There is a particular kind of weekend conversation that starts with:

“Shall we go somewhere for lunch?”

And approximately seven minutes later becomes:

“Yes, but where?”

Nobody wants to drive for an hour. Nobody particularly wants to park in town.

Somebody suggests the same place you went last time.

This is when Peterborough's surrounding villages become rather handy.

You can leave the city, have lunch somewhere that feels like a small outing, wander around afterwards if the weather behaves, and still be home before anybody starts asking whether this technically counted as a day trip.

Here are three directions to point the car.

Helpston: lunch with a little John Clare country on the side

The Bluebell in Helpston is an 18th-century village pub with food, gardens and rooms.

But the attraction isn't simply what's on the menu.

Helpston is John Clare country, which means lunch doesn't have to be the entire event. Have something to eat, take a wander around the village and you've suddenly turned “going to the pub” into something considerably more respectable.

At least that's what you can tell yourself.

The Bluebell publishes its current menus and opening times online, so check those before setting off rather than discovering that your beautifully spontaneous Sunday has collided with kitchen hours.

Etton: because sometimes you want a village pub to feel like a village pub

The Golden Pheasant takes you north of Peterborough to Etton.

This is the sort of lunch where the change of surroundings is part of the attraction.

You're not trying to squeeze food between shopping, errands and whatever else needs doing in town.

You're going out for lunch.

That distinction becomes surprisingly important once somebody orders another drink and nobody is looking at their watch.

Check the pub's current opening hours and menu before making a special journey particularly if you're heading out midweek.

Wansford: the dangerous option if “just lunch” tends to escalate

Wansford is slightly different because you aren't choosing one restaurant before you've even left home.

You're choosing Wansford.

The village gives you several possibilities for eating and drinking, from independent places to hotel dining, so it works particularly well when you fancy making more of the afternoon.

Pick where you want to eat, have lunch and then go for a wander.

Or have lunch, decide the weather looks suspicious and order something else.

Both are perfectly legitimate approaches to exploring Cambridgeshire.

Perhaps the best Peterborough lunch isn't in Peterborough

That's really the point.

Taste Trail shouldn't stop at the city-centre boundary.

There are pubs, cafés, farm shops, restaurants, hotels and other food stops scattered through the villages around Peterborough that can turn “Where shall we eat?” into a little outing.

And we suspect there are plenty we've yet to find.

So help us with the next one.

Which Peterborough-area village has a pub, café or restaurant that's genuinely worth making the journey for?

Tell us the place, village and what you'd order when you got there.