The Plough at Bolnhurst, north of Bedford, has been named the 49th best pub in Britain.

The Tudor village pub, on the B660 about six miles from the town, is number 49 in the Good Food Guide’s list of Britain’s 100 Best Pubs 2026, published on 2 November.

The guide picks out pubs across Britain “serving honest, top-quality cooking in a warm, welcoming setting”.

The Plough is the only Bedfordshire pub in the top 50, which was led by the Queens Arms in Eccles, Greater Manchester.

Why the Plough made the list

The guide sums the Plough up as “a rural destination for every dining occasion”.

It says Martin and Jayne Lee “have been at the helm of this white-fronted Tudor pub in the north Bedfordshire Wolds for more than two decades”.

“The place still wears its age proudly, with winter fires and low beamed ceilings inside,” it adds.

It praises “highly trained skilful staff” who “go about their business with admirable good humour”.

Menus are split into “seam” and “furrow”, according to the guide, and a meal starts with sourdough made from the kitchen’s own cultivated yeast, served with cultured butter and a herby pesto.

Fish and meat go on the Josper grill, and the guide picks out hake with buttered spinach and herb butter, and loin of Blythburgh pork with braised white cabbage, pommes Anna and apple confit.

Puddings “tend to the seasonal farmhouse way of thinking”, it says, from Bramley apple and blackberry tart to gooseberry soufflé with toasted oat ice cream.

Where to find it and when it opens

The Plough is on Kimbolton Road in Bolnhurst, MK44 2EX, and in its own words the 15th-century building had been closed for seven years when the owners reopened it in 2005.

“Friends and family thought we were out of our minds,” they write.

The pub asks diners to book, and says on its website: “We may not always be able to look after you if you haven’t made a booking.”

It is open from Wednesday to Sunday, with food from 12pm to 1.45pm and 6.30pm to 8.30pm midweek, until 8.45pm on Saturdays, and from 12.30pm to 2pm on Sundays.

For anyone arriving in style, the pub’s travel page says customers have permission to land helicopters in the field beside the Plough or the one opposite, if they call first.

Have you eaten at the Plough? Tell us in the comments.