Great Pubs of England: Thirty-three of Britain's Best Hostelries from the Home Counties to the North: Thirty-three of England's Best Hostelries from the Home Counties to the North

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Conscious of its long-established reputation for food and hospitality, they aim to maintain the status quo while sprucing the place up, and so far they’re doing a great job.

Voted one of The Good Food Guide's top 10 pubs for the past two decades (Jamie Oliver has also declared himself a fan), The Blue Lion's food and drink offering is impressive. The recipe for a good British pub stay runs as follows: a menu of hearty, well-cooked dishes, a good stable of drinks behind the bar, soft beds upstairs and – this is essential – a warm and convivial atmosphere throughout.

Blessed with an Edenic beer garden, the Pen and Wig in Cardiff made the cut for this list because it does exactly what a pub should do. Home to Saddleworth Brewery, Church Inn offers a range of traditional beers, all hand-brewed in small batches with a variety of speciality malt and imported hops.

Stratford-upon-Avon is Shakespeare country and there’s no public house more steeped in the theatrical traditions of the town than the Dirty Duck. For example, one unusual piece is 'an oil by Jonathan Yeo of fallen leaves, serenely autumnal until you notice the images of genitalia concealed within'. During winter, it’s best to stay inside where hot toddies and arguments about the greatest Welsh rugby tries to have ever been scored come thick and fast. This amount includes seller specified domestic postage charges as well as applicable international postage, dispatch, and other fees.With white stone walls, a grey roof peaked by chimneys and a thatched cottage next door, the Anchor fits the bill as a shore-perched West Country bolthole. On a hilltop between Coniston and Hawkshead, this Lake District bolthole is ideal for an epicurean escape to the country. With low-slung beamed ceilings, a brace of roaring fires and cosy snugs, The Bull could easily play the role of 'romantic country pub' in a Richard Curtis movie.

This book brings together 33 of England’s finest and most distinctive inns, from Yorkshire dining destinations to Cornish beer shrines.At its best a great pub feels like home, or makes you feel like you’re at home - it’s not always the closest to where you are, but it’s a perfect fit with who you are. The well-proportioned bedrooms in a Victorian-era extension above the pub are furnished in contemporary style and soft hues. Formerly a coaching inn, the historic building has been kept in good nick by the ownership and the hospitable staff will make sure you’re well looked after, too. As you'd expect, there's a heavy local influence to menu items – mainly the cheese board selection that offers a good choice of Yorkshire's finest.