ENGLAND'S BEST PUBS
The General Tarleton, North Yorkshire
Tommy Banks, one of Yorkshire’s favourite foodie sons, is most famous for his award-winning restaurant Black Swan at Oldstead, and he also has deep pub roots. In fact, 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 launched the Abbey Inn in Byland, and he has recently launched a hospitality arm dedicated to restoring other pubs across the UK. First up is General Tarleton with eight rooms in Ferrensby village, near Harrogate. The cuisine is exceptional, with polished takes on pub classics made with regional ingredients – the perfect fuel for walks along the river and into Nidd Gorge, a local beauty spot.
Bat and Ball Inn, Oxfordshire Countryside
Dogs lounge by the fireplace and clergy at the bar at this quaint inn in the village of Cuddesdon, best known for its clergy college. It was opened at the start of the year by the owners of the Lamb Inn in nearby Little Milton, and the chefs at both locations cut their teeth at two-Michelin-star Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons down the road. This pub is the more relaxed option – there’s even a dart board – and menu items elevate classic pub food and dial them up with premium local produce. The five bedrooms have walls painted in deep fall colors to match the nearby landscape, which is nestled between the Cotswolds and Chilterns.
Kings Arms Inn, Lakeland
This family-owned pub, which reopened 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 the poet Wordsworth etched his name into his desk. It’s rich in history in oak beams and slate floors at the King’s Arms too, which originates in the 1600s. Behind the dark-wood panelled 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 enjoying after a hike up nearby Latterbarrow fell.
Wellington Hotel, Cornish Coast
Known affectionately as The Welly, this historic coaching house overlooks Boscastle harbour on Cornwall’s dramatic north coast. A local brewery recently invested heavily doing it up, and the results are evident in the snug dining areas, intimate corners and stained glass panelling. The best rooms are the turret suites with standalone tubs, but all 14 come with artwork by local artists and ordnance survey maps and guidebooks for the coast path for walks. The path runs right outside: heading west to Tintagel Castle, legendary birthplace of King Arthur according to legend, or round past Pentargon waterfall. Post-hike, there’s pints of Proper Job by the fire and plates of fish and chips to look forward to, made with fresh local fish in ale batter.
The Woolpack Inn, Hampshire Countryside
Recently renovated by influential interior designer Nina Campbell, this country pub 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 abundant regional ingredients to draw on – complemented by the pub’s sizeable vegetable 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 local charities and shelters. Upstairs, eight guest rooms 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.
Fleur de Lys Inn, Dorset Countryside
Hospitality group Chickpea has mastered the contemporary inns with accommodation formula – excellent cuisine, friendly 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 references it in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. The renovation reflects its period charm: hops drape over the large open fireplace, candles glow on tables and, upstairs, nine rooms are decorated in subdued tones. Walking routes loop around Cranborne Estate, with dishes such as Brixham sea bass, venison barnsley chop and toffee pudding to look forward to back at the pub afterwards.
Penny Bun Inn, North Yorkshire
Inspired by a fungus found in local woods, the Penny Bun is a break from conventional pubs. With its clay-plastered walls and earth-toned palette, the look is more wabi-sabi minimalism than traditional pub fixtures. Between Ilkley and Otley in the Yorkshire Dales, the new inn is part of the Denton Reserve, a 1,012-hectare estate undergoing an eco-friendly overhaul, focusing on carbon capture and regenerative farming. It supplies 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 bedrooms (the best room comes with a standalone tub), with deep beds to sink into after hikes on Ilkley Moor, right outside the front door.
The Ship, Norfolk Coast
Recently, The Peyton sisters revitalized 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), game from local estates is the highlight in autumn. On Sundays, expect whole pot-roasted venison shoulders served with local wild mushrooms instead of traditional meats, while in the bar relax by the fireplace and enjoy a pork roll or monkfish scampi with a pint of Moon Gazer Ale. Outside, the vast skies look particularly stunning at this time of year – look out for flocks of pink-footed geese – and walks cut through dunes and marshes.
Leicester Arms Inn, Kent Countryside
Opposite from the entrance to Penshurst Place, this historic pub is looking prettier 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, real Kentish ales from a local brewery, and superior cuisine in the dining room. The menu focuses on local produce, with lamb scotch egg and oysters from Whitstable, while 11 nature-themed rooms are decorated in an attractive heritage 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 South Downs was worth the wait. Original features 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. Meals served in the wood-panelled, art-adorned dining room utilize local seasonal ingredients (foraged ceps and fresh plum pudding on our visit) and lavish breakfasts are served in the barn in the gardens. The old visitor books 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.
Nevill Arms Inn, Leicestershire Countryside
With its picturesque villages, charming towns and undulating landscape, Welland Valley is in a part of the country sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (similar to the Cotswolds but more affordable). Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was refurbished in 2023, with 10 bedrooms (including four-posters) spread between the pub and former stables – and soon they’ll add a three-bedroom stone cottage next door too. On the food front, beef, pork and lamb are sourced from the owner’s farm, while in the blue bar there’s a rotating line up of Langton ales on tap – the most popular of which is an amber bitter, Inclined Plane, named after the canal lift at nearby Foxton Locks.
New Inn, Lancashire
New owners Ben and Lauren Sandiford took on the running of this seven-room inn in April. Ben brought his chef experience to the kitchen, which now turns out elevated comfort dishes (shepherd's pie with mashed potatoes and cheese or beef pudding) to be eaten in the beamed dining room beside the log burner. The bar attracts locals sipping on
