SITTING in the garden overlooking the football pitch, sipping a chilled glass of wine on a summer's evening, it's hard to imagine you're only ten minutes' drive from the centre of Southampton.

Surely the garden at the Clump Inn in leafy Chilworth has to be one of the best spots to get away from it all without actually travelling too far.

There are plenty of benches to sit on, no buildings as far as the eye can see and lots of shrubs and pretty flowers.

And if - a strong possibility - it starts to rain and you go inside, you can always sit in the airy conservatory at the back of the pub looking out over the garden.

Most of the conservatory is reserved for eating but at the front of the pub there are tables to sit and enjoy a drink.

The Clump Inn was refurbished about a year ago and since then the interior, at the front of the building in particular, has always reminded me of a modern hotel lobby.

There are settees on one side with low tables and magazines and newspapers to read, while on the other side the walls are lined with tall bookcases filled with old novels.

The walls are painted in pastel shades and decorated with modern pictures, giving a generally bright feel to what used to be a rather dark and dingy bar area.

There's a fairly extensive menu with a mixture of classic English and Mediterranean-influenced dishes, and a good selection of New World wines.