27 perfect pies for British Pie Week Published 04 March 2025
The humble pie is a mainstay of pub and restaurant menus across Britain but not all are created equal. From steamed suet pastry and golden crusts to potato-topped comforts and fillings spiked with bone marrow, in honour of British Pie Week, we've picked out some of our favourites from Bettws Newydd to Burchett's Green.
Describing their venue as a neighbourhood restaurant inside a 19th-century pub, the good folk at The Camberwell Arms have an appealing proposition on a busy road that slices through SE5. 'Compelling, simple, seasonal' food is the … Read more
Describing their venue as a neighbourhood restaurant inside a 19th-century pub, the good folk at The Camberwell Arms have an appealing proposition on a busy road that slices through SE5. 'Compelling, simple, seasonal' food is the real deal, served up in relaxed, pared-back spaces where the bones of the old pub remain in its stripped floors, fireplaces and high Victorian ceilings. There's a hatch window out front so drinks can pass to thirsty locals on the pavement, and a private dining room with its own bar at the other end of the spectrum. The gauntlet is thrown down with 'Scotch bonnet pork fat on toast' – a dish of fire and fat, and not for the faint-hearted. Share a few small plates such as semolina gnocchi in a 'bright, fresh' San Marzano tomato sauce or charred onions with artichoke pesto and pistachios; otherwise, stick to the trad two- or three-course format. A bigger helping of grilled fish (wild bream or plaice, maybe) arrives with chips and aïoli, while thinly sliced porchetta is dressed with white peaches and rosemary. Two like-minded people can go for sharers such as half a spit-roast chicken (with blistered hispi cabbage and crème fraîche enriched with chicken fat) or aged Hereford rump steak with anchovy dripping. To finish, a 'beautiful' apricot and chocolate galette with crème fraîche and sour-cherry molasses sent one reader away very happy. Sunday lunches catch the eye with more of those sharers as well as roast potatoes cooked with sage and lemon. The drinking options include cocktails and well-chosen wines (from £26.50).
*Bangkok Diners Club will open in Edinburgh Castle's restaurant space from Wednesday 2nd April. Watch out for a new review coming soon.*
Not that Castle. This one is a reconditioned late-Georgian pub in the Ancoats district of Ma… Read more
*Bangkok Diners Club will open in Edinburgh Castle's restaurant space from Wednesday 2nd April. Watch out for a new review coming soon.*
Not that Castle. This one is a reconditioned late-Georgian pub in the Ancoats district of Manchester, now part of a regeneration zone that has conjured a modern neighbourhood where once there was industrial wasteland. Generously upholstered banquettes, mirrors and plenty of daylight from big windows are spirit-lifting in themselves, but the cooking lifts the place into another dimension. There is a traditional Sunday lunch offering, but the more speculative contemporary food makes weekdays equally popular with readers. Locally grown purple artichokes are served alla giudia, a Roman Jewish deep-fried treatment that produces a crisply seared surface on a creamy, bittersweet inner texture – not to be missed in their season. When did you last eat a fantail squid? Here they are, hauled in from Brixham and served with new season's peas for textural contrast. For main course, there might be a satisfying fish dish such as hake with pepper dulse and Jersey Royals, while meats offer locally farmed Tamworth pork belly with hispi cabbage or lamb shoulder with broad beans and – of all the things to come upon in Ancoats – nasturtiums. A whopping great pie of Ryeland lamb shank should provide plenty of sustenance for a hungry pair of diners. Seasonal fruits make the dessert list a welcome recourse, whether it be strawberry fool and elderflower cream or Yorkshire rhubarb sorbet with a brandy-snap.
Unfussy cooking and warm hospitality in a welcoming village hostelry
A gem of a village pub, owned and run by Will Orrock and his wife Cassidy Hughes, where there’s more than a passing nod to the Fergus Henderson (St John) school of cookery. Chef Adam Spicer's menu is brisk – beautiful … Read more
A gem of a village pub, owned and run by Will Orrock and his wife Cassidy Hughes, where there’s more than a passing nod to the Fergus Henderson (St John) school of cookery. Chef Adam Spicer's menu is brisk – beautiful ingredients are left relatively unadorned, and flavours are full. What a vol-au-vent lacks in flighty height it makes up for in crispness and the springtime deliciousness of foraged morels and wild garlic, and how good to see tenderly seared cuttlefish among the starters, alongside a silken ink-black mayonnaise studded with cod's roe – don't forget to save some of the excellent house bread for mayo-scooping purposes.
A terrine of brawn and ‘blood cake’ is as muscular as its name suggests, but alongside the heft is deft culinary balance from the crunchy bite of radishes and some zippy piccalilli. As for seafood, expect a few luxuries. The delicate flavour of lobster is somewhat swamped by its coronation sauce, although a turbot main course is memorably good. Served with fat mussels, the saline pep of monk’s beard and a gently spiced mouclade sauce, it’s a dish to hurry back for. Local produce stars throughout – from vegetables and leaves courtesy of nearby organic Maple Farm to chocolate from Pump Street or the St Jude cow’s curd served alongside a caramel tart. This is ‘proper cooking,’ notes one reporter.
