The Beaufort Arms - Raglan

You can't fail to notice this handsome, white-painted coaching inn right at the heart of Raglan village, between the Wye Valley and the Vale of Usk. It's been dispensing hospitality of one kind or another for more than 500 years, although the interior brings you nearer to the present day with its rippling glass, design-led furnishings, cosy corners and slate floors.

Since the current team took over in 2002, the Beaufort Arms has gone from strength to strength, with food now high on the agenda. Real ales and light meals are served throughout the day in the beamed lounge bar, where the casual menu promises sandwiches, paninis and the likes of home-smoked chicken Caesar salad, fish pie and faggots with chips and pea purée.

The full menu served in the brasserie-style restaurant works its way through more ambitious offerings including confit of rabbit with Savoy cabbage and wild mushroom consommé, Cornish crab linguine with mussels and Pernod, and desserts such as the 'coffee collection' (tiramisu, brûlée and sorbet). Twelve wines are available by the glass on the well chosen list.