Pant-yr-Ochain

Thoughtfully run, gently refined dining pub with rooms, good food all day, very wide range of drinks, pretty lakeside garden

As well as thoughtfully prepared food, they have a terrific range of drinks at this 16th-c former country house. Ten well kept real ales on handpump feature Flowers Original and Timothy Taylors Landlord alongside guests such as Derwent Pale Ale, Oakham White Dwarf and Salopian Monarchy; they have a good range of decent wines (strong on up-front new world ones), with 27 by the glass, and around 100 malt whiskies. It has been nicely refurbished inside: the light and airy rooms are stylishly decorated, with a wide range of interesting prints and bric-a-brac on walls and on shelves, and a good mix of individually chosen country furnishings, including comfortable seats for relaxing as well as more upright ones for eating, and there's a recently rebuilt conservatory as well as a good open fire; one area is set out as a library, with floor to ceiling bookshelves; TV. Disabled access is good. The garden overlooks a lake frequented by waterfowl and has benches, mature trees and shrubs.

Good food, from a well balanced daily changing menu, and using free-range eggs and chicken, includes sandwiches, ploughman's, soup, starters and lighter choices like seared scallops with spiced carrot puree, welsh rarebit, or lamb kofta, and main courses such as battered haddock, steak burger, game and steak suet pudding, spiced chick pea cakes with bean casserole, and spinach, butternut squash and shropshire blue cheese filo pie; puddings such as apple and berry crumble, eton mess or cherry bakewell tart; Sunday roasts; good choice of coffee.