The Greyhound is also a proper boozer, welcoming drinkers for honest sustenance. Do check out the great-value bar snacks – say Welsh rarebit or a ploughman’s including homemade pork pie and house pickles. Perfect with a pint, or a glass from a wine list which is fit for every occasion – be it a classy Burgundy (a 2021 Saint-Aubin 1er cru ‘Clos du Meix’ from family-owned Domaine Hubert Lamy, perhaps), a steely Austrian Riesling from the Arndorfer winery or a simple lunchtime sip from the Languedoc.
Communal dining and sustainable seafood in a converted boatshed
Down at the quieter end of Fowey, the Friskney-Bryer's converted boatshed restaurant enjoys oblique views of the comings and goings of small craft out on the creek. The main room has one long communal table down the middle, with a… Read more
Down at the quieter end of Fowey, the Friskney-Bryer's converted boatshed restaurant enjoys oblique views of the comings and goings of small craft out on the creek. The main room has one long communal table down the middle, with a kitchen that is not so much open to view as half-protruding into the dining space (the sort of set-up you'd pay a premium for at a boutique hotel 'chef's table'). Festoon lighting makes the place look bonny as the Cornish dusk descends, and the blackboard menus are cause for unmuted celebration.
Ethan Friskney-Bryer was head chef here before acquiring the place in February 2024, and remains as committed as ever to the principles of variety and sustainability in seafood. It's the kind of place where your fish might well have been caught by one of the chefs. The local mussels in garlic butter and cider are a reliably popular draw, preceded perhaps by a plate of pickled anchovies or a clutch of Porthilly rock oysters. Main dishes take in perfectly timed white fish such as sea bass with chard in delightfully fresh lemon butter, or butterflied mackerel with garlic stalks and bacon. It's important not to miss the garlic one way or another, as is evident from the gentle thrum it lends a beetroot starter, enriched with creamy goat's cheese.
With glorious, rosemary-oiled focaccia to sop everything up, you will find yourself steered towards the one dessert of the day, perhaps a light and airy chocolate mousse with caramel and a judicious sprinkling of salt. A handful of wines by the glass (most priced at £4.50) just about do the trick.
The Trough of Bowland is rugged terrain, stretching expansively under skies that often look a hair's breadth off overcast, a setting in which Stosie Madi's country pub with its hanging baskets and outdoor tables could almost be mi… Read more
The Trough of Bowland is rugged terrain, stretching expansively under skies that often look a hair's breadth off overcast, a setting in which Stosie Madi's country pub with its hanging baskets and outdoor tables could almost be mistaken for a gleaming white mirage. Thankfully, it's real enough, a homely, hospitable place where the culinary net is flung wide, against a solid backdrop of sterling Lancashire produce – Bowland outdoor-reared pork, Meanley Estate venison, local pheasant, Morecambe Bay sea bass, and the county's incomparable cheese. Pies may be thought an obvious pub stalwart, but what heights they achieve here, the pastrywork alone worth the journey, the fillings richly compelling – as witness a venison, mushroom and bacon stunner in a perfectly glazed pork-fat pastry case. They take their place in a standard three-course menu format (with excellent appetisers), following perhaps spätzle with roasted pumpkin cream and sage butter or citrus-cured Glenarm salmon with creamed horseradish and blood-orange sauce. Mains come with their incidentals on the side (silky mash, buttery greens), matching the likes of porchetta sauced with cider or 60-day Bowland beef fillet with wild mushrooms. Basque cheesecake has become a firm British favourite, and is rendered expertly here – or there might be apple and sultana puff with vanilla custard. Ales from the local Bowland Brewery are a heartening feature, and there's a modest wine list too.
A little creative reconfiguration of its ground-floor space has worked well at this old Soho player. Where once a revolving door scuttled you into a large lobby, there is now a more direct route in, with crimson banquettes against… Read more
A little creative reconfiguration of its ground-floor space has worked well at this old Soho player. Where once a revolving door scuttled you into a large lobby, there is now a more direct route in, with crimson banquettes against cafe-curtained windows and smart linen-clad tables setting the scene. A good deal of its business is pre-theatre, so the evening session proceeds in measured waves, but service is attuned to timing without the need for anyone to feel hustled. Jeremy Lee has always worked at the popular end of the Anglo-French spectrum. A warm cuttlefish salad comes with finely shaved fennel, celery and a tangle of caramelised onions for sweet, earthy depth, while simple seasonal veg starters such as beetroot with a soft-boiled egg, or asparagus vinaigrette, get their early-doors chance to shine. Pie of the day is an amply satisfying behemoth, perhaps harbouring chicken, guinea fowl and lardons within its suet crust, the chips crisp and plentiful. Other meats might take in lamb shank or onglet, while mackerel with gooseberries and horseradish has been promoted to the grandeur of a full main course. Finish with île flottante in its carapace of honey-coloured caramel, or densely textured lemon tart with good crème fraîche. A handful of wines by the glass head up a list that hits its stride in the classic French regions.
Three decades on, St John appears to have changed not one jot. Still the same whitewashed walls, the same squat wine glasses, the same commitment to ‘nose-to-tail’ cookery. When we visited, there was a dish on the… Read more
Three decades on, St John appears to have changed not one jot. Still the same whitewashed walls, the same squat wine glasses, the same commitment to ‘nose-to-tail’ cookery. When we visited, there was a dish on the daily menu from the restaurant's second cookbook (published 2007): called simply ‘kohlrabi’, it is simply kohlrabi – albeit mandolined and lavished with olive oil, lemon, capers and chervil. An excellent use of a maligned vegetable, but the £11 price tag speaks of 2025.
