AN INSPECTOR CALLS

His mission: To test hotel hospitality to the limit

THERE are now seven Bel & The Dragons, all within easy reach of London. This one used to be Prime Minister David Lloyd George’s hunting lodge and, according to the taxi driver bringing us from Haslemere station, people come from up to 20 miles around to have lunch or dinner here.

They come for the unfussy, pleasingly presented fresh food and reasonably priced wines, but it’s also the general atmosphere that makes this such an attractive offering.

We are greeted warmly by the tall manager, who escorts us round the back of the main inn to a cottage by the car park, where our ‘cosy double’ is, well, cosy in the extreme. He points out a bottle of cherry brandy to which we can help ourselves and a choice of two single malts near the coffee machine on the landing.

What we point out to each other once he’s left us are the scuffed walls and skirting boards on the stairs, frayed carpets and an overall look that is rather more shabby than chic. Get the decorators in, fast.

Across the road is an eccentric sculpture park, which we eschew in favour of a brisk walk up a narrow track that leads to a rocky hilltop from where the Surrey Hills, in all their glory, stretch out before us. The wind is blowing — and so are our lungs.

We walk far further than intended, knowing that an open fire, pot of tea and a nip of that whisky awaits. The staff all seem to be British, and without wishing to sound like Nigel Farage, I find this reassuring, not least because when my wife asks for English mustard at dinner, she doesn’t have to repeat herself six times.

I go for a whole roast partridge and it’s perfectly cooked, with a small bowl of bread sauce on the side. On the way out, I stop at the open kitchen, thank the chef and ask him whether the bread sauce is home-made.

He looks indignant — and I don’t blame him. You wouldn’t drive 20 miles for bread sauce from a packet.

Bel & The Dragon Jumps Rd, Churt, Surrey GU10 2LD

Tel: 01428 605 799, belandthedragon-churt.co.uk

Doubles from £120