Chequers

Emphasis at this 17th-c coaching inn tends to be on the food, so it is worth booking. It's run with great care by friendly licensees and service is cheery and welcoming. The heavy-beamed main bar has two big tables (one a massive oak construction), a comfortable mix of seating including some handsome leather chairs and leather banquettes, and a huge boar's head above a good log fire in the big brick fireplace. Among cartoons on the wall are some of the illustrated claret bottle labels from the series commissioned from famous artists, initiated by the late Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The lounge on the right has a deep red colour scheme, leather sofas and a big plasma TV, and on the left, there are more leather seats in a dining area in what was once the village bakery. A corridor leads off to the light and airy main restaurant, with contemporary pictures and another bar; piped music and board games. Greene King IPA and Old Speckled Hen and a guest such as Everards Tiger are on handpump, with around 35 wines by the glass, 50 malt whiskies, and local fruit pressé. There are good quality teak tables, chairs and benches outside and, beyond these, some picnic-sets on the edge of the pub's cricket field, with views of Belvoir Castle. If you stay here, please do let us know how you find the recently refurbished bedrooms.