There's no doubt that eating at St John can sometimes test your faith. Our beef broth was straightforward enough, but the vegetables looked like they had been chopped by someone’s granny in a rush to get tea on the table (but, oh boy, can granny cook). Likewise, a serving of sea bass was no looker: battle-scarred from a hot pan, it came with slow-cooked fennel in a state of near-collapse and a Pernod-splashed liquor into which some anchovies had long since disappeared. A food stylist would shudder but, again, such flavour!
While some dishes such as the signature bone marrow and parsley salad still resemble exhibits in an edgy east London gallery, others look like they’ve emerged from the kitchen of an old Parisian bistro, where the chef no longer gives a fig about wooing Le Figaro. If they have a pair of tweezers in the cupboard, they’ll be for plucking bristles from pig's trotters, not garnishing quail's eggs with micro herbs. However, a serving of wild boar terrine (with cornichons and excellent sourdough) and a plate of mallard (with parsnips and pickled walnut) both successfully combine sharp looks and keen flavour.
‘Are paper tablecloths and one wine glass for all wines and water taking lack of pretension too far?’ asks one fan. We might say the same about a dessert plate that arrives with a chip in it the size of your thumbnail. That said, puddings are terrific and there are no fewer than 10 to choose from: our lemon pie had sticky, jammy citrus sandwiched between crisp, sugared pie crust, while chocolate mousse was made from first-rate confectionery. The wine list is the type you'd find in a Parisian bistro, with a tip-top house pour, St John Rouge, ushering in a glorious selection from the French regions.
Seriously appealing modern pub food in a dreamy setting
With forested hills sloping onto fields of grazing sheep and the Gothic remains of Byland Abbey towering over the entrance, this pub with rooms is a dream ticket – no wonder it was snapped up by chef Tommy Banks (the Black S… Read more
With forested hills sloping onto fields of grazing sheep and the Gothic remains of Byland Abbey towering over the entrance, this pub with rooms is a dream ticket – no wonder it was snapped up by chef Tommy Banks (the Black Swan at Oldstead is nearby). Inside, there’s a little bar with a snug for those wanting a drink, but the main action takes place in the three dining rooms, one of which is the former piggery – an expansive room with beams, giant flagstones and a double-facing log-burning stove, all illuminated by a conservatory-style skylight. The mood is relaxed and staff stay on top of their tasks, while cute details in the handsome finishes speak of Tommy Banks’ pedigree.
The food also makes a connection to the Banks family farm (without labouring the point), and chef Charlie Smith serves up a procession of seriously appealing, modern pub-style dishes – an incredibly original Dexter steak tartare, perhaps, cut into uniform nuggets resembling translucent rubies decorated with grated wild horseradish, fermented peppers and smoked bone marrow. Elsewhere, there might be a light, elegant plate of smoked Pablo beetroot with ewe’s curd, preserved Yorkshire rhubarb and linseed crackers for texture. Some of the meaty main courses such as a pork rib chop with fermented mushroom béarnaise could do with a little finessing, although fish dishes hit the spot – judging by a pitch-perfect serving of cod with a splendid mussel cream sauce and purple-red potatoes on the side.
Everything is executed with flair, professionalism and a deep respect for local ingredients – and that extends to the dazzling roasts served for Sunday lunch (check out the rare-breed Berkshire pork and Herdwick lamb from the family farm, just two miles away). If you're looking for real value, however, order the mighty Dexter cheeseburger with fries, plus a pint of Yorkshire-brewed ale and a shared dessert – say a soft-serve sundae topped with Douglas fir, blackcurrant and white chocolate. Aside from real ale, drinks include seasonal cocktails, homemade libations and a short but decent selection of wines with plenty by the glass.
From the Cubitt House group, this transformed Mayfair pub comes across as a genuine local, refreshingly free of affectation and resolutely faithful to its pub roots. The impressive ground-floor bar has held on to its darkly varnis… Read more
From the Cubitt House group, this transformed Mayfair pub comes across as a genuine local, refreshingly free of affectation and resolutely faithful to its pub roots. The impressive ground-floor bar has held on to its darkly varnished wood and etched glass, packing in drinkers for pints of proper beer and a bar menu offering the likes of hot meat buns or sausage rolls with homemade brown sauce. However, the real action takes place upstairs in an intimate, richly decorated dining room. Here chef director Ben Tish and head chef Chris Fordham-Smith's influences are to be seen, their talents and food-loving instincts delivering high-impact, no-nonsense British cooking. It’s a clear-sighted, thoughtful approach that pays dividends all round, from starters of steamed cockles (with parsley butter), a house terrine en croûte or brown crab rarebit to desserts such as baked Alaska (for two) and sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel sauce. In between, the kitchen applies a respectful approach to top-drawer ingredients: native-breed beef pie with mash and parsley sauce; an exemplary free-range roast chicken, served with sage and truffle butter; a daily roast of rare-breed meats (the real deal). There’s an inspired cheese selection too, and wine is taken seriously – expect a thoughtful selection that accommodates all depths of pocket.
