The Swan

Anyone seeking a quintessential Somerset pub in a quintessential Somerset village need look no further than the lovely Swan at Wedmore – and with the gregarious Laurie Purvis overseeing operations and Sam Sperring-Trendl heading up the kitchen, this handsome former coaching inn is currently in great hands.

The pub's 7 rooms consist of one small, two medium and three large rooms as well as a restful second-floor loft room. Size aside, the main difference between the small and medium rooms and the larger ones is that the former have a bathtub only, and wall pegs for clothes instead of wardrobes. Rooms are decorated in elegant greys with splashes of bright colours courtesy of scatter cushions and throws, pictures and posters, and hummingbird print wallpaper. Furnishings are mostly French vintage style: mirrored dressers, bedside tables, armchairs and window shutters – all very chic. Fresh milk is provided, along with scrummy biscuits, Nespresso coffee machines and Teapigs teabags, plus handmade Bramley bath and body products are provided in the bathrooms.

Downstairs, locals and visitors happily rub along together in the spacious bar – part lounge, part snug – beyond which is a slightly more formal dining area, the only part of the pub in which dogs (otherwise very welcome) are not allowed. The food is local and seasonal and much of it is homemade – bread and cakes, home-cured ham and bacon – on a nice, simple menu focused around local lamb, fish and veggie dishes, and a selection of roasts on Sundays. They offer a kids' menu or smaller portions to little ones, and they also serve sandwiches and bar snacks all day in case you're peckish. You can eat in the bar or restaurant or in summer both drinkers and diners move out to the stone terrace or the immaculate lawned garden.

Finally, Wedmore itself is a pleasant village on the edge of the Somerset Levels, which offers wonderful sanctuary along with some of Britain’s finest birdwatching. The peaks and gorges of the Mendip Hills are also just a few miles to the north.