Our Favourite Foodie Spots Near our Dorset
January 13, 2026
Our Favourite Foodie Spots Near our Dorset Cabin
There's a particular pleasure in being somewhere where your nearest pub is a two-minute walk down a quiet lane, and the pub in question has a thatched roof, a proper fire, and has been there for longer than anyone can remember.
Our Dorset cabin sits in one of the prettiest, sleepiest corners of the county, and one of the small unexpected gifts of staying here is how good the food and drink gets once you start poking around the surrounding villages.
We thought we'd pull together the places we send guests to most often and most of them are walkable from the cabin if you fancy earning your lunch the proper way.
The Brace of Pheasants, Plush (two minutes on foot)
Start here. Thatched roof, open fire, a garden that catches the evening sun, and a menu where everything sounds like exactly what you want to eat after a day on the hills. It's the most-loved recommendation we give out, and there's something perfect about being able to wander down for a pint. Book ahead at weekends.
The Gaggle of Geese, Buckland Newton (three miles, walkable)
Walk to lunch, roll home slowly. The Gaggle of Geese does a Sunday roast people actively plan weekends around, and there are skittle alleys if you want to lean into the full country-pub experience. The walk from the cabin takes you through Dorset countryside, which means you arrive hungry and leave happy. This is the one to build a Sunday around.
The Old Chapel Stores, Buckland Newton (two miles)
Your village shop for the essentials, and also for the nice things you forgot. Bread, eggs, bacon, milk, a bottle of wine, the papers. It's open until six most days (midday on Sundays), and it's the place where the stock reflects the community. Stopping here on the way in, instead of doing a big supermarket shop, is one of those choices that makes the whole weekend feel more like an escape. The money also stays in the village, which matters.
The Royal Oak, Cerne Abbas (four miles)
Cerne Abbas is worth a trip on its own. You've got Britain's largest chalk figure striding across the hillside above the village (and yes, he's quite something), a pretty high street full of honey-coloured stone, and two excellent pubs to choose from. The Royal Oak is the classic. Great food, lovely garden, and if you walk up to see the Giant first you'll have properly earned your pudding.
The New Inn, Cerne Abbas (four miles)
The other pub in Cerne Abbas, and especially useful in winter because it stays open Sunday evenings and Mondays when a lot of country pubs shut up shop. The food is proper and the welcome is warm. Between the Royal Oak and the New Inn you could happily alternate across a whole weekend and never eat the same thing twice.
The Thimble Inn, Piddlehinton (two and a half miles)
Tucked into a low-ceilinged old building in a village with one of the great village names of England. The Thimble does serious food in an unserious setting, which is our favourite combination. Good for a long, slow lunch when the weather's dreich and you want somewhere that feels like it's hugging you.
The limestone villages out here really are that beautiful, the fields have a quality of light that photographers have been chasing for years, and once you get off the main roads it's quiet in a way that most of England has stopped being. Chedworth sits at the heart of all of it, which is a good place to be. Here's how we'd spend 48 hours based out here.
From the 4-mile loop to The Duck Inn and the Charlton Park hike to the Wye Crown chalk figure and Wye Nature Reserve. Here are the walks we recommend to guests staying in the Kent Downs near Canterbury.
Ancient woodland, sourdough pizzas at a 1740 pub and 30 minutes from the White Cliffs of Dover. Here's how to spend 48 hours off-grid in the Kent Downs near Canterbury.
From sourdough pizzas at The Black Robin and roasts at The Duck Inn to wine tasting at Simpsons Estate and breakfast at Gildas Bakery. Here are the spots we send our Kent Downs cabin guests to.
A whitewashed 17th-century inn you can walk to across the fields, the best brunch in Petersfield and a pizza pub 10 minutes from the cabin. Here's where we send our South Downs guests.
From the 8km walk to Gun Brewery and the Arlington Reservoir loop to the Seven Sisters coastal path. Here are the walks we recommend to guests staying near Chiddingly in East Sussex.
From the easy 5km loop to the Pub with No Name to the Shoulder of Mutton ridge and the South Downs Way. Here are the walks we recommend to guests staying near Petersfield.
Deep Dorset countryside, a thatched pub two minutes from your door and a 9-mile walk to the Cerne Abbas chalk giant. Here's how to spend 48 hours off-grid in Plush, Dorset.
Big skies, long footpaths and a whitewashed 17th-century pub you can walk to across the fields. Here's how to spend 48 hours off-grid in the South Downs National Park near Petersfield
From the Six Bells beer garden to the Gun Brewery walk and coffee in Lewes. Here are the pubs, cafes and local spots we send our East Sussex cabin guests to.