Standing at a country crossroads on the edge of the Fonthill Estate, this handsome, ivy-clad 18th-century inn (part of the Beckford group, a collection of four independent pubs in the region), is surprisingly handy for the A303. I… Read more
Standing at a country crossroads on the edge of the Fonthill Estate, this handsome, ivy-clad 18th-century inn (part of the Beckford group, a collection of four independent pubs in the region), is surprisingly handy for the A303. It’s a hugely enjoyable place, very much an all-rounder, with a dog-friendly bar at its heart supported by various dining rooms, all suitably gentrified with cosy country-luxe decor, open fires, evening candles and auction room finds. When the sun shines, a covered terrace opens onto an acre of mature gardens.
The menu hits that ‘something for everyone’ note spot-on, with a line-up ranging from evergreens along the lines of fish and chips, sirloin steak (on the bone) with classic sauces, and an above-the-norm Sunday roast to seasonal ideas such as exemplary chalk stream trout tartare layered with yogurt and plum, or a combo of green and yellow courgettes, cut into ribbons and served in a pleasing jumble with goat's curd and pickled chilli dressing. To follow, our monkfish tail was perfectly cooked on the bone and teamed (deliciously) with leeks and curry butter, while a robust dish of flavourful pork chop with BBQ courgettes and preserved Isle of Wight tomatoes struck a more rustic note.
Desserts are mostly reworked classics – the star turn for us was a chocolate mousse with Wye Valley cherries and brandy. Fast, friendly service is delivered by a young team, while knowledgeable dabbling around the globe satisfies most palates and budgets on a wine list that offers good choice under £40.
Against the dramatic backdrop of the Black Mountains, Bettws Newydd is an idyllic rural community with this ‘very unassuming' country pub at its heart. Seating just 36 indoors, with a small terrace at the back, it is run wit… Read more
Against the dramatic backdrop of the Black Mountains, Bettws Newydd is an idyllic rural community with this ‘very unassuming' country pub at its heart. Seating just 36 indoors, with a small terrace at the back, it is run without pretence or formality and has a delightfully homely vibe. You’re likely to meet chef Josh Byrne, who frequently comes out of the kitchen to chat with the diners, while Hannah Byrne looks after front of house. The brief, weekly changing carte adds a Mediterranean sheen to carefully sourced seasonal ingredients, opening with a generous selection of snacks – perhaps cod's roe, pickled sardines or the ever-present Welsh rarebit. A recent lunch opened with a ‘fabulous’ cod brandade topped with sweet roasted cherry tomatoes, fennel and crunchy, salty sea purslane, ahead of pollock, accompanied by clams, sherry and garlic, all set on a smooth, creamy cauliflower purée. Elsewhere, lamb with carrots, salsa verde and mash has been praised. To finish, there are British cheeses, custard tart or a summer berry pavlova. Reasonable prices extend to the Eurocentric wine list.
Classically pubby Stockwell boozer with a far-reaching, eclectic menu
Those familiar with the Canton Arms’ siblings (Stoke Newington's Clarence Tavern, Southwark’s Anchor & Hope, Oxford’s Magdalen Arms) will know what to expect. There’s a resolute commitment to classic pu… Read more
Those familiar with the Canton Arms’ siblings (Stoke Newington's Clarence Tavern, Southwark’s Anchor & Hope, Oxford’s Magdalen Arms) will know what to expect. There’s a resolute commitment to classic pubbiness here, so expect plenty of drinkers congregating at the front bar with pints of real ale, while the back area is reserved for diners. The culinary spectrum is as wide-ranging as you can get, with the single-sheet menu offering an ample dose of European and Mediterranean flavours, peppered with kimchi, katsu and the like.
The daily specials board, which majors on dishes to share, might feature home-cured charcuterie, a pie for two and seven-hour salt marsh lamb shoulder – built for five to share and a headliner on Sundays, along with rare roast Dexter beef (with roasties, green beans and watercress). On the plate, the pub’s homely aesthetic dovetails with astute technical precision and the season-led food is confidently handled, producing rustic hand-cut tagliatelle with heaps of butter, girolles and a fragrant whack of tarragon, as well as a hefty spinach and feta filo pie with ‘gorgeous lemony’ Greek potato salad.
Other noteworthy dishes on our visit ranged from Tamworth pork neck with a high-octane anchoïade to perfectly cooked Cornish skate with fresh slivers of tender Romana courgettes and a smooth, rich vermouth cream. To finish, the umami hit of almost-burnt sugar and crunchy nuts was the making of a generous scoop of hazelnut-brittle gelato. In short, everything is generously proportioned and speaks of a kitchen that knows its stuff. There’s democratic pricing too, which carries through to a drinks list offering plenty below the £40 mark.
