Charming little Midland village with one of UK's best Sunday roasts and a curious tree-lined walk

This week, The Good Food Guide announced its Top 50 Best Sunday Roasts. Sadly for those who frequent the city centre on a weekend, no Birmingham establishments made the list, which you can view in full here.

Never to have our joy scuppered by such things as distance, we've been looking at the best roasts in Britain within easy reach of us, where there are lovely things happening nearby to justify the visit. Yes, we do condone planning entire day trips around roast potatoes, if you have the opportunity to go exploring.

As you'll see in our write-up, there are roasts over in Wolverhampton, in Warwickshire and in the Black Country that have those Good Food Guide plaudits. But if you want to try somewhere entirely new, the charming little East Midlands village of Clipsham should be on your radar.

Read more: The best Sunday roasts in the West Midlands announced by Good Food Guide

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The pretty Clipsham village watering hole, The Olive Branch, isn't one of those old, higgeldy-piggledy pubs that dates back centuries, but it does have that charm. It was three farm labourers cottages until 1890 when it was all knocked through to serve as a boozer for locals.

By 1997, the pub closed. Two years later, Sean Hope, Ben Jones and Marcus Welford bought The Olive Branch and worked with friends, family and the community to 'bring it back to its former glory as a village pub'.

And what glory it's been basking in. Not only has it made this year's prestigious Good Food Guide Top 50 Best Sunday Roasts list, thanks to its local produce and succulent meats, but the pub has been sweeping up gongs for its food and accommodation across the board.

The Michelin Guide calls The Olive Branch and Beech House, it's little six-room guest house, 'characterful', celebrating its 'open fires and exposed beams'. Food comes from local producers and the bedrooms are 'cosy and thoughtfully finished'.

The village the pub is situated in a village that, while small, has a big reputation. Clipsham stone, quarried in the area, was used to build Windsor Castle back in the 1360s.

Clipsham, in many ways, is still very splendid, though memories of its past splendour can still be seen today. Yew Tree Avenue, a pretty walkway lined with 150 200-year-old yew trees, is particularly striking.

Once the carriage drive to Clipsham Hall, the avenue features some extraordinary topiary. It's not quite perfect, for many years the trees weren't maintained, but in recent years, the Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue Trust has worked hard with what funds and time it has to renovate the area and the trees are managed by the Forestry Commission.

The outdoor adventure area of Rutland Water is right on Clipsham's doorstep, which is even more reason to visit, if the promise of a top roast dinner is enough. You pass through Melton Mowbray on the way from Birmingham too, if you want a pitstop pork pie!