The Crown at Stoke by Nayland

Situated in the heart of rural Suffolk, The Crown sits at the heart of the quintessentially English village of Stoke by Nayland, with its typically over-sized and rambling old churchyard, and walks reaching into the countryside around. This relaxed foodie pub is also bang in the middle of what’s commonly known as Constable Country – the picturesque hills and vales just to the south of Ipswich where the 19th-century landscape painter lived and worked – and there’s plenty to see and do in the surrounding area, especially in the nearby Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where you can visit the pretty village of Dedham on the other side of the A12. Potter about its pubs and shops before taking a trip on the river or ambling across the meadows to Flatford Mill and Willy Lott's famous cottage.

Part of the Chestnut collection of pubs, inns, and restaurants in East Anglia, the pub's rooms are situated in a purpose-built two-storey annexe that looks over the fields and woods beyond; all have been recently refurbished with contemporary flair in a country style and all have tea and coffee-making facilities, complimentary water, fresh milk and biscuits and TVs; most have large bathrooms but the higher end rooms are slightly bigger overall, with king-size beds, robes, separate baths and spacious walk-in showers. There’s a 24-hour reception, lots of parking, and the restaurant is open every day for lunch and dinner.

As you might expect from the Good Pub Guide’s former Suffolk ‘dining pub of the year’, the food is pretty good, served in a deliberately relaxed environment, with stripped pine tables and lots of locals happily making their way through what are by any standards crowd-pleasing lunch and supper menus, while a few sink a few pints at the bar. As well as pub classics like fish and chips, steaks and burgers, they serve interesting mini starters and snacks, interesting fish dishes and a choice of sharing platters – meat, fish and veggie – as well as an excellent, menu-based breakfast.