The main trunk road from London to the West Country can be a charming gateway to joy and delight — but it can also be purgatory for those stuck in traffic. Travellers are unlikely to go hungry or run out of fuel, as there are a dozen or so conventional service stations dotted along the A303’s 93 miles, but heading off piste can lead to more exciting culinary adventures. Only 15 minutes from the eastern beginning (or end) of the road is the 303-year-old Plough Inn, Hampshire, which was recently saved from becoming a nebulous housing development by the parish council and 300 shareholders.
Since being refurbished and reopening in 2021, it has been serving fresh, local food that seems to be universally enjoyed by anyone lucky enough to have the time to stop at this historic gem. The Plough Inn, Longparish, Hampshire www.ploughinn.
org The recognisable red hues of the Little Chef at Chicklade, Wiltshire, are long gone, the building’s woodwork now painted the subtle mint green of Sol Bakery, a café as far removed from a fast-food chain as it is possible to get. Early arrivals are greeted by the delectable smell of freshly baked organic sourdough bread and there is no better way to start the day than with a newly brewed coffee and a sticky cinnamon bun. Run by Mili Morrison and Pepa Portman — two Argentine ladies who met in nearby Tisbury and discovered a mutual love of empanadas , which they began to bake and sell in their village — the business has boomed in the two yea.