Beehive, The

In the picturesque village of Horringer, not far from Bury St Edmunds, a gastropub called The Beehive is generating good reviews, and a popularity that would have appealed to that wonderful socialite, the Earl Bishop of Derry, the gloriously eccentric aristocrat-turned-cleric who built nearby Ickworth House, now an NT property.

A flintstone cottage dating from 1860, the Beehive has not suffered the fate of so many of its kind, and a series of small rooms has survived to provide a series of rather cosy unspoiled rooms where people eat good food, well served, with a refreshing lack of formality.

On the menu, expect to find crab and chilli tart, bruschetta of melting goat's cheese with honey and walnuts, slow roast belly of pork with a sage and apple jus, and chocolate and redcurrant torte. The food is uncomplicated but cooked to perfection. A decent wine list helps things along. In the summer, there is plenty of space outside for al fresco eating on the patio.