Marston Trussell, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

This “great local restaurant” from Chris & Abby Ascough has built a solid reputation over 19 years for its “beautifully cooked and presented food” at “exceptionally good value” – including a £20 set lunch and a six-course tasting menu for £48 per person with matching wines for £20 per person.

In the hands of Stephen & Tracey Fitzpatrick (also of the Joiners Arms at Bruntingthorpe), this village boozer with four rooms dates back to the 16th century and has preserved its traditional bar, which is rounded out by a modern restaurant leading out to the tranquil patio. The food is of the hearty, carnivorous kind, with Friday fish ‘n’ chip nights, once-monthly steak nights, and Auberge Mondays, where a three-course meal racks in at a bargain £22.50 per person.