The White Horse Inn in Compton Bassett, Wiltshire

Take a little staycation to the wonderful Wiltshire countryside

This time of year, there is nothing quite like escaping the city, to enjoy and gander at the beautiful rolling hills of the Wiltshire countryside. When looking for somewhere to stay, it’s useful to look outside of the major tourist spots, to the nearby villages and hamlets for something truly special.

I was born in raised in Wiltshire, so am fortunate enough to be quite familiar with the surrounding areas and great pubs. One of my absolute favourites is The White Horse Inn in Compton Bassett. The latter is a charming village with less that 250 inhabitants!

Just off the beaten track, you’ll find The White Horse which is an award winning restaurant – maintaining an AA Rosette for a number of years, and recently been awarded a second AA Rosette. An essential part of the restaurant’s ethos is to use fresh, local produce and ingredients, delivered daily, to enhance the quality of their homemade food. The fish is delivered daily from St Ives, Cornwall, for example.

As well as the fantastic restaurant, The White Horse Inn also has seven beautiful bed and breakfast rooms – refurbished to the highest standards. So, if you’re travelling from out of town, you can rest a weary head here.

The accommodation is separate from the main pub and restaurant across a small patio area. With five of the serven rooms overlooking the delightful pub gardens and small paddock. This location has helped The White Horse Inn at Compton Bassett to achieve its notoriety as an excellent base for a romantic getaway, or somewhere for passing businesspeople to get their head down for the night.

We happened to visit on a crisp December Sunday, and were excited to enjoy a filling roast. The interior rooms are quaint and beautifully decorated, with elegant wooden tables and marvellous original beams – that this time of year, were decorated with twinkly Christmas lights.

To start, we decided to go for a Trio of Beetroot, served with goats curd and candied walnuts – some of the freshest beet I have ever tasted! Alongside, we ordered a Roasted Celeriac and Apple Soup which was served with fresh warm bread rolls and butter – a perfectly warming winter dish.

Main courses started from £20.00, which of course is very reasonable compared to London prices, and guests could choose between Roast Sirloin of Beef, Loin of Porchetta and Nut Roast. Each dish was served with all of the trimmings: roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, seasonal vegetables, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire puddings and gravy.

We loved both the beef and the pork, the latter with a mouth-watering rind of crispy crackling to top it all off. Desserts were super traditional and indulgent – opting for a classic Sticky Toffee Pudding. There was also a full range of liquor coffees available and we couldn’t resist an Irish to top off a fantastic meal.

We’d highly recommend locking in a table for their popular New Year’s Eve Party – where they serve up their usual menu, with a few extra special dishes on the Chef Specials! There will also be free canapés and a glass of bubbly on arrival.

Find out more > www.whitehorse-comptonbassett.co.uk