The Crown & Victoria

The Crown and Victoria is a friendly village pub burrowed in the peaceful Somerset countryside. The broad-smiled welcome is as toasty as the open fires, and there’s a large garden filled with flowers, birdsong and picnic benches out front; an orchard with a waste-disposal pig lies just beyond.

Owners Mark and Isabel focus more on the atmosphere and food rather than the interior design (which is well-maintained but charmingly 90s). Food is organic or free range, locally sourced and excellent. As a result, the menu changes regularly, but might include starters of devilled whitebait and chunky tartare or homemade terrine on toasted granary bloomer, perhaps chargrilled pork loin with haricot cassoulet, or wild mushroom wellington for dinner. Roasts on Sundays are generous and very popular, with fish and vegetarian alternatives. For a breath of fresh air after feasting, explore a footpath from the doorstep and the beautiful Tintinhull Garden nearby.