The Howard Arms, Illmington Hotel

Illmington, England

Hewn from 400-year-old Cotswold stone and smothered with a bloom of hanging baskets, The Howard Arms takes pride of place atop the village green in Ilmington. Community spirit is fierce here: proud patrons will inform you (more than once) that the locally brewed Grumpy Cider is now sold in Fortnum & Mason (as well as in The Howard Arms) and that the crumbly fudge spiked with Cotswold gin available from the dinky village shop has won multiple awards. Racking up their own community credentials, The Howard Arms’ hearty menu of pub classics plunders the parish countryside for thick hunks of honey-glazed ham, duck eggs and homemade puds laden with clotted cream. Upstairs, eight bedrooms are bedecked in Farrow and Ball neutrals with well-loved leather armchairs occupying cosy corners, antique brass lampshades and touches of tartan. Homemade chocolate chip cookies laid atop pillowcases come dusk confirm we’re fans of wholesome Cotswold charm.

Doubles from £112. Words by Fleur Rollet-Manus.