Marney's Village Inn

This picturesque pub is an out-of-town hidden gem, perfect for a Sunday jaunt or if you're visiting nearby Hampton Court. Marney's Village Inn is the kind of proper English country pub that oozes old-fashioned charm - low-beamed ceilings, wooden farmhouse tables and cosy fireplaces - and the setting is lovely too. Overlooking a pond with an attractive church on its far bank and the public golf course beyond, the pub does indeed have a village feel, but it's also easily accessible from central London with fast trains from Waterloo to Esher taking only 20 minutes. If you are planning a day trip to Hampton Court, it's worth the five-minute drive down the road as many places around the palace are tourist traps and being ensconced in a quaint village inn with a merry atmosphere and a pint of ale is the best way to end a day of Tudor time-travelling. The home-made food is tasty and tempting; the type you just want to get stuck into on a winter's day - soup of the day, deep-fried camembert, hot baguettes, steak and ale pie, chilli, not to mention the popular Sunday roast - but summer weekends are also filled with barbecues and jugs of Pimm's in the pretty garden with its outside bar. There's a wonderful selection of wines and, as the nights draw in, fireworks and the festive season provide lots of opportunities to warm up over a glass of the mulled stuff.