The village just outside Cambs with the largest US air force base in England and a pub that serves Sunday roasts

A 30-minute drive from Ely, just over the eastern border of Cambridgeshire, will bring you to another region famed for its medieval church. While Ely Cathedral is renowned for its breath-taking octagonal lantern tower, St Mary The Virgin church in Lakenheath, Suffolk, is known for its gargoyles and wall paintings.

Its parapet is lined with carved faces, while scars inside the grade-one listed building help to tell the history of England. Angels carved from wood are marked as a result of puritans’ vandalism during the English Civil War.

Wall paintings in the church are believed to have been created in the 13th century. Their subjects include local saint St Edmund, angels and birds. In 2009, more than £32,000 for the preservation of the paintings was given by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

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Jumping forward by a few hundred years since the church was built, Lakenheath also played an important role in World War Two. RAF Lakenheath was built after 1940 to help defend Britain.

The military base was used by RAF flying units and served as a satellite of RAF Mildenhall. In 1945, RAF Lakenheath was selected to be upgraded to a ‘very heavy bomber’ airfield operating the US air forces’ Boeing B-29 Superfortresses.

The war was over before the work was completed. However, the base went on to host the US air force in 1948 – and continues to do so today. It currently holds the impressive title of the largest US air force operated base in England.

For those air force members looking for a pint and a meal after a hard day’s work, the Brewer’s Tap is likely to hit the spot. This traditional village pub in High Street, Lakenheath, offers cheaper drinks during weekday “happy hours”.

It also serves lunches on weekdays and a home-cooked roast dinner on Sundays, and a meat raffle is hosted at the pub every Sunday. A spokesperson for CAMRA (campaign for real ale) described “a village centre pub of character and a good find for real ale fans, being a true free house”.

The CAMRA spokesperson continued: “Normally there are two to three handpumps offering both local and national beers. Happy hour is 5-6pm, Monday to Thursday.

“The pub is bigger than it looks from the front and has a patio area at the rear. There is a public car park nearby. Traditional Sunday lunches are popular. Crib and darts are played.”

The Brewer’s Tap has an average of 4.4 out of five from Google reviewers, and a top food hygiene rating of five.

For those looking to branch out from traditional pub food, Lakenheath is lucky to have restaurants that serve Chinese, Japanese and Filipino dishes. Filipiniana Restaurant in High Street has an average of 4.6 out of five on Google for its Filipino meals, and a food hygiene rating of five.

One happy restaurant customer said: “The food was tasty, the place cosy and the hostess and staff members were very welcoming and friendly. The food was so yummy – it literally disappeared as soon as it was served!”

Sakura, also on High Street, serves Chinese and Japanese dishes. It has a 4.4 average rating on Google, and also boasts a food hygiene rating of five.

One Sakura customer commented in a Google review: “We had never been to this restaurant before, and yet from the moment we arrived we were treated like old friends. Nothing was any trouble.

“One of our party needed help deciding and the waitress was so patient when explaining. The food was good and there were good-sized portions.”

With a mind full of history and a stomach full of food, a visit to Lakenheath may be best topped off with a relaxing stroll. Luckily, the village is blessed with a picturesque nature reserve, from which you can spot otters, kingfishers and – if you are lucky – the rare white stork.

Find out more about what this idyllic nature reserve has on offer here.