Saved from dereliction and carefully restored by Young’s brewery, this good-looking weather-boarded coaching inn now has the feel of an out-of-town country retreat with a collection of highly distinctive rooms – a cosy snug nestled in a bay window, a laid-back Rookery, and the historic Hogarth Room (perfect for private bashes), not to mention four pergolas outside. A big farmhouse table loaded with bread and seasonal vegetables sets the scene for a menu chock-full of carefully sourced and name-checked ingredients: char-grilled meats and spit-roast chickens dominate, but the line-up also includes heritage beetroot carpaccio with goats’ cheese cream, pearl barley risotto with toasted chestnuts and iron-bark pumpkin, and venison shepherd’s pie (‘a little dull’). Cask ales from London brewers such as Sambrook’s and Meantime sit alongside Young’s beers, while a VinoGlass dispenser offers fine wines by the glass.