The Crazy Bear

As its name might suggest, the Crazy Bear is no ordinary country inn. The quirky hotel has at its heart a 16th-century pub, overlaid with layers of eccentric décor that make for a one-off dining destination. Choose from two restaurants - English and Thai (see entry below for the latter) - and immerse yourself in a theatrical setting of candy-pink and crimson high-backed chairs, plushly-padded walls and, in an inversion of the customary subterranean wine storage, ranks of wine bottles racked along the entire ceiling. The English half of the enterprise focuses its culinary efforts on a wide-ranging all-day menu of modern European-accented ideas, starting with the likes of pig's cheek and ham hock terrine with home-made piccalilli and toasted sourdough. Daily deliveries of fish and seafood make main courses such as spiced sea bream fillets with bubble-and-squeak, wild mushrooms, and garlic, lemon and thyme butter an appealing prospect, or you could go for the Crazy Bear farm's home-reared meats.