I’m thrilled to present this week’s sponsor: The Queen’s Arms in Corton Denham – a pub with real character, set right on the Dorset-Somerset border. This place has been at the heart of the village since 1851, and you can feel that history the moment you walk in.
The Queen’s Arms has a way of making food feel inseparable from the place it comes from. Local pork, Montgomery cheddar from just down the road, and wheelbarrows of fruit and veg brought straight from a villager’s garden. It doesn’t get more rooted in its surroundings than that! This commitment to place and produce saw The Queen’s Arms crowned Pub of the Year by the respected South West title, Food and Lifestyle Magazine. The result is a menu that moves with the seasons and balances proper pub favourites with a modern European twist.
I love that their story begins with cider: the original landlord used to take apples as payment, brewing them in the cellar. That spirit of making the most of what’s on the doorstep is still alive here, whether it’s homemade bread, indulgent puddings, or a pint enjoyed on their sun-soaked terrace.
You might go for a relaxed evening with friends, a celebratory meal in their private dining room, or just a glass of wine with a view. No matter the reason, The Queen’s Arms has that mix of comfort and curiosity that makes you want to keep going back.
Head Chef Rich Townsend has built a strong team at The Queen’s Arms, where collaboration and passion take precedence over ego. With a focus on seasonal produce and flavour-led cooking, his deceptively simple dishes carry layers of depth, all made in-house, from pork scratchings to milk buns. A Somerset native, Townsend takes inspiration from the region’s bounty, regularly foraging with his team for wild garlic in spring or elderberries in autumn. His cooking has already earned acclaim, with judges at Taste of the West describing the food as “superlative” and naming it the best they had eaten in 2022.
Townsend’s journey began as a kitchen porter at The Prince of Wales in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, before training at catering college and working his way up through The Masons Arms, The Eastbury, and The Newt. After briefly stepping away from kitchens during lockdown, he rediscovered his passion at The Queen’s Arms, where a single venison dish reminded him why he loved to cook. Now as Head Chef, he describes his style as classic British with a twist, always guided by seasonal availability and perfected through rigorous testing. With ambitions to keep delighting guests and perhaps earn Rosettes, Townsend remains focused on creating exceptional food in a restaurant full of happy diners.
You can find out more information about The Queen’s Arms in Corton Denham on their website.
Based in Somerset, Adam Crookes is on a mission to uncover everything this county has to offer. Adam grew up in Martock before moving to Street in early 2020.