A COUNTRY pub has been named among the best in the UK in a new list by a travel website that selects the “top 50” lists in a variety of categories.

As the distinctions between a pub and a restaurant become less and less clear, Big 7 Travel has compiled a list of some of the country’s best gastro pubs.

It was looking for the “places where you come for a laidback Sunday roast and a delicious date night dinner”.

The Duke of Cumberland Arms in Henley, north of Midhurst, was placed at number 28 on the list.

Big 7 said: “The Duke of Cumberland Arms is a lovely 16th century hillside pub with breathtaking views.

“There’s pretty gardens with fresh trout ponds to explore, but you’re really here for the food.

“And oh boy is the food good. They keep things simple but of the highest quality, with vegetables from the pub’s gardens.”

The list singled out the Duke of Cumberland’s braised oxtail with horseradish mash potato and its grilled South Coast mackerel.

The Duke of Cumberland Arms is run by award-winning chef and owner Simon Goodman and general manager Aimée Fox.

“We are very honoured and proud to be featured in this year’s top 50 gastro pubs in the UK,” they said.

“It’s always such a great achievement to receive any award and believe

this to be a noble accolade for the pub to obtain.

“We also find it to be a great morale boost for us all to know that our hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.”

This is not the first taste of

such success for the Duke of Cumberland.

The pub has previously been named on lists of the 60 best pubs in Britain compiled by Esquire Magazine and The Guardian, and on lists of the best pubs for a Sunday Lunch, compiled by The Independent and the Telegraph.

Esquire magazine singled out the pub’s garden and scenery, saying: “Go on a hot day, take a pint into the garden and bask in a landscape of pastoral beauty.”

Restaurant critic Giles Coren previously described the Duke of Cumberland Arms as “a tiny inn on a hill surrounded by steep garden all

around, dozens of little stone pools full of trout and crayfish, the sound of running water, little bowers, tables in nooks and crannies, views over the South Downs, and cool, pale, lovely light

pints of Hip Hop from the Langham brewery at Lodsworth, just around the corner”.

The exact age of the Duke of Cumberland Arms is still disputed.

In 1932 archaeologists dug up the road leading up to the pub to discover its origin.

They found that it couldn’t have been built before 1950, but were unable to date it any further back than that.

The Duke of Cumberland’s stated aim is: “to provide you with a peaceful haven in a tranquil corner of West Sussex away from the hustle and bustle of work and everyday life.”