Bell & Crown, Wiltshire

Overview

The innovative Chickpea Group, who own several pubs with rooms and pizza shops across Wiltshire, have restored the fortunes of the Bell & Crown, also adding six rooms in 2022 to re-establish the property as a thriving inn.

The pub sits just off the A303 in the village of Zeals, offering a cosy stopover for weary travellers en-route to or from the West Country, or a place to rest and refuel following a invigorating walk around the impressive gardens and estate at nearby Stourhead (National Trust).

Step inside to find a rambling stone-flagged bar, where log fires burn in brick fireplaces, and a rustic-smart adjoining dining room. You'll find rugs on stone and wood floors, hops adorning low beams, an eclectic mix of old dining tables and chairs, and warm hues and interesting paintings on the walls. The glow of evening candlight enhances the cosy atmosphere and draws you in on cold winter nights.

There's a heated stretch tent out back with views across fields and the Nole Pizza Van opens up in the evenings, serving brilliant wood-fired pizzas. Sister pub with rooms to the Grosvenor Arms in Hindon and the Pembroke Arms in Wilton.

Note: Pub & rooms are closed on Tuesdays.

Rooms from:

5 doubles; 1 triple: £90

Good to know

Major credit cards accepted (except Amex)

Disabled access (not rooms)

Alfresco dining & Nole Pizza Van

Parking available

No dogs overnight

Shaftesbury

A quaint old Dorset town whose best-known landmark is cobbled Gold Hill, still fondly remembered from Ridley Scott's Hovis television commercial. In a traditional sandstone cottage at the top of Gold Hill you'll find a fascinating museum of local history.

Hauser & Wirth Gallery, Bruton

A pioneering world-class gallery and arts centre, set in idyllic surroundings and known for innovative exhibitions of contemporary art. Events here include talks, workshops, screenings and there's also a good bookshop, and a fine restaurant serving seasonal, local produce.

Rooms

The icing on the cake for the Bell & Crown are the six spanking new rooms that opened for business in April 2022. Cosy and stylish they provide the perfect stopover for weary A303 travellers heading to or from the West Country.

Located above the pub and accessed via an outside staircase, the well designed rooms are simply and stylishly decorated in soothing neutral tones with splashes of colour from jazzy patterned throws and window seats in keeping with the pub's character and charm.

Expect a comfortable home-from-home vibe - quality Sealy beds topped with the best linen and down, upholstered chairs, handmade lampshades, individual artwork, and decent fresh coffee, flask of milk and homemade cookies. Smart tiled bathrooms with underfloor heating, walk-in rain showers and luxurious sustainable toiletries from Land & Water complete the picture. A nice touch on arrival is to find the lights on and the TV tuned to Classic FM - very welcoming.

Restaurant & bar

Short daily menus deliver fresh, honestly prepared modern British pub dishes that evolve with the seasons and offer plenty of interest and bags of flavour.

The kitchen team have good relationships with some top local suppliers, sourcing fine cheeses and charcuterie from La Chasse, just across the road from the pub, and venison, pheasant and partridge from the shoots on the Fonthill Estate, which is close to sister pub the Grosvenor Arms in Hindon.

The eclectic menu champions time-honoured pub classics - you can tuck into calves' liver, mash, creamed cabbage, pancetta and gravy, or a double cheeseburger with slaw and fries - alongside more inventive dishes, perhaps a vegan dish like harissa cauliflower, pepper ragu, polenta and tahini, or rack of lamb, potato and garlic puree, heritage carrots and broad beans. There may be pork souvlaki scotch egg with tzatziki, or rabbit croquettes with sriracha mayo and pickled shallots among the starters, and hearty traditional puddings like rhubarb crumble and custard, and sticky toffee pudding.

To quaff, there's a short interesting list of wines (7 by the glass) from Tisbury merchant Gardner & Beedle and beers from Cheddar and Butcombe breweries on tap.

Things to do

The 18th-century landscape gardens at Stourhead are among the finest in the country. Its lakes, classical temples, shrubs and rare trees feature in innumerable guidebooks and calendars. Within the estate are glorious woodland walks, dazzling rhododendrons and azaleas, and a redbrick folly, known as Alfred's Tower, erected in 1772 to commemorate the king who reputedly raised his standard here against Danish invaders in AD 879.

Standing in extensive parkland near Frome and Warminster, Longleat House is a perfect example of Elizabethan architecture. The house includes many fine paintings and artefacts, and possibly the most valuable private library in the world. Longleat is also renowned for its safari park.

Artisan baker Paul Merry has been craft baking with masonry ovens for over 40 years. He established Panary in 1997 and teaches an array of baking skills in a working watermill. Much of the flour used in the courses is sourced from the mill and it's also the perfect place to learn everything there is to know about baking.