Country pub of the week: The Wykeham Arms, Winchester

In such a pub it’s calming to remember the past. Here in Winchester, in what was once England’s Saxon capital, is a room of crooked tankards and mismatched paintings, curtains hanging mournfully before the once-varnished wood of tables and chairs.

Chatter in these pubs echoes as with its history; if the carpet could whisper to you while you order from the bar, it would tell you to “mind your head”, to “avoid her in the corner with the paper”.

This is a mighty pub, as nooked-and-crannied as any an hour or so from London, with as fine an example of sausage mash possibly anywhere in Britain. Else have the fish finger butty and settle down with a beer. There are five ales on tap at any time alongside the regular draughts (Guinness and the like) which make for perfect fuel after a day visiting the city’s famed cathedral.