The Plough

You might have to book to get a table at The Plough, whose standard of cooking is furrows ahead of most Cheshire pubs & many local restaurants. Menus & blackboard daily specials deliver such dishes as asparagus brulee topped with goats' cheese with caramelised onions, honey & rosemary roast rack of lamb, or vegetable korma with rice & poppadom – a well-spiced curry bursting with fresh vegetables, pineapple & coconut. Bakewell tart also shows a confident hand in the baking department. If you’re in at the weekend, ask for a table in the gorgeous timber-framed Old Barn restaurant. Otherwise, the pub’s 17th century main building has some nice eating areas, tastefully decorated with antiques & with the bonus of open fires in season. Eight decent wines by the glass feature on a respectable list, & there's accommodation, too.