Beams, highly polished furniture, a kitchen range and several open fires manage to combine comfort with a sense of occasion at this landmark inn. Although the drive to get there winds up hill and down dale, it’s ‘so popular it constantly buzzes’ with an almost ‘unseemly rush at opening times’. This place is all about food, and there's a profusion of blackboards displaying the daily specials with good bar food – chargrilled ribeye steak with bearnaise, whole hog sausages with grain mustard and apple mash, whole roasted partridge with red cabbage – balanced by a smart, yet intimate restaurant. The kitchen has a sure touch with ingredients and delivers food with a simple and direct appeal, a product of good raw materials and intelligent handling. Look out for little moneybags of seafood baked in filo and served with lobster sauce, it’s a never-off-the-menu classic served in both the bar and the restaurant. An enthusiasts wine list offers great value for money. Must book.