Cotswolds sweet spot: Inside Wild Thyme & Honey, an inn with chic rooms, free gin and a bar serving ‘the best Yorkshire pudding ever’

Here on the edge of the Cotswolds grew up a trio of Ampneys – three honey-coloured villages named after the babbling brook that flows past this pub.

And Wild Thyme & Honey in Ampney Crucis takes full advantage of the surroundings.

There may be a busy road to one end, but transparent pods overlook the water on the other, as do many of the 24 bedrooms.

They all have pockets of contemporary Cotswold cool, with lots of exposed brickwork, rustic wooden furniture and carpets.

Beds have oversized felt headboards and concrete pendant lights that look like cowbells.

The pièce de résistance in the 12 suites is an in-room bath, and in addition to Bramley products, you get a local crime thriller and a complimentary carafe of sloe gin to sip while you soak.

For a more economical drink, fresh milk is provided in the pantry along with tea bags and other toiletries.

Downstairs is the bridal suite, an even fancier affair with a four-poster bed made from wood and its own waterfront sauna and jacuzzi.

Guests can dine in the hotel’s transparent dining capsules

Describing the hotel’s 24 rooms, Jane says: “They all have very modern Cotswolds cool.”

Suite guests enjoy a complimentary carafe of sloe gin

Talk about a bar with flair. There is also a courtyard where residents can relax and soak up the ski lodge atmosphere with a drink by the fireplace on sheepskin chairs.

Or head across the courtyard to the actual 16th century pub – The Crown – which has been completely modernized following a refurbishment.

There are no small rooms with nooks and crannies, but the large rooms with wood, stone and an open kitchen are inviting, with accessories such as an old settlement, a pew and a strange stuffed animal.

If the bar is a pleasant surprise, the food is even better. Above, we talk enthusiastically about the sourdough served with truffle butter. Taste buds suitably tickled, we move on to delicious starters of crab cakes and lobster arancini, followed by a roast dinner of the best Yorkshire puddings ever and phyllo filled with fresh vegetables. Choosing between the puddings is impossible, so we opt for the local cheeses.

Reasonably priced wine is offered as well as a wine machine on the ground floor. A duff touch is the fake wisteria wall (there are also fake plants in the bedrooms).

There is a courtyard where residents can relax and enjoy the ski chalet atmosphere with a drink by the fireplace on sheepskin chairs

While there, Jane enjoys a roast dinner of the best Yorkshire puddings ever

One of the inn’s delicious desserts

Breakfast is equally delicious – a full English breakfast to set you up for a walk through the Ampneys.

Pick up boots and umbrellas at the door and embark on a 2-hour walking tour of Ampney Crucis and the hamlets of Ampney St Peter and Ampney St Mary.

The summit is across the creek at Ampney St. Mary’s Church. This small Norman church stands alone in a field (the village moved to higher ground after the Black Death) and has fragments of medieval wall paintings. One shows Saint George slaying the dragon and another shows Saint Christopher carrying the Christ Child.

Like wild thyme and honey, this is something not to be missed.