‘With the bones of a village pub but the feel of a restaurant’, Piers Baker’s medieval coaching inn at the heart of Constable country received a decisive nod from our inspectors. Each bedroom is different. Elsa was ‘overflowing with character’, with charmingly wonky floor and ceiling, exposed timbers in a small shower room, an arresting view of St Mary’s Church (‘like gazing at a painting’). The TV looked old, the thermostat didn’t work (readers report a similar niggle), but the oak king-size bed was comfortable. ‘Welcome extras included fresh milk, brownies, bathrobes, Bramley toiletries, books of short stories…’ There are comfy sofas in a panelled sitting room, while, in the ‘atmospheric’ restaurant, ‘service was swift and smiling’. From a seasonally changing menu of ‘elevated pub classics', a generous portion of hummus with homemade flatbread, ‘juicy burgers with amazing skin-on fries, and stand-out-special lobster with burnt chilli and lime butter’ were all enjoyed. The breakfast buffet wasn’t great (‘we weren’t tempted by tea-soaked granola’), but eggs on avocado toast were perfectly poached. ‘Overall, someone had properly thought through the experience of staying in a hotel, anticipating guests’ needs.’