The Dawnay Arms

Some of today’s most lively cooking is happening in rural kitchens, & this born-again boozer is no exception. The Dawnay Arms has been a pub for ever, but despite its elegant Georgian exterior & tasty location in the middle of an ineffably posh, picture-perfect village, it needed someone special to turn it around. Enter Martel Smith, who transplanted his family from the smart surroundings of No 3 York Place, Leeds to this rustic backwater. What a transformation. Inside, the original flagged floors, fireplaces & beams remain, while stout timber tables & old church pews sit stylishly alongside pale colours, bright funky cushions & contemporary artwork. Local ingredients are deployed for hearty, incisive dishes including coarse country pate with grape chutney, & utterly memorable slow-roast lamb rump with champ, root vegetables & rosemary jus. The faultless food is wholesome but not remotely provincial – this is metropolitan food at midweek prices.