One of the region’s most celebrated dining pubs, The Olive Branch grew from a cluster of stone cottages in Clipsham, near the county’s north-east corner. It held a Michelin star for more than a decade from 2002 and has twice been named the Good Pub Guide’s UK Pub of the Year. Rooms are across the road at Beech House, and Clipsham’s topiary Yew Tree Avenue is close by.