As the chill sets in and the English countryside reaches for its russet and ochre raincoat, the traditional boozer beckons with an amber glow.
And why not? There’s the honest pub grub, gnarled beams and cosy, crackling fire, but also the smug convenience of scaling an 16th-staircase to bed after a hearty supper. Pubs-with-rooms are also the best way to peer into Britain’s rural soul as cosmopolitan voyeurs, where menus are lined with game and produce from local farms, and flagstones are still trodden by filthy labs and locals’ muddy wellies.
