M. Herve Bource, the House Manager, offers a welcome which is both charming and knowledgeable with regard to the food and wine served at 22 Mill Street, the excellent restaurant in (where else?), Mill Street, Chagford. On our first visit to this restaurant, some weeks earlier, we had had the taster menu and the presentation and quality of the food were without exception first rate. By the time of our second visit a new chef had been appointed but any uncertainty we may have had over quality was dispelled by the distinction and value of the lunch we were offered.
I chose pigeon breast with black pudding as a starter and my partner had haddock, cooked in brown butter with a butter and milk sauce. Beautifully made bread and two 'amuse bouche’ were served beforehand. We both had very tender venison to follow: one slight criticism - some of the sinew had not been completely trimmed away from the meat – but otherwise perfect. I had chocolate with yoghurt ice cream for desert, with shards of beautifully light meringue. My partner chose from the generous and varied cheese board.
A three-course lunch at 22 Mill Street, Chagford, will cost £21. We were recommended a very good and not expensive wine by M. Bource, whose attention throughout was both warm and discreet. The restaurant itself is attractively decorated with light wood tables and blinds on the street side windows, which contrasts well with the natural stone and wooden beams of this restaurant. It offers an intimate atmosphere but with plenty of space between tables, as well as an anteroom with sofas at the start and finish of one’s visit. Highly recommended.

Chagford is an attractive town, with an inexpensive central car park. Chagford has an extraordinary number of pubs and inns for such a small place!

www.22millstreet.com
22 Mill Street, Chagford, Devon TQ13 8AW
+44(0)1647 432244
Google map: bit.ly/U6dmGm

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The Belvedere in Stonehaven offers shelter and a hot meal on a dark winter’s afternoon: a most welcome sight after our nippy adventure along the coast. We celebrated our third wedding anniversary by clambering around the algae-covered Dunnottar Castle, which stands on a craggy rock that juts out into the ocean. We discovered dripping caves and gazed over the misty North Sea, then booked in to a cosy, well-heated room. Large windows, with a view onto the garden, filled the room with fading orange sunlight. In this serene setting, with our tea and biscuits, we felt no need to turn on the flat-screen TV or use the wifi.

www.belvederestonehaven.co.uk/
41 Evan Street, Stonehaven, Kincardineshire
+44(0)1569 762672
Google map: bit.ly/QF8efI

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A really friendly, laid back restaurant/sports bar. On a recent trip to Bristol, my husband wanted to watch the rugby. We heard this place was good so we booked a table for lunch and hoped we could watch. There were loads of screens and we ended up staying all afternoon!
We both had a steakwich - apparently it's a firm favourite for the sports events - it was really good!
Staff were really friendly and made us feel so at home. We can't wait to go back there on our next Bristol trip.

www.racks-bristol.co.uk/
St Pauls Rd, Clifton, Bristol, BS81LX
+44(0)1179741626
Google map: bit.ly/S60alh

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I had not heard an awful lot about this restaurant but I did note that it had been awarded an AA Rosette so, on a recent trip to Bristol, we decided to try it out. (It's also in the same building as The Rodney Hotel.)
I have to say we were pleasantly surprised at how lovely the food was! All three courses were delicious and presented really nicely on the plate. The decor was nice and our waitress was friendly. It was a little on the quiet side in there but then again it's nice to keep it that way! We had a fantastic evening there and thoroughly recommend it!

4 Rodney Place, Clifton Village, Bristol, BS84HY
+44(0)1179706869
Google map: bit.ly/UmJgkh

www.no4cliftonvillage.co.uk/food/

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A recently rescued old boozer in a spectacularly remote Yorkshire dale, the Queens Arms is the kind of village pub you dream about. Great local beer and the kind of fabulous food which if it came out of a suburban kitchen would require much deeper pockets. Upstairs, four cosy, immaculate bedrooms with beams and crisp white cotton linen and outside any number of stunning walks from the door.

www.queensarmslitton.co.uk
Litton, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 SQJ +44(0)1756 770096
Google map: bit.ly/XT9a31

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For a truly memorable pub/hotel to visit in Norfolk, one cannot do better than the Royal Hotel, Mundersley. When I visited, the bar offered six real ales and the restaurant served excellent food; being on the coast the seafood was particularly good.
The rooms are furnished with antique furniture and the whole place has a great atmosphere. Room 222 has a huge four poster bed and was stayed in by Admiral Lord Nelson when he was a boy.

