The daily trickle of bad news about pub closures doesn’t seem to apply to the ones in our pub book. That must be because they are run by such determined and imaginative people.

A quick skim through the descriptions below reveals an astonishing array of ideas, sheer hard work, panache and professionalism.

There is a lot of exposed timber, nooks and crannies everywhere, fabulous food, vegetables and chickens growing in pub gardens, dogs dozing, local ales flowing. It is all most encouraging. There is even a pub just taken over by the local organic farmer.

The world is changing around us and pubs that change too will be the survivors. Many victims will be the pubs owned by pub chains, for whom pubs have been ‘property’ rather than ‘boozers’. If the chains loosen their grip, the world will be better for it. So, too, if you drink and eat in these fine places all of which have won a special award in the latest edition of our pubs guide.

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Local, seasonal & organic produce award:

The Thomas Lord
West Meon, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 1LN. Main courses £12.50-£18; sandwiches from £5

Named after the founder of Lord’s, this unpretentious rural gem groans with cricketing paraphernalia. The darkly beamed and half-panelled walls are decorated with old bats, caps, pads and associated prints, while well-used sofas and the odd leather armchair draw up to a fire in winter.

There’s an endearing miscellany of weathered wooden furniture, big fat candles, drinkers, dogs and a small back room weighed down by books.

It’s a busy, friendly pub loved by a loyal crowd and the daily menus are crammed with local produce including vegetables and herbs from the pub’s own large veg patch; try Grange Farm lamb shoulder with rosemary sauce.

A choice of Hampshire ales direct from the cask follows the local theme, while a smart garden and outdoor wood-fired kitchen beckon on sunnier days. A great, rustic country inn.

Brown Horse Inn
Winster, Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 3NR. Main courses £9.50-£14.95; bar snacks (lunch) from £4.75. Doubles from £80-£90

Your satnav will wobble en route to this old pub in the neck of the Lyth Valley. But it’s worth getting lost trying to find it, now that the talented Edmondsons have taken over the reins.

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