From the moment you arrive at this charming gastro gem – be it by car, bike, on foot or horseback (yes, there’s ample room to tie up your noble steed) – you know you’re onto a winner with the welcoming vibe and seasonal fare. Built in the mid 1840s (by Baron Mayer de Rothschild no less) The Stag has passed through many hands over the years, then it was bought the community in 2018 when it was on the brink of closure. Six years’ on it’s thriving.

Open Weds to Sun, you can pop in for coffee and a slice – make that a wedge – of homemade cake during the day or later on for drinks or a bite to eat whether that’s date night, a family affair or eating solo. Served in unpretentious surroundings, fresh, seasonal, traditional pub grub is the order of the day but with a twist (well it is Head Chef, Martin Lee at the helm, formerly of Hartwell House and a three-time National Chef of The Year semi-finalist). Think herb battered haddock with skin on chips and lashings of  tartare sauce instead of your standard fish ‘n chips, then more exotic options like sumac marinated pork chops with roasted cauliflower, curly kale and a haricot bean puree or orange pavlova with earl grey marshmallow, ginger cream and a clementine and bergamot sauce. Someone’s having a lot of fun with the dessert menu here so note – leave room!

With the wood burner, exposed brickwork, rustic beams, parquet flooring and cosy furnishings, the vibe is home from home with kids and dogs very much welcome. There’s a large garden, recently re-landscaped, which is perfect for long summer evenings and for letting the kids blow off steam. There’s themed nights too if that’s your bag (vegan, burger, Valentine’s, for example) and a cracking quiz night too. Lucky old Leighton Buzzard.