THE Museum Inn at Farnham has accomplished the unusual trick of being better known in London than in Dorset.

But it is, at heart, a country pub, albeit one that delivers an extremely high-quality experience.

Visitors are as welcome to fish and chips from a lunch menu as to spend the night in a four-poster bed.

The attraction for those in search of a fast-disappearing slice of rural England is obvious as one drives along the narrow road that leads to the tiny and idyllic village of Farnham with its flint and brick cottages facing onto narrow lanes.

The Museum Inn lies at the centre of the village; an eighteenth century, red brick house, built at the junction of two lanes by Lt Gen Augustus Lane Fox Pitt Rivers, cited in the Museum literature as “the father of archaeology”.

Part thatched, and sensitively extended, the building retains its original charm while accommodating the comforts of the 21st century. During 2012, the Museum Inn has been sympathetically renovated and now has a fabulously warm and welcoming interior.

The 17th-century bar continues with a period feel, flagstone floors, antiques and a fashionable mismatch of tables and chairs. There are cosy alcoves to hide in, leather banquette seating and, of course, roaring log fires.

It has eight bedrooms, four in a converted stable block, filled with home comforts, but accomplished with an elegance to bracket it in a style known to the hospitality industry as “boutique”.

Another recent addition is Moles Cottage, an entirely self- contained holiday cottage adjacent to The Museum Inn – with a further eight double bedrooms – that is also available in the winter season as a Shooting Lodge.

Meals are served throughout the bar area and in The Shed: a separate dining area used as an overflow from the restaurant or for private functions. Food has always been a big feature at the Museum Inn and not surprisingly game is regularly to be found on the menu.

Head chef, Jenny Jones who has been recognised as Pub Chef of the Year by the Morning Advertiser, cooks inspired modern British dishes sourced wherever possible from the wonderful local produce that is available throughout the area.

In light of recent equine revelations, the meat at the Museum Inn comes with a guarantee that the stock is reared in a traditional way.