www.royal-hotel-mundesley.co.uk
Mundesley-on-Sea, Paston Road, Norwich NR11 8BN
(+44) 01263 720096
Google map: bit.ly/TnTVeP

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The Miller's Arms in Canterbury is a weather boarded pub occupying a rounded corner position overlooking the remains of a water mill complete with mill race. The rooms are not numbered but each is named after a Canterbury Tale, thus we had The Pardoner’s Tale. The bar, open all day, serves real ale in a selection of eclectically-rooms. The smoking area is so pretty and candle lit that it almost makes you wish you were a smoker. Comfortable rooms, all with WiFi, an outstanding breakfast menu, friendly staff and Canterbury Cathedral ten minutes' walk away, all combine to make this an ideal base.

www.shepherdneame.co.uk/pubs/canterbury/millers-arms
2 Mill Lane, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2AW
+44(0)1227 456 057
Google map: bit.ly/TnU41K

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With the Red Lion at Stiffkey, North Norfolk, you get the best of both worlds. Newly built, eco-friendly modern accommodation with power showers, warm heating and comfortable beds and a pub, dating back to the 1600s whose character is allowed to speak for itself with flag-stoned floors, ancient beams and log fires. Mussels are a speciality here, not just the classic white wine and garlic, but more adventurous choices such as mussels with curried potato and spinach. There’s nothing better than a wind-swept walk along the sea-marsh, accessible straight from the pub and coming back to a plate of mussels in front of a roaring log fire, washed down with a pint of Norfolk Wherry, knowing a comfy bed awaits. Dogs allowed.

www.stiffkey.com
44 Wells Road, Stiffkey, Norfolk NR23 1AJ
+44(0)1328 830552
Google map: bit.ly/TkWSJY

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It's a pub with rooms in a pretty honey-stone village just outside Yeovil, and a walk from NT property Montacute; the perfect stop-off if you're doing the trek to the far West Country from London and don't want to do it all in one go. The Mason's Arms is a friendly, proper pub rather than a gastropub with designer pretensions, with hearty food and its own microbrewery (the beer was delicious, but the quantities the landlord makes are so small, you'll rarely find it anywhere else). The rooms have some luxury extras that you don't usually find in a pub stay (robes, decent toiletries), especially considering the price - £85 for a double, which included a great breakfast.

www.masonsarmsodcombe.co.uk/
41 Lower Odcombe Yeovil BA22 8TX, United Kingdom
+44(0)1935 862591
Google map: bit.ly/ScxjeO

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Not far from the beaches and birdwatching of the Norfolk coast, few drinkers in the bar or diners in the busy restaurant at the Gin Trap realise that there are three traditional bedrooms with luxury en suite bathrooms available at this friendly country pub. In winter we've stayed there and returned from walks along the beach at Hunstanton to a roaring fire, and in summer we've sat in the sunny garden over a drink before an excellent meal with local specialities like samphire (and advice on how to eat it). I like the proper vegetarian items at breakfast - pancakes with blueberries or French toast with fresh fruit - alongside the more traditional menu.

www.gintrapinn.co.uk/
6 High Street, Ringstead, Norfolk PE36 5JU
+44(0)1485 525264
Google map: bit.ly/S7JbA2

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The Wheatsheaf hotel and pub in Virginia Water is set in an ideal location as it is right by Virginia Water Lake and Windsor Great Park. It is cosy with its open fireplaces and it has a large beer garden at the back. The inn welcomes families for dining and staying. Traditional, freshly cooked English food and light bites are available.
For a bit of history, King George III and Queen Charlotte are known to have stayed at the inn in the early 1800s.

www.chefandbrewer.com/pub/wheatsheaf-hotel-virginia-water/c4306/
London Road, Virginia Water, Surrey GU25 4QF
+44(0)1344 842057
Google map: bit.ly/RPdXMJ

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Fab country pub. While on our way home we stopped off for a drink, but the warm log fire and the snow falling outside lured us to stay the night. Friendly staff, tasty food in a cosy ambience combined for a lovely spur of the moment night away.

www.castleinndartmoor.co.uk/
Lydford, Devon, EX20 4BH
+44(0)1822 820241
Google map: bit.ly/TUdgBx

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Absolutely fantastic pub with rooms. Top notch food, lovely and comfy rooms, often a guy playing piano in the bar, and breakfast to die for. Owner Philip is a delightful host.

www.thedevonshirearms.com
Long Sutton, Langport, Somerset, TA10 9LP
+44(0)1458 241271
Google map: bit.ly/WnfL4b


