Hodnet, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

Mel & Martin Board, who reinvented the Haughmond Inn at Upton Magna, have worked wonders since taking on this village pub-with-rooms, opposite a Norman church, two years back. The “beautifully refurbished” (to the tune of £2 million) venue’s food “has also gone up a considerable notch”, offering “inventive” and “excellent value” locally sourced British grub with greens from the 200-year-old walled garden of Hodnet Hall. While it “still caters for a local clientele”, perhaps not for long, after critic William Sitwell’s glowing review (headline “civilisation has hope”).