The Fox & Hounds story.

The Fox & Hounds sits on Calverton Road at the edge of Blidworth Bottoms — a quiet corner of Nottinghamshire where the fields give way to the forest fringe of Sherwood. Joseph took on the pub as a family venture and set about making it the kind of place he'd actually want to spend a Sunday afternoon: unhurried, unpretentious, and with a kitchen that takes the cooking seriously.

The food here is proper home cooking — the kind that takes time. Pies are made by hand in the kitchen, not delivered frozen. The Sunday roast uses local ingredients and comes with gravy you pour yourself, as much as you like. The fish and chips, the steaks, the chef's daily specials — everything goes out as it should, in portions that mean what they say. Regulars tend to come in knowing they won't need much for tea.

The pub is family-owned and it feels like it. Dogs are welcome, children have room to run about outside in the warmer months, and the team — Di' and her crew out front, the kitchen working through it all behind the pass — know most of the faces that come through the door. Over 1,600 people have left a Google review and the average sits at 4.6 stars, which is the kind of thing that happens when a pub just keeps doing right by the people who turn up.

Alongside the classics there's a seasonal tapas sharing menu and whatever the chef has put together that day — usually something worth asking about. The cask ales and premium lagers are kept well. It's a proper Nottinghamshire country pub. Come and see for yourself.