The Red Lion Inn

A charismatic thatched pub in the heart of Somerset, niftily restored by Charlie and Clare Garrard into a place where locals and visitors rub along happily. It’s still very much a drinkers’ pub, with regional ales and local ciders at the pumps, and the place has been stripped back to reveal the very best of its original character – flagstone floors, real fires and lots of nooks and crannies, but the menus are reassuringly small and innovative. You eat in the more formal dining area with its burnished dark wood tables.

The garden has plenty of space for eating and drinking, and the revamped Den (or ‘posh garden shed’) has a paved terrace and a wood-fired pizza oven – Friday to Sunday in summer. The Den can be used for private lunches/dinners and intimate weddings.

Stylish bedrooms are in the converted Grade II stable block in the garden – four on the ground floor (one fully accessible) and two (slightly bigger with extra sofa beds) upstairs. The classic/contemporary rooms have shaker-style shutters at the windows and artworks by Clare’s sister, Jackie Rennie. Wake to a fine breakfast.