THE UK is full of pretty towns and villages – but this one is home to one of the best pubs in the country.
According to the Good Food Guide this restaurant is a place where you’ll get some of the tastiest food in the country – and the village has lots to see too.
Dedham is in Essex, right on the border with Suffolk and it sits on the River Stour which passes through the north tip of the village.
It’s filled with tearooms, restaurants and a pub called The Sun Inn which has an award-winning wine list and two AA rosette awards.
Speaking about The Sun Inn, the Good Food Guide said: “As slices of English heritage go, Piers Baker’s 15th-century yellow-washed coaching inn right in the heart of Dedham is nigh-on perfect.
“There’s a sense of seasonality too in menus that offer a winning mix of updated pub classics and more inventive, Italian-accented dishes built around prime seasonal ingredients.
“White the Sun is an emphatically laid-back place, there’s no corner-cutting.”
On Sundays the pub serves roast dinners including beef, port and celeriac all with roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables Yorkshire puddings and gravy.
They also serve up breakfast, kids meals as well as a Christmas menu.
You can stay at the pub too in one of the seven rooms – which for bed and breakfast starts at £185 (based on two people sharing).
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Some of the rooms are dog-friendly, and all have big beds and ensuite bathrooms.
The River Stour, which begins west of Great Bradley in Cambridgeshire, and ends in the North Sea at Harwich passes through the village.
It’s often used for canoeing and kayaking with picnickers setting up along the bank during the summer months.
Dedham is a village on the outskirts of Colchester, which was once the country’s ‘oldest town’.
Colchester was given city status just two years ago as part of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
It was one of the very first Roman cities, and it’s history stretches back thousands of years.
Here’s more from on Sun Writer who swapped the Cotswolds for a less-crowded but equally quaint weekend in Essex’s most perfect market town.
Plus, here’s England’s smallest town which has riverfront pubs, man-made beach and its own train station.
Quaint British villages with toy-town cottages, car-free roads and cosy pubs – handpicked by our travel writers
Harrogate, North Yorkshire – Hope Brotherton, Travel Reporter
For the last few years, my annual trip to Harrogate has been an immovable fixture in my calendar. The Victorian spa town is the perfect place for a little bit of R&R thanks to its history of spa tourism, which is very much alive. Head to The Harrogate Spa at the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel if you’d like a pamper, which is a personal favourite of mine. Make sure to overindulge at Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms where a glass of pink champagne and a huge scone are almost compulsory.
Lavenham, Suffolk – Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
One of my favourite villages I’ve ever visited in England is Lavenham, which is beautiful in autumn. Said to be the best preserved medieval village in the UK, it is known for two buildings – the 600-year-old Crooked House and the De Vere House, which featured in the Harry Potter films. Warm up at The Swan Hotel, which has its cosy Weavers Spa onsite.
Robin Hood’s Bay, Yorkshire – Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
Perched atop a craggy cliff, overlooking a dinky shore, Robin Hood’s Bay seems like something from a fiction tale or a North Yorkshire postcard. In summer, you’ll find dogs sprinting along the sands, while owners tuck into fresh crab sandwiches from the beachside hut and little ones fish for treasures in the rock pools. I prefer the village in winter, though, when the weather takes a turn and nature comes alive with the grassy dunes dancing in the wind and moody waves thrashing on the rocks.
Hay On Wye, Wales – Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel – Digital
When I first set foot in Hay-On-Wye, I couldn’t believe I’d left it until my late thirties to visit – what a waste of a few decades. The small town on the Welsh borders that sits on the River Wye is probably best known for hosting the annual Hay literary festival, and it’s definitely a book-lovers paradise – with more than 20 book stores to explore. They sit among the many antiques shops, which sell everything from fabulous Welsh rugs to toy soldiers, trinkets and beautiful furniture. There are so many things to browse that I could probably waste a whole week on second-hand shopping alone.
Letchmore Heath, Hertfordshire – Lisa Minot, Head of Travel
This quintessential little village may seem very familiar to some. It’s tiny – with just 150 houses, a village green, a pond and a lovely pub, The Three Horseshoes. But with Elstree Studios just up the road, it has been used as a set in countless films, in particular the 1960s British horror movie, Village of the Damned. Its close proximity to London – just half an hour away on a train from nearby Radlett or Elstree and Borehamwood station – means it’s easy to get to.