Bull Inn, Wimborne

This splendid Victorian country hotel has recently been refurbished, and the ground floor now comprises a restaurant area – the sort where you can look into the kitchen while you sit at your table – and two bar areas, one of which extends into a pleasantly airy conservatory. The smaller bar area has comfy seats and a very efficient woodburner. There is free wifi, and dogs are welcome. In addition to the restaurant menu, which is accompanied by a really good wine selection, there are bar snacks and nibbles, including home-made scotch eggs and scratchings, on offer. There is a large, well-kept garden and a reasonable amount of parking, and the pub is set in very picturesque countryside on the edge of the farming village it serves. I found the staff very friendly indeed, and the locals were civilised and courteous. There was only one ale on, Ringwood Best, but it was in excellent condition. If the beer selection were wider, I would come here more often, but in any case it is well worth popping in for a good meal or a quiet pint or three.