Maths for Mummies:
6 exhausted best friends – (14 children + 6 husbands) + the A303 + 1 roaring fire + several bottles of wine = 24 happy hours in Wiltshire.

Fonthill Gifford might sound a bit like something out of Miss Marple but it’s the home of the rather splendid Beckford Arms – a classic country pub with rooms.

The interior of the Beckford Arms is traditional, simple and stylish – lots of Farrow & Ball-esque colours and real open fire places – but with a bit of a cool edge from a good iPod playlist and some really gorgeous male members of staff.  Service is friendly and welcoming and the place clearly appeals to slightly bohemian Urbanites and post-shoot locals alike.  It’s not a poncy gastropub, pretending to be something it’s not: it’s a traditional, local pub that concentrates on getting all the right things right.

A couple of bottles of Prosecco by the fire slipped down a treat before a delicious and reasonably priced supper.   One friend rated the Salt & Pepper Squid the best she’d ever had; my Ox Cheeks were tender and tasty; the roast pheasant came with a ramekin of pheasant cottage pie on the side.  I enjoyed my plate of British cheeses to follow; admittedly, one Valrhona chocolate pudding had to go back because it wasn’t quite gooey enough but its replacement oozed in all the right places.

There are eight rooms - our standard double was comfortable and well-equipped, if a little snug (which would probably have been less noticeable for a couple than it was for two friends sharing).  Each room has crisp Egyptian cotton sheets, a snuggly goose down duvet, is en suite (with a bath or a shower or both) and has a flat screen TV, DVD and iPod docking station.

The unspeakable bliss of not being woken up at 6am on a Sunday by a small person was followed by a glorious full English breakfast looking outside onto the pub’s pretty garden, while planning our next trip.

The train from Tisbury got us back to London in less than two hours.  Back home in time to do the homework, practise Snow White’s lines for the play and read Stick Man (twice).  Maybe they did miss me after all.

Celia