One of the first pubs in the UK to gain serious foodie recognition, this former drovers’ inn is a substantial foursquare hostelry with a cream-painted brick frontage, a bit of a garden and lovely views – all overseen by husband-and-wife team Steve and Nicola Reynolds. Local ingredients are handled with the kind of finesse you’d expect from a chef who trained at the Le Gavroche, but there’s also a refreshing lack of pimped-up trickery about Steve’s food. Starters of scallops with curried cauliflower and sultanas or duck hearts and livers with mushroom duxelle on toast might precede pork belly with bacon marmalade, cabbage and apple or Herefordshire beef fillet with shallot and peppercorn butter, mushrooms, kale and chips. The regional cheese list is an unmissable selection from the three neighbouring counties, while Nicola’s personally chosen wine list is a fairly priced cracker. There’s also no intrusive music to ruin the atmosphere.