‘A comfortable, cosy place with nice rooms to curl up in’, Sam and Janet Bakose’s 250-year-old inn stands on the A272 between Midhurst and Petworth, in the South Downs national park. Guide inspectors stepping into the bar on a cold night were greeted by ‘the gentle scent of a small log fire’, and shown to a large room with ‘handsome old beams’ in the converted stables, across a country lane. ‘All the essentials had been carefully considered: a desk and sofa, lots of storage, good lighting, fridge, fresh milk, still and sparkling water, biscuits, locally produced toiletries.’ Fortified by books and cable TV, ‘on a soggy Saturday we were content to hunker down all afternoon’. After dark, motion-sensor lights showed the way to the restaurant, where tea lights burned on window sills. New head chef Sven Wiege cooks such imaginative but accessible dishes as braised ox cheek bourguignon, potato terrine, braised red cabbage, button onions, parsnip crisp, pancetta and mushroom sauce. Breakfast brings ‘moreish home-made berry compote, lovely chunky toast, good bacon’, smoked salmon, ‘creamy’ scrambled eggs. Golfers can take their pick of nearby courses.