Yeovil nearest station

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You must book a room with a view of the dale. The spectacular view alone would be enough to make this pub a contender for the best in Britain. On our first visit we only stopped for a drink in the beer garden – but then couldn’t resist the homemade soup. Since then we have returned a number of times and stayed overnight. We’ve never yet been disappointed with the food, drink or the welcome.

www.monsalhead.com/
Monsal Head, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1NL
+44(0)844 288 739
Google map: bit.ly/U9dXJC

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How do you turn a three night break into a week long holiday? You can't, but The Glenuig Inn in Glenuig on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula in Scotland came close. With a restaurant serving local food so fresh it slaps you in the face, simple but classy en-suite rooms and an en-suite ocean with a landlord come walking/kayaking guide to boot it is easy to fill long summer days and cosy winter nights feeling quite isolated from the world. It's also close to the gateway to the Ferries and Islands.
You can kayak with basking sharks, walk to deserted crofting villages and inaccessible bays or just sit and watch the golden eagles soaring. The finest kippers I have ever eaten from a local smoke house started the days with a mouthful of heaven and I even managed to catch my own supper. It has also been built, and is run, to the highest eco friendly standards. Everything is recycled except for the experience.

www.glenuig.com
Lochailort, Inverness-Shire, Scotland PH38 4NG
+44(0)1687470219
Google map: bit.ly/UP1aOT

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This fine pub fits into a bend in the young River Esk – you can enjoy looking at the wildlife from the open terrace in the summer. Inside there’s a traditional bar and a superb restaurant featuring locally produced cuisine. Try the jugged hare then follow it with celebration of rhubarb – crumble, syllabub, jelly and sorbet, the ultimate pudding! Upstairs there’s a spacious family room sleeping four – you can put the kids to bed then spend the evening sampling the landlord’s personally collected stash of malts.

www.theboardinn.com/Site/Home.html
Lealholm, Whitby, North Yorkshire, Y021 2AJ
+44(0)1947 897279
Google map: bit.ly/UP1xJ2

stay@theboardinn.com

Lealholm is in the North Yorkshire National Park and has its own railway station

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The Dock is a newly-opened restaurant in Docklands, just a short walk from Canary Wharf. It's a bit off the beaten track but a real hidden gem. It serves delicious seafood - I had the scallops with bacon, and tried some of my friend's calamari. It was really good! I was tempted by the steak but in the end opted for the fish and chips which were great. The batter was light and crispy and the chips nice and chunky. The food is top-class but there's nothing stuffy about it - it's very relaxed and the owner and staff are very friendly. It's great value too. I am looking forward to my next visit to try something more adventurous. I would really recommend it as a place for lunch, or for meeting friends after work.

www.thedockseafoodrestaurant.com
2 Mastmaker Road, London E14 9AW
+44(0)20 7515 4334
Google map: bit.ly/RNgJlC

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Cal Boter is the right place to try traditional Catalan restaurant food in Barcelona. They cook the kind of food you might find in a restaurant in the country, but they are in one of the most traditional, full of local flavor, barrios of Barcelona.

www.restaurantcalboter.com
Carrer de Tordera, 62 08012 Barcelona
+34 934 58 84 62
Google map: bit.ly/ZWmaCh

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I visited my sister in Bristol last week to see the Christmas lights turn on and catch up over a nice meal at The Square (we used a groupon voucher for the seven course taster menu). We'd never been before and were both pleasantly surprised! The staff were all friendly and very helpful, the food was A-MA-ZING and the building was really quirky and arty inside! I'd definitely recommend it for special occasions as it isn't cheap but it is definitely worth it. It has a real warm feeling about it and the food was as if we were in a top notch London restaurant - we felt very spoiled.

www.thesquareclub.com
15 Berkeley Square, Bristol BS81HB
+44(0)117 921 0455
Google map: bit.ly/ZG7AQ1

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As its name suggests, simple and homely Koldunine specialises in koldunai, ravioli-like dumplings which are basically the Lithuanian version of Polish pierogi or Russian pelmeni. I popped in for lunch and tried koldunai filled with potato, which were much tastier than they sound. The service was quick and friendly, and if I had more time in Vilnius, I would have definitely gone back. Koldunai is not a gourmet restaurant, but it’s a good option for lunch or when you’ve built up an appetite after sightseeing. The food is tasty and authentic, and doesn’t cost much either.

Savičiaus g. 6,
+370 679 26259
Google map: bit.ly/U5X4gW

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