Preston Bagot Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: “Much improved by a change of owners” (the all-conquering Brunning & Price), this seventeenth century pub in “beautiful surroundings” – a hamlet “out in Warwickshire’s lush countryside” – wins applause for “upmarket pub food at a reasonable price point”, and which comes “allied to lovely service” to boot.

2022 Review: “A real gem in our local area” – this branch in the stylish, seven-strong Warwickshire-based 'Lovely Pubs' group has a lot to recommend it: “service is on the right side of friendly and very attentive”, they serve “great pub food, but restaurant quality” (including “fantastic seafood platters”), and if you stick to the main bar downstairs, there's plenty of atmosphere too.

Stop Press – in October 2024, Glynn Purnell announced that he was shuttering his eponymous Birmingham restaurant, which had held a star since 2009, but was apparently no longer financially viable. Fortunately, this two-year-old outpost from the Brummie chef is still in business, turning out hearty, high-quality pub food like pies and steaks in a period building on the high street. Reports this year were a little muted – mostly to do with the “very noisy” dining room (the garden and pub areas are usually preferred) and the slow service, both a “pity as the basic food is very reasonably priced and interesting”. Perhaps in time the chef will re-focus here?

Solid initial ratings in our annual diners’ poll for this Grade II-listed, Tudor-fronted hostelry in Shakespeare country, which was extensively renovated by Heartwood Inns and relaunched in late 2023. It now boasts a new oak-framed extension, and an attractive outdoor space leading to a stream, alongside a solid range of pub fare.