William Bray, Shere

Set in a prominent position just a short way above the centre of the village, this large pub focuses on food. It has a bar with a wood burning stove, a new conservatory (which can be booked for functions) and a restaurant, with tables outside as well. Breakfast is served 9-11 all week, lunch is 12-3 during the week and 12-6 at the weekend. In the evening food is served 6-9:30 Monday to Saturday. The only difference between the lunch and evening menus is that sandwiches are only available at lunchtime. One of the guest beers is a house beer, The William Bray, and is brewed by Brakspear; the other guest is likely to be a 'craft' beer brewed by one of the breweries owned by Marston's. Dogs are allowed everywhere other than the restaurant and there is a water bowl outside. The pub also has free WiFi. As the Prince of Wales the pub used to be owned by the Reffell Brothers brewery of Gomshall which was bought by Young's of Wandsworth in 1926. It remained a Young's pub until they sold it in the 1990s and it became the William Bray in 2009, when it was bought by Julian Bailey, who drove in seven Formula One races. It is now run by a family who also run the nearby Percy Arms in Chilworth and a boutique hotel in Salisbury.