IF you're a tourist where's the best place to go for a meal and a drink?

The Anchor Inn in Seatown according to VisitEngland which has just awarded the Jurassic Coast pub the accolade of the best tourism pub in the whole country.

Its Awards for Excellence, now in their 28th year, celebrate those businesses and individuals who continuously raise the bar of England’s tourism.

The awards ceremony, hosted by Sue Perkins, took place at the Hilton Waldorf in London and welcomed 67 finalists selected from almost 600 applications, the highest number ever received.

VisitEngland Chief Executive Sally Balcombe said: “This year’s awards were fiercely contested and we had some terrific applications, showcasing not only the excellence on offer within English tourism but also the outstanding innovation and the sheer diversity of experiences throughout the country.

The tourism economy is worth £106 billion annually to England.

The staff at the Anchor Inn have been celebrating their win and getting on with business as usual.

Ross Diaper, one of the 20-strong team said: "We have a really dedicated team that works really, really hard. We do pretty outstanding food and we've stepped up the game a lot in the last 18 months .

"We had a big money refurb four years ago inside and outside since then we have had the upstairs staff accommodation turned in quite luxurious rooms for bed and breakfast.

"And We have a new head chef Jean Paul Deronne who has changed a lot of our menu.

"We have got quite into the cocktail world which is quite a big thing for us.

"Being Palmers flagship gives us quite a bit of leeway in what we can do.

"The location is obviously a massive pull being in such a beautiful spot and being on the South West Coast Path which is obviously one of the best trodden parts of the country."

The team doubles in size in the high season when they can see near on 1,000 customers a day.

Mr Diaper added: "We are nominated by the public which is nice recognition."