The Horse Guards Inn is a firm favourite in our family. Sitting in the sleepy village of Tillington, the pub is over 350 years old and gets its name from when the household cavalry would stop off there to graze their horses in the 1840s. Beautifully done out yet totally kid-friendly, it makes the perfect place for a relaxed Sunday lunch or a cosy dinner.

The staff are really welcoming and the food has always been wonderful. The menu is small and seasonal, making the most of local produce, and they do great dishes for kids.

In winter, the place is so cosy you don’t want to leave, and they do a really good home-made sloe gin if you need a little pick me up! In the summer, they have a cute garden with chickens roaming free and lovely seating areas. To round off an outing,  Petworth House and Park is just a short drive away so you can walk off the amazing food in 283 hectares of deer park.

Images courtesy of The Horse Guards Inn

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With spring on its way, now is the time to pull on the wellies and get back out in the fresh air. And I can’t think of a more perfect place to do that than Lacock in Wiltshire – strolling the wooded grounds of the abbey and exploring the postcard-perfect village.

Both the village and abbey have played a starring role in everything from the Harry Potter films to BBC period dramas such as Cranford. The National Trust shop dishes out free maps of the village so you can trace where things have been seen on screen.

There’s also the Fox Talbot Museum dedicated to the fascinating story behind the invention of photography. Here you’ll find a gallery space with a great programme of exhibitions, plus the National Trust organise a whole host of events and activities throughout the year, such as night time astrophotography.

We finished up in the pub on the main street, The Red Lion, which serves hearty fare by a roaring open fire – the perfect end to a great day out.

Images courtesy of Anguskirk on Flickr

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It might sound like an excessive statement, I mean, how good can sandwiches really get? But Deli on the Quay really does serve up the most delicious sandwich selection I’ve ever come across. From Portabella Bistro featuring seriously good mushrooms to Italian Grinder, a melting pot of meats; the breads are fresh and the fillings fanciful.

Shelves are stacked with deli delights, from authentic Italian pastas and charcuterie meats to selected wines – the owners Toby and Lesley Chapman’s passion for great tasting food is evident. The ice-cream bar caused squeals of excitement from our children (we were quite pleased with it ourselves) – flavours include honeycomb hash and berries and clotted cream.

Overlooking Poole Harbour, sit in the window for views over the water – it was a blustery, wet day when we visited, but the warmth and atmosphere meant we stayed long after our plates were empty, watching the boat sails flap in the wind. Heaven.

Images courtesy of Deli on the Quay

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On a surprisingly sunny weekend away last month – travelling en famille to Exeter – we stopped off in Topsham and stumbled upon the Route 2 Café. It’s a curious combination of eco-friendly café, bike shop and live music venue all under one roof, but it works and this wonderfully unique approach makes for a fantastic atmosphere.

We stopped in before heading off on an afternoon cycle and couldn’t help but order the hearty ‘Full Route breakfast’, just to make sure we were fuelled up!

What I loved most about this quayside find is that the owners really value local producers, so much so that we could have popped round the corner to compliment the Topsham butcher himself on his delectable bacon and sausages.

They have an extensive café-style menu (with cream teas, out-of-the-ordinary sharing platters and overstuffed baguettes), serve breakfast all day and make their own utterly delicious Route 2 ice cream; all in all it’s a real labour of love.

I sampled the ‘Topsham Mud’ flavour. Don’t be put off by the name – it’s their most popular for good reason (though I’ll leave you to figure out what’s in it).

I must admit that afterwards part of me felt like having a lie down rather than a cycle, but the café is also a bike shop – with an area for repairs, bike servicing and bikes available to buy – so we had few excuses not to hop on and set off along the Exe estuary trail.

Image courtesy of VisitEngland/Diana Jarvis

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Dorset is one of my favourite getaways, and there’s a little place called the Hive Beach Café that I’ve always remembered.

We were on a weekend break with friends, and it was a blustery spring day, but in my opinion when you’re by the sea there’s no excuse for not being in it, by it or on it. So off we went for a bracing, appetite-building walk along the shore before finally taking shelter in this fantastic café.

As you walk in you’re met by a fish-shop-style counter loaded with the catches of the day, the details of which are all scribbled up on the nearby chalkboard; line-caught Lyme Bay Mackerel, lobsters, hand-dived scallops and local crab; whatever the local fishermen have landed that day. You can even find out who caught which fish. I love places that really pay attention to detail like that.

You’ll also find vast quantities of cakes, scones (fresh out of the oven when we were there) and fresh bread, plus they serve an excellent cup of coffee, which is one thing I can be quite fussy about. The atmosphere, beach-side setting and crowd-pleasing menu makes this café a gold-star personal favourite. Just don’t tell anyone else…

Images courtesy of Hive Beach Café

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