The story
The Queen's Arms sits at Corton Denham, Somerset, DT9 4LR, a village pub and inn a short drive from Yeovil. Its modern British kitchen holds 2 AA Rosettes for 2026, and the cooking carries the same care from the bar menu to the dining room.
Head chef Rich Townsend joined in 2022, his first head chef post, and makes almost every element of the menu from scratch. The beef dripping mayonnaise, the pork scratchings on the bar and the milk burger buns all come out of the kitchen. He works with seasonal produce and likes less familiar combinations, such as citrus-cured monkfish with ruby grapefruit, fennel and pickled ginger. The Michelin Guide lists the kitchen as Recommended for 2026.
Reviewers on Google single out the parmesan chicken wings, the duck breast and the chicken pie. The crispy pink fir potatoes, finished with Willy's cider vinegar and sea salt, appear on the main menu and in several reviews. Recent events have included Fish over Fire, a seafood tasting menu cooked over a wood-fired grill.
The inn has 10 rooms: five above the pub, three dog-friendly rooms in the Coach House and a two-bedroom cottage. Flagstone floors, open fires and a rose-fringed garden with a terrace give the pub a settled, country feel. Dogs are welcome in the bar, and the adjoining Pub Hub sells takeaway coffee and local produce.
Recognition
Details
History
For those in the know, the Queen’s Arms and its green and pleasant surrounds are more than just a handy pit stop near the A303 – they are a destination in their own right. In 2020, local resident and Ballymaloe alumnus Doune Mackenzie-Francis took on the pub with her family, transforming it into a model of contemporary country elegance. Along with charmingly renovated bedrooms and a cottage to rent, there’s a ‘pub hub’ offering coffee and provisions in lieu of a village shop. A rose-fringed garden and pleasant terrace allow visitors to drink in glorious views while inside, flagstone floors, open fires and the day’s papers on the bar make for an inviting space to lounge or dine after walking the Corton Denham Ridge. In the kitchen, head chef Rich Townsend (who hails from the Newt, near Bruton) strikes an artful balance between pub classics and proper cooking. Refreshing tomato terrine with Westcombe ricotta and earthy lovage pesto wouldn’t feel out of place in a fancier establishment, but avoids being prissy. Chicken and mushroom pie comes stuffed with full-flavoured ceps, while the aged beef burger patty is paired with thick-cut smoked bacon from down the road and a potato bun made in-house. Pub classics are moored around the £20 mark and don’t require sides but it would be a shame to miss the crispy smashed pink fir potatoes adroitly seasoned with salt and vinegar. Cocktails take up more real estate on the drinks menu than beers but a very good £10 ‘marg of the month’ – ours with a dash of spicy jalapeño syrup – is justification of sorts. Wines are a rung above the average pub line-up, with bottles starting at just under £30.
2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
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