A TRADITIONAL country pub in Salisbury is officially one of the best 500 pubs in England, according to the Telegraph.

The Telegraph has this week published its list of the best 500 pubs in the country.

This comes after expert Will Hawkes, who has been reviewing pubs for decades, graded each pub on their charming character, welcoming staff, rich history and, of course, award-winning beer.

One of the pubs to feature in the list is Salisbury’s very own The Haunch of Venison on 1 Minster Street.

Mr Hawkes praised the pub’s “lavishly wood-panelled rooms and pewter-topped bar inside”, with a history dating back to the 15th century.

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He said: “If you want Ye Olde England, you’ve come to the right place.

“From the half-timbered exterior – upon which the pub is described as ‘an old English chop house,’ a suitably Dickensian appellation – to the lavishly wood-panelled rooms and pewter-topped bar inside, this is a real taste of the past.

“With a history dating back into at least the 15th century, it has been (at different times, naturally) used by the local church and a brothel.

“There’s an apparently mummified hand on display, too, although happily it’s a fake: the ‘real’ one was stolen.”

Taking to social media, the team at The Haunch of Venison said they were “so proud”.

The pub is “probably the oldest hostelry in Salisbury and certainly the most haunted”, the pub said.

The oak beams at the pub are thought to have predated the building by several hundred years and are thought to come from early sailing vessels.

To view the full list of 500 pubs in the Telegraph list, visit www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/best-pubs-england/