at the heart of the Lakeland village of Hawkshead, just a short walk from the Beatrix Potter gallery and the Hawkshead Grammar School museum, where a young William Wordsworth carved his name into his desk. It’s rich in history in the oak beams and stone floors at the King’s Arms too, which originates in the 1600s. At the dark-wood bar is a roster of local beers including Coniston Old Man Ale and Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold, while the menu focuses on classics with Cumberland scotch eggs and beef wellington. Just the thing to be tucking into after a stomp up nearby Latterbarrow fell.
Wellington Hotel, Cornwall
Affectionately called The Welly, this historic coaching house overlooks Boscastle harbour on Cornwall’s dramatic north coast. A local brewery recently splashed millions renovating it, and it shows in the cosy dining rooms, snugs and stained-glass windows. The best rooms are the two in the pub’s turret with freestanding baths, but every room come with artwork by local artists and OS maps and guidebooks for the coast path for walks. The trail passes nearby: heading west to Tintagel Castle, birthplace of King Arthur as per myth, or round past Pentargon waterfall. After a coastal 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.
Woolpack Inn, Hampshire Countryside
Fresh from a makeover by renowned designer Nina Campbell, this rural inn is the centre of life in the small village of Totford in the tranquil Candover valley. Set amid fields and forests, so head chef Luke Stradling has abundant regional ingredients to draw on – complemented by the pub’s large kitchen garden, right now filled with pumpkin, celeriac and winter leaves. In addition to providing almost all the vegetables on the menu, staff also contribute 20% of the harvest to community charities and homeless shelters. Upstairs, eight guest rooms are themed after game birds, but it’s fly fishing the local main attraction – casting for trout in the world renowned chalk stream of the River Itchen.
The Fleur de Lys, Dorset
Hospitality group Chickpea has nailed the modern country pubs with rooms formula – excellent cuisine, welcoming bar and competitive rates for overnighters. The newest member to the fold is Fleur de Lys, a historic inn in the village of Cranbourne. Author Thomas Hardy was a frequent visitor here and makes reference to it in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. The revamp reflects its period charm: hops drape over the large open fireplace, candles flicker on tables and, upstairs, the nine bedrooms are decorated in muted colours. Trails loop around Cranborne Estate, with dishes such as Brixham bass, venison barnsley chop and toffee pudding to look forward to back at the pub afterwards.
Penny Bun Inn, North Yorkshire
Named after a mushroom found in local woods, the Penny Bun is a departure from your traditional boozer. With its earthen walls and palette of earthy browns, the style is minimalist than brass beer pumps. Located between Ilkley and Otley in the Yorkshire Dales, the recently opened pub is part of the Denton Reserve, a 1,012-hectare estate undergoing a sustainably led transformation, shifting to carbon sequestering and regenerative farming. It provides many of the ingredients found on the menu at the Penny Bun, such as pork croquette salad or beetroot gnocchi. The serene decor particularly suits the five bedrooms (the plum one comes with a freestanding bath), with plush beds to sink into after hikes on Ilkley Moor, right outside the front door.
Ship Inn, Norfolk
Recently, Sisters Siobhan and Caitriona Peyton rebooted this historic coastal inn with nine beamed bedrooms in the village of Brancaster. The cuisine has Mediterranean influences, and while menus have one eye on the sea (less than a mile’s walk away), local game is the highlight in autumn. For Sunday lunch, expect roasted venison served with local wild mushrooms instead of the usual chicken or beef, while in the bar settle in by the fire and enjoy a pork roll or monkfish scampi with a pint of local ale. Outside, Norfolk’s big skies look particularly stunning at this time of year – watch for flocks of pink-footed geese – and walks cut through dunes and marshes.
Leicester Arms Inn, Kent
Opposite from the entrance to Penshurst Place, this historic pub is more attractive 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, real Kentish ales from nearby Larkins, and superior cuisine in the dining room. The menu focuses on local produce, with Kent lamb scotch egg and oysters from Whitstable, while the 11 botanically named bedrooms are decorated in an attractive heritage style. Four rooms come with clawfoot tubs for soaking after walks after a stroll around the Penshurst Estate past the River Medway, lakes and ancient oaks.
Swan Inn, Sussex Countryside
The two-and-a-half year refurbishment of this historic 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 elegant rooms – though it remains “proudly old fashioned”, says the owner. Dining in the wood-panelled, art-adorned dining room utilize seasonal local produce (wild mushrooms and fresh plum pudding on our visit) and lavish breakfasts are served in the barn in the pretty gardens. The old visitor books are fascinating: notable guests include JMW Turner, John Constable and Rudyard Kipling. There’s plenty to do nearby, from antique shopping in local villages to downland walks, Petworth House and Arundel castle.
The Nevill Arms, Leicestershire Countryside
With its picturesque villages, pretty market 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). The Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was revamped in 2023, with 10 rooms (some with four-poster beds) spread between the pub and its converted stables – and soon they’ll add a three-bedroom stone cottage next door too. Culinarily, meats are reared on 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 canal lift at nearby Foxton Locks.
New Inn, Lancashire
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 produces elevated comfort dishes (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
