The Harcourt Arms

Among the neat rows of Cotswold houses, this ‘equally pristine’ 17th-century pub with extensions sideways and upwards offers a ‘really pleasant place to stay’ as well as acting as a village social hub, with bar, restaurant and even a deli selling bread, cakes, coffee and local produce. After a four-year make-over, there is still plenty of tradition in the beamed bar with rugs on flagstone floors and lots of comfy leather seating – on cold days ‘wood-burning stoves, all lit and cosy’. Bedrooms blend modern comforts with vintage pieces, bold patterned headboards, original artwork, a coffee machine and posh toiletries. The dual-aspect Blenheim Suite has a bespoke four-poster, a stand-alone copper bathtub and a lounge area. Staff are ‘terrific and unjaded’. In the restaurant, the short menu ranges from pub classics to more unusual dishes. Grilled butternut squash with cavolo nero, goat’s curd and apple syrup, and a venison ‘Barnsley chop’ were ‘greatly enjoyed’. Sadly, trusted readers this year had a disappointing meal, and wondered if the chef was having a day off, or an off day: ‘What a pity! This is otherwise a pleasant place.’