The Bell Alderminster

Siblings Adrian and Tania – owners of toiletries company Baylis & Harding – preside over this immaculately kept pub. It was once a boarded-up boozer, but these days a loving touch and keen eye have seen it reestablished as a welcoming, fashionably attired inn with bedrooms to match. The cooking mixes timeless British pub fare, like a prawn cocktail or a Scotch egg, with more modern and playful options like the 'quack and chips' – confit duck leg with a spiced gravy and refreshing carrot and sesame salad.

Built from golden stone quarried in the village itself, The Howard Arms is very much a part of the local community. They open at 8am for coffee and breakfast, and hearty flavours are the order of the day on the appealing menu, where pub favourites are listed alongside dishes of a more global bent. Bedrooms come in a variety of styles.

Even in the dead of winter, you’ll likely find a big crowd and a lively buzz at this well-run restaurant. It’s easy to see why it’s such a busy place, as the attentive service is joined by hearty, satisfying cooking. Dishes often revolve around wood-fired produce, be it skate wing or partridge, and there’s a proper roast dinner served on Sundays. Shakespeare fans have an extra reason to visit, as the famed playwright’s childhood classroom is located just up the road and is open to visitors.

An appealing mixture of the vintage and the contemporary lend a certain stylishness to the décor at this smart brasserie occupying two former shops in the heart of a small market town. The attractive dishes are packed with flavour and make the most of quality British produce, as with delicious, sweet Cornish crab turned into a simple, fresh-tasting tartlet. Sit in the larger room with its comfy banquettes and copper-topped tables, then treat yourself to a stay in one of the characterful bedrooms.

Situated right in the centre of this historic market town and encased within glass walls on three sides, this self-described ‘illegitimate trattoria’ is a love letter to straightforward Italian cooking, fused with seasonal British ingredients. In the day, it operates as the coffee shop and bakery Ferment & Flour, before the Italian vibe takes over in the evening. Start with a couple of cicchetti before one of the stand-out homemade pastas, be that casarecce with preserved wild garlic, truffle and parmesan, or well-crafted crab agnolotti. Add in friendly service and you have a winning formula.