 ABANDONING the wedding diet for one more week and feeling I'd earned a revision break by staring at the same page for 12 hours we headed into uncharted territory, well Higher Burwardsley, and The Pheasant Inn. I say uncharted as the journey into the deepest Cheshire countryside - it's a whole 15 minutes from Chester - for two confirmed city dwellers proved to be a little fraught. The whole marvellous adventure was close to ending in a happy meal at McDonald's as tempers flared on the fourth trip past the wrong pub but a few deep breaths and six wrong turns later we happened upon our rather picturesque location. We were going on a recommendation from one of our 'you can't beat a spicy cous cous and glass of chablis' friends so we should really have expected the BMW, Porsche packed car park. It's easy to forget that Cheshire is on of the wealthiest counties in the country, if you ever need reminding you could drop into the Pheasant Inn and get your full quota of pale pink shirts, deck shoes and girls called Pippa in one visit. That said the atmosphere is relaxed enough and the chirpy staff more than make up for the feeling of posturing that lingers in the air. The collection of buildings that make up the award winning Pheasant Inn are firmly nestled in the breathtaking beauty of the Peckforton Hills and the view from the outside eating area, stretching across the Cheshire Plain to the Welsh hills, has an undeniable 'king of the world' feeling about it. If you get to see it that is. Problem is that the four large wooden tables, with even larger canvas umbrellas, are like the pub's unofficial VIP area and unless you are blessed enough to land one it's hard to sit back and soak it up. That aside, the place is gorgeous, admittedly we were there on one of the hottest days of the year and sunshine can make a wheelie bin look more attractive, but it is a little haven of good food and beautiful scenery. The menu is surprisingly reasonable, with main courses starting at £8.95 for cod in beer batter, mushy peas, tartar sauce and chips all the way up to a 10oz fillet of Aberdeen Angus on green beans and cherry tomatoes, with sauteed potatoes and a red wine sauce at £17.95, with plenty of choice in between. | 
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