The Compasses Inn

Oozing history and character, one of Wiltshire’s finest country pubs also possesses a sensational chef, who cooks gutsy British dishes using local ingredients, although there are also tasty flavours such as figs baked in red wine with goat’s cheese and chorizo plus seasonal specials such as partridge in redcurrent and thyme jus chalked up on the blackboard. Factor in good real ales and a genuinely welcoming host and you have a gem. Expect to lose an afternoon; or better still, stay the night in four pleasant midrange rooms.