Barnard Castle, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

This polished 18th-century former coaching inn lies in a picturesque village where the Durham and North Yorkshire dales dovetail, with plenty of walks on the doorstep. It’s a “very popular” spot which is “very good all around”, from the “delightful” cooking (which spans souped-up bar snacks, sandwiches and sophisticated, locally sourced mains) to the “good surroundings”.

2021 Review: Set in 200 acres of North Yorkshire, this informal bar/brasserie is an “interesting conversion of stables attached to the main house” (there is also a posher dining option here, ‘The Forge’). An all-day operation, it offers food that’s “reliable and well presented” from a series of menus, including breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner (with the focus on Mediterranean char grills).

“Always buzzing”, this “family-run” fixture is very consistently praised in reports for its “great pizza menu” while also offering British and international classics. (After two decades, the owner-operators put it up for sale in summer 2024.)