Dominic and Helena Chapman bought and reopened this smart country pub in 2022. A spruce-up has resulted in pastel-hued art on white walls, with the odd beam, bare floorboards and a wood-burning stove adding character – as do… Read more
Dominic and Helena Chapman bought and reopened this smart country pub in 2022. A spruce-up has resulted in pastel-hued art on white walls, with the odd beam, bare floorboards and a wood-burning stove adding character – as do the seasoned regulars sipping pints of Berkshire ale in the small bar area. Word has already spread about Chapman's sure-footed cooking, judging by an almost full house on a wintry midweek night. Prices (eye-watering for some) don’t deter locals in this affluent neck of the woods, and the menu is peppered with upmarket tweaks to classic dishes. Nibbles of focaccia and anchoïade might precede garlicky Dorset snails primed with tiny dollops of Roquefort. Better still at inspection was an opener of wild rabbit lasagne, the delicate fresh pasta matched with flavoursome stewed meat and a creamy sauce lifted by wood blewits. To follow, halibut ‘bourguignon’ was a little salty, but the meaty, accurately cooked fish went well with some robust 'gravy', a rather solid block of pommes Anna and a thick lardon. Featherblade of Hereford beef, slow-cooked to tenderness, was an ideal winter warmer, the accompanying creamed mash and shavings of pickled carrot adding an extra helping of class. Puddings showcase the kitchen’s skill to the max: a light and creamy slice of custard tart paired with zesty lemon curd, perhaps, or luxurious chocolate fondant with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream, with crunch provided by a wafer-thin almond biscuit. Service, led by Helena Chapman, is unfailingly solicitous and polite (coping admirably with a 12-strong party at a neighbouring table during our visit). Wine is notable too: by-the-glass options on the (predominantly) Old World list cover most major grape varieties, and there's a decent choice of English sparklers.
All-conquering Soho boozer with impreccable credentials
Are Oisín Rogers, Charlie Carroll and Ashley Palmer-Watts champions of a new era in pubs? The Devonshire is certainly one of the most enjoyable places to eat in the capital – if you can get in (far too many people wan… Read more
Are Oisín Rogers, Charlie Carroll and Ashley Palmer-Watts champions of a new era in pubs? The Devonshire is certainly one of the most enjoyable places to eat in the capital – if you can get in (far too many people want to eat here). Yet it looks set to become an institution – and long may it continue, for this is no ordinary pub. Ingredients are impeccable and the strong meat-focused menu serves the kind of dishes you want to eat, especially in the lively environment of a central London watering hole where drinkers have their own space and staff are noted for their relaxed expertise. Dining rooms are divided between the first and second floors where, under the direction of Ashley Palmer-Watts (formerly executive chef at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal), the kitchen applies a certain simplicity and accuracy of cooking to impeccable ingredients.
Flames are at the heart of the operation, with wood-fired Ibérico pork chops, lamb cutlets, fillet, ribeye and T-bone steaks (plus lobsters) keeping company with the likes of lamb hotpot or beef and Guinness suet pudding on the hand-scrawled menu. Three wonderfully meaty scallops, lightly roasted, served in the shell with nothing more than a buttery, vinegary sauce and strips of crisp bacon, is a terrific opener that hammers home the kitchen’s modus operandi – namely sourcing prime ingredients and treating them with the utmost simplicity. And there’s something deeply comforting about a fixed price, no-choice lunch that can deliver real quality and value in the shape of prawn and langoustine cocktail, skirt steak with excellent chips and béarnaise sauce, and light, luscious sticky toffee pudding – all for £29.
Sunday's roast ribs of beef carved from a silver-domed trolley are terrific value too and have helped restore the tradition in this part of town. To drink, everyone orders Guinness – it’s fast achieving cult status here – and you can drink well without breaking the bank from the mainly European wine list. The pub now has its own 40-cover rooftop terrace for fine-weather dining (note that you can't book this separately).
Roast chicken and clever small plates in a converted city-centre caff
In 2022, Sam Pullan and his partner Nicole Deighton took over a long-deceased caff in a tucked-away corner off Briggate, turning it into an original and innovative restaurant. The revived Empire feels young and exciting altho… Read more
In 2022, Sam Pullan and his partner Nicole Deighton took over a long-deceased caff in a tucked-away corner off Briggate, turning it into an original and innovative restaurant. The revived Empire feels young and exciting although it's tiny, with room at street level for a smart little bar, where cocktails are shaken and they serve ‘the perfect Guinness’ against a backdrop of sparkling bottles and glassware, high stools and banquettes. You can eat here or in the windowless basement dining room, which may sound bleak but isn't: lamps on each table and Egon Schiele prints on the dark walls give it a cosy, welcoming vibe.
The constantly changing menu is made up of two halves (small or large plates) – perhaps a choux pastry éclair stuffed with duck liver parfait and finished with a sticky blood-orange glaze or pork pluma, cooked over charcoal and paired with a crunchy Lincolnshire Poacher cheese croquette and a lemon and treacle sauce. And whoever added tomato and crab ragù to a simple fried duck egg is onto something.
Roast chicken is the star of the show, turned on a giant rotisserie (billed as the ‘wall of flame’), with the fat and juices dripping down to ‘schmaltz’ the potatoes beneath. Choose whole or half, then pick your 'rub' and your ‘lather’ – perhaps smoked garlic and honey, or yuzu and ginger, or garlic, lemon and tarragon.
Pastel de nata has become an Empire signature, too. Freshly baked pastry cases filled with sweet custard are typically traditional, but they are lifted by the addition of Reblochon cheese plus a spoonful of roast chestnut purée on the side. Service is full of enthusiasm, and staff are great at talking everyone through the menu. 'A breath of fresh air for Leeds.'
