HOTEL of the week

THE RUNNING HORSES MICKLEHAM, SURREY

WHAT AND WHERE The Running Horses is a wonderful old country pub in the Surrey village of Mickleham. It has five luxurious bedrooms to retire to. If you want your own little retreat you can also book the pub’s separate cottage, The Gatehouse. Although its setting seems sleepy now, the pub was once a rather colourful coaching inn on the main route between London and Brighton. It then became a favourite stabling destination for horses racing at Epsom, a connection echoed today in the pub’s name, memorabilia and rooms. We stayed in Cheltenham, a rustic chic sort of room with cosy textures, Hypnos mattress and a pretty en suite with a rain shower.

ON THE MENU The food here is a cut above your average pub grub. For instance, all the beef is sourced from grass-fed rare breeds and aged for 30 days, right down to the burgers. We started with garlic buttered king prawn (€9) and a smoked salmon platter (€11) followed by rare breed sirloin steak (€26) and a trio of spring lamb (€20). The pub’s signature rich chocolate marquise with honeycomb and salted maple icecream is a sure-fire winner for dessert (€7). There’s a special three-course menu for Father’s Day (June 17) – and dads who tuck in then will get a complimentary All Hail Ale gift set of Brakspear goodies.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE If you can bear to tear yourself away from the beer garden, you have Box Hill right on your doorstep for cycling or walking. If you want to bring your bike to the pub, they’ll lock it away safely in their store overnight. Wine drinkers should visit nearby Denbies Wine Estate for a tasting tour of the vineyard and lunch with a view over the Surrey Hills.

WAKE-UP CALL Rooms start from €101 a night. therunninghorses. co.uk, 0044 01372 372279