The Punch Bowl Inn

In a quietly beautiful area of the Lake District – the lovely Lyth valley – this smart village inn has a deserved reputation for good food and cosseting bedrooms. Popular with locals and visitors alike, it’s more foodie than drinkers’ pub (with much produce from their village farm), though the bar stocks local ales as well as champagne by the glass. New chef Aaron Lawrence (formerly of the Lake District’s Michelin-starred Gilpin Hotel) offers dishes such as local lamb with fondant potato and onion purée, and herb-crusted halibut with sauté leeks. Lemon tart with local damson sorbet is a favourite. Eat in the atmospheric slate-floored and beamed bar with toasty log-burner, the more formal dining room or outside on the terrace overlooking the neighbouring church. Contemporary country bedrooms are pleasingly different – some with beams, others with valley views – though all offer rich carpets and curtains, pale-wash colours and vintage or solid-oak furniture. Inviting bathrooms have tongue-and-groove panelling, roll-top baths and under-floor heating. ‘Cheerful and friendly’ staff welcome guests with home-made scones and tea.