Revitalised pub with rooms serving robustly flavoured food
A couple of miles inland from the coast, this 17th-century pub with rooms has long served as a refuge from Norfolk's seaside kerfuffle. But it wasn’t until 2023 that its food started attracting widespread attention with the … Read more
A couple of miles inland from the coast, this 17th-century pub with rooms has long served as a refuge from Norfolk's seaside kerfuffle. But it wasn’t until 2023 that its food started attracting widespread attention with the arrival of chef-patron Gareth Rayner and his robustly flavoured, skilfully balanced cooking.
Note the two brutal-looking gin-trap snares on the whitewashed exterior en route to the dimly lit bar with its healthy choice of local real ales. Also note the blackboard bar menu, which might dissuade you from venturing further with its offer of smoked cod’s roe with pickles and fried potatoes or steak tartare and beef-fat toast. Alternatively, trade up to the restaurant for a roster of equally enticing, seasonally changing dishes at serious prices. Sit in a light conservatory, the more traditional dining room (replete with oil paintings) or the heated outdoor courtyard.
A little serving of pork broth with pickled vegetables (offered gratis) might precede a glorious celebration of Cromer crab featuring an emulsion of the strongly flavoured brown meat matched with pickled turnip, miso butter and a delectable warm crumpet. We also liked a punchy little assembly of tender stewed pig’s cheek with smoked bacon, grated Old Winchester cheese and fresh peas.
Main courses ranging from lamb rump (juicy, pink, tender) given a North African edge with spiced aubergine and merguez-like sausage to succulent Cornish hake with beurre blanc and crunchy spring vegetables also indicated an assured hand in the kitchen – textures, flavours and colours in harmony. Ditto our dessert of forced rhubarb and custard millefeuille: an eye-catching composition contrasting deep-pink rhubarb sorbet with light-green pistachio cream. Service is willing (if occasionally unpractised), while a 60-strong French-accented wine list is supplemented by more than 100 gins, giving an entirely new meaning to the term 'gin trap'.
In a rural enclave some 12 miles east of Cheltenham, the Halfway at Kineton has been revitalised under the stewardship of chef Nathan Eades and Liam Goff (formerly of the Wild Rabbit at Kingham). Dating from the 17th century, and … Read more
In a rural enclave some 12 miles east of Cheltenham, the Halfway at Kineton has been revitalised under the stewardship of chef Nathan Eades and Liam Goff (formerly of the Wild Rabbit at Kingham). Dating from the 17th century, and with the river Windrush meandering nearby, their new home is an inviting, stone-built vision of Cotswold rusticity, complete with a garden that’s geared up for summertime fire-pit BBQs and beers. Inside, visitors can expect rustic farmhouse furniture, shiny leather chesterfields and other gentrified trappings, while the food speaks of seasonality. Eades works to an ever-evolving repertoire of gussied-up pub fare with a refined, sophisticated edge. Meticulous technique and pin-sharp presentation are the hallmarks, from nibbles of velvety tarama topped with crispy onions (‘an absolute delight’) to emphatically nostalgic desserts such as sticky toffee pudding (irresistibly moist sponge drenched in a treacly sauce) or Arctic roll with a nutty ice-cream filling harmonised by the tanginess of fresh raspberries. In between, there’s also plenty to impress. Our BBQ mackerel with a refreshing fennel, radish and pickled cucumber salad was a beautifully balanced starter with noticeable Scandi overtones – although the 24-month Comté rarebit on sourdough (cheese on toast taken to another level) also proved irresistible. Even better was a ‘sensational’ plate of melting braised lamb shoulder, accompanied by champ potatoes, tenderstem broccoli and olive tapenade. The pub’s renowned celeriac and mushroom pie was also an outright winner. Sunday lunch brings roast joints with all the trimmings, while drinks include zesty cocktails, local ales from Donnington Brewery and a slate of reasonably priced wines.
‘The quintessential village pub’ is one visitor's verdict on this handsome Cotswold hostelry with rooms – and we wholeheartedly agree. The ‘Killy’ retains the charm of a cosy local boozer – villagers drink real ale and… Read more
‘The quintessential village pub’ is one visitor's verdict on this handsome Cotswold hostelry with rooms – and we wholeheartedly agree. The ‘Killy’ retains the charm of a cosy local boozer – villagers drink real ale and chew the cud around a wood-burning stove in winter – yet its kitchen produces highly accomplished and full-flavoured cooking, courtesy of Adam Brown (who polished his craft at Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham). Diners head for the recently extended restaurant, where flagstoned flooring and stone walls dovetail well with the 17th-century bar. Panache is apparent early in a meal, perhaps with a delicate yet boldly flavoured appetiser of cheese and truffle gougère with a parsley emulsion. A thick little slice of smoked trout could follow, perked up by a zesty buttermilk and lovage sauce poured at table by one of the chatty, clued-up staff. Better still is a hillock of mushroom cream surrounded by celeriac velouté, with slices of cep and crunchy hazelnuts adding to the end-of-year flavours. Mains are similarly seasonal in style – notably a serving of juicy guinea fowl breast matched with nutty risotto-like pearl barley in a creamy chestnut velouté, the dish piqued by the bitter notes of caramelised chicory. A side of shredded ‘winter spiced’ red cabbage – tangy, sweet, rich – adds to the indulgence. Inventiveness and flair continue with desserts, witness a dark and luxurious chocolate délice, spiced with Szechuan peppercorns. The expertly annotated wine list keeps pace too, with big flavours galore – even in the kindly priced house selections.
