Sampled at the Waggon & Horses, Bleasby

THIS amber-coloured medium-bodied ale is refreshingly good. The fresh fruity hop aroma and soft mouth-feel of this new beer from Sheffield-based Abbeydale makes it well worth seeking out.

Six beers are on at the Waggon. Two Blue Monkeys, and Nottingham Rock Mild, are the mainstays.

A good food menu, too. Speciality nights include steak, Thai and seasonal dishes and, wherever possible, local produce is used.

The lounge seems dedicated to dinnertime diners on Sundays.

The idyllic setting of this ex-Marston's pub could easily be mistaken for a blueprint from a picture postcard.

Set in rural countryside northeast of Nottingham, this homely village local with its neatly cut hedges and pole-mounted pub sign definitely has that beckoning call – a "must do" if you're in the district. The inviting front-of-house drinking area can be a real sun trap.

Inside, there's a laid-back rustic feel, albeit in a modern manner. The off-white wash on the walls in the Farmer's Bar is a sidestep from the usual Jacobean-style dark-stained wood that we come to expect in traditional English watering holes.

The bottle collection caught my eye, not to mention the old-fashioned camera… bellows, an' all!

What ever your beverage, do try the Waggon. I know you won't be disappointed.