Kilpeck Inn

At the heart fo the small village of Kilpeck, around 10 miles from Hereford, this warm and welcoming country inn not only serves excellent food but also has four neat and tidy boutique rooms upstairs for those who want to properly enjoy what is by any standards a beautiful corner of rural England.Its flagstone floors and walls were built from stones collected from a nearby castle, torn down during the English Civil War, and walls feature old photos and works by local artists. Elsewhere, the look and feel is ‘modern country’, with light wood tables and chairs and a cosy bar with sofas and chairs with sheepskins. There’s also a nice garden, and the pub is footsteps form Kilpeck's remarkable Norman church, whose grotesque and occasionally erotic exterior sculptures are worth the trip here alone.

The food they serve is a notch above typical pub grub, even if it sounds like it: the burgers are made from scratch, hake comes with homemade tartar sauce, chips are handcut and most of the ingredients are from local suppliers. Thirsty patrons come for Herefordshire Butty Bach, Robinson’s cider, grapefruit gin from the Chase Distillery down the road and Welsh wine. Dogs are welcome in the bar, and there's a large dining space at the back, while room rates include an excellent breakfast. Guest rooms vary in size but all come with en-suite bathrooms with toiletries, wifi, flatscreen TVs, tea and coffee-making facilities and all the amenities you would exp[ct from any decent hotel room. A very comfortable p[lace to stay – and eat – in a gorgeous part of Herefordshire.