The sign outside this whitewashed 17th-century inn – and its logo – reference the local custom of curling on the frozen waters of nearby Loch Kilconquhar, although most attention focuses on the output of the pub's… Read more
The sign outside this whitewashed 17th-century inn – and its logo – reference the local custom of curling on the frozen waters of nearby Loch Kilconquhar, although most attention focuses on the output of the pub's kitchen these days. This part of Fife feels fairly remote, but chef/co-owner James Ferguson is plugged into local supply lines – not least from the Balcaskie Estate, which oversees 2,000 acres of mainly coastal farmland hereabouts. Menus change daily, depending on what produce arrives at the kitchen door, so expect anything from refined seafood dishes such as steamed razor clams in oloroso to a starter of Shetland lamb offal, fired with pickled chilli and served with yoghurt flatbread. Line-caught mackerel might take its place among mains, grilled and served with horseradish-infused baby beetroot, while russet Tamworths provide the pork chops that are cooked with fennel, onions and sage. When it comes to finishers, homemade ice creams with oaty shortbread are hard to beat, or look further afield for a sorbet of Amalfi lemons soused in Polish vodka. Drinks include craft beers and cider, plus a short but enterprising wine selection. There are tables outside for the balmy seasons, and an air of simple rusticity within (complete with candlelight in the evenings) – thanks to co-owner Alethea Palmer, who runs the place with appreciable cheer and a breadth of welcome that extends to pre-advised dogs in the bar area.
Revitalised 16th-century hostelry in the Surrey Hills
The venerable Merry Harriers is to be found in the village of Hambledon (not the Hampshire one) near Godalming, a rural enclave set in a buffer of fields and woodland. It has been kitted out to suit the modern mood, with a soft gr… Read more
The venerable Merry Harriers is to be found in the village of Hambledon (not the Hampshire one) near Godalming, a rural enclave set in a buffer of fields and woodland. It has been kitted out to suit the modern mood, with a soft green colour scheme and bentwood chairs at unclothed tables, plus candlelight in the evenings and fires in winter. A menu that exhaustively lists all the kitchen's and cellar's local suppliers inspires confidence, and the food is just what country-pub aficionados want to eat, with plenty of praise lavished on the Sunday lunch offer – a choice of ‘impeccably cooked’ roast platters, piled high and designed for two to share.
On the regular menu, lightly horseradished smoked mackerel pâté might compete with Trenchmore Farm beef tartare and plum ketchup, before mains take flight with some more adventurous ideas. Pork chop with sweetcorn, girolles and pickled walnuts delivered an impressive array of flavours when we visited, the superlative quality of the meat shining forth; a pheasant schnitzel with pickled red cabbage and pink firs was almost as good, although it needed a little more in the way of lubrication than an evanescent suggestion of beurre noisette. A fish option could be baked hake in bouillabaisse with saffron-scented fennel, while pumpkin and spelt risotto with hazelnuts, sage and chilli provides robust sustenance on the vegetable front.
At the sticky end of things, everybody will feel spoilt by the likes of gingered-up sticky toffee pudding or a version of knickerbocker glory that finds room for chocolate mousse, candied orange and bits of homemade brownie. There's an impressive varietal spread on the carefully compiled wine list, ascending to the majesty of a mature classed-growth St-Émilion at a fraction of what you would pay in the not-too-distant capital.
Impressively refurbished village inn with high culinary aspirations
In 2021, new owners gave the Millbrook Inn a much-needed makeover, but thankfully the refit has been done with restrained taste and the place still retains its identity as a local pub in a pretty south Devon village. There's … Read more
In 2021, new owners gave the Millbrook Inn a much-needed makeover, but thankfully the refit has been done with restrained taste and the place still retains its identity as a local pub in a pretty south Devon village. There's a spruced up outdoor terrace with parasols, a pair of new holiday cottages across the road for tranquil getaways, and an extra dining space on the upper floor, where spindly old rafters and a paper globe lantern set the tone.
Better still, the menu is now buttressed with organically produced rare-breed meats from the family farmstead (Fowlescombe) and the cooking is now in the experienced hands of Tom Westerland (ex-Gilpin Hotel in Cumbria), who is nudging the Millbrook in the direction of destination dining. Look at the precision and quality in a starter of pickled and salted farm cucumber with miniature cucamelon, sheep's curd and mint, or the savoury indulgence of beef carpaccio adorned with truffled horseradish cream and crispy capers.
Dressed Salcombe crab is every bit as fresh and toothsome as is proper, although it could do with a little more of the gribiche and farm herbs that partner it, while the Manx Loaghton hogget (cut into thick chops) is sensational, its fatty fringe blistered, the interior rosy-pink, sauced with its own jus at the table and accompanied by surprisingly delicate charred spring onion and courgettes. The day's fish is done in the charcoal oven and presented with smoked potatoes and samphire in caper-strewn brown butter.
Afters might offer bitter chocolate tart with raspberry sorbet or buttermilk panna cotta with strawberries and elderflower, but the sticky toffee crowd isn't ignored. Fans also say that Tom Westerland's Sunday lunch is ‘absolute perfection’, with superb meat, copious quantities of veg and other traditional accompaniments. In the drinking stakes, South Devon beers and ciders are given a spotlight of their own, while the adventurous wine list reaches for the stars, with glasses starting at £6.80 for a light Lisboa red.
Squeezed between a busy road and the Stourbridge Canal basin, this recently renovated industrial-era pub attracts fervent local support – especially for its Sunday roasts, where ‘perfectly pink’ beef, ‘amaz… Read more
Squeezed between a busy road and the Stourbridge Canal basin, this recently renovated industrial-era pub attracts fervent local support – especially for its Sunday roasts, where ‘perfectly pink’ beef, ‘amazing’ beetroot Wellington, and ‘phenomenal’ Yorkshires are singled out. The modern interior, with wooden flooring, sensitive lighting and a woodburning stove, has a homely, family feel in winter, while a tarmacked beer garden with views of the canal adds summertime appeal and is soon to be converted into a separate dining area.
Local suppliers are proudly name-checked on the main menu, which offers an appealing blend of modern pub food and Mediterranean-accented cooking. The kitchen is renowned for 'very generous portions’, and our visit began with an unnervingly huge ‘small plate’ of tender beef brisket surrounded by cheesy Parmesan polenta and topped with salsa verde. A request for horseradish brought a saucer of the freshly grated root in cream – the kitchen’s attention to detail is impressive. The ensuing ‘large plate’ was equally full flavoured and bountiful: a glisteningly white fillet of cod resting on a stew of beans, tomatoes and chorizo.
Puddings are also enticing – our tangy Bramley and cranberry crumble (paired with salted-caramel ice cream) came with unexpected squares of toasted gingerbread to boost its crunch. Staff receive universal praise; we found them polite, on-the-ball and exceedingly prompt. Breakfast (served Thursday to Sunday) includes the likes of kedgeree and shakshuka as well as the ‘Full Monty’. Wines are supplied by a local vintner, and the brief, good-value list is a cut above the norm; alternatively, enjoy a pint of real ale from a choice of four regularly rotated brews. This is, after all, a proper pub.
Hayfield in the Peak District was the birthplace of Arthur Lowe, Dad's Army's Captain Mainwaring, and is a favoured rest-stop for those tramping the Derbyshire hills. At its heart, the stone-built Pack Horse aims to be more than j… Read more
Hayfield in the Peak District was the birthplace of Arthur Lowe, Dad's Army's Captain Mainwaring, and is a favoured rest-stop for those tramping the Derbyshire hills. At its heart, the stone-built Pack Horse aims to be more than just the standard village pub, with a conscientious ethos of sustainable supplies from local sources, ranging from meat butchered only four miles away to unimpeachable regional fresh produce.
Menus follow the rhythm of the seasons (as celebrated in the kitchen's own cookbook) and the food has the kind of contemporary appeal that makes the place a destination. Glazed High Peak lamb belly appears surprisingly in a starter with a leafy salad and yoghurt, while scallops in brown butter gain an edge from pickled apple and kohlrabi.
Fish is generally handled with assurance, producing a main course of charcoal-roasted halibut with mushroom and smoked bacon bourguignon and pommes Anna accompaniments, while similar inspiration from the French provincial cookbook informs a dish of pork belly with a cassoulet of trotter and beans plus a salsa verde dressing. The charcoal oven comes into its own on Wednesdays, when a special menu includes Barnsley chops and rump steak.
To finish, there might be blood-orange and olive-oil cake with whipped ricotta or salted-caramel custard tart and almond Chantilly. Quality growers abound on the inspiring wine list, which opens with small glasses at £5.70, before darting acquisitively around both hemispheres.
Good-value Med-oriented cooking in atmospheric surroundings
In a retooled bank building in Edinburgh's Haymarket district, the Palmerston makes a virtue of the decorative style of yesteryear. Lots of dark wood, an uncovered floor and bentwood café chairs create an atmosphere of old-… Read more
In a retooled bank building in Edinburgh's Haymarket district, the Palmerston makes a virtue of the decorative style of yesteryear. Lots of dark wood, an uncovered floor and bentwood café chairs create an atmosphere of old-world civility rather than anything too severe, while tall windows provide the daylight.
The place opens at 9am for coffee and pastries, to encourage a little constructive dawdling on the way to work, but full services introduce a neat, seasonal menu of up-to-the-minute, Med-oriented bistro dishes with a strong backbone of pedigree regional supplies. Dishes often pack several punches in one concentrated package: brandade and puntarelle are dressed in chilli, capers and dill, while duck rillettes are sharpened to a fine point with pickled clementine.
A reporter's spring dinner that took in a rabbit sausage, as well as ox heart and chips, spoke for many in its admiration for the kitchen's respectful approach to meats, but there was praise too for pollack with clams in creamy cider sauce. Fans have also enthused about the pasta dishes. Lamb comes from Shetland, and could be served 'en crépinette' with mashed swede, while a canonical rendition of coq au vin for two (rich with ceps and bacon) is accompanied by mustard greens.
To conclude, the kitchen's bakery skills are spotlit for the likes of chocolate, almond and pear cake, and the heavenly rhubarb sorbet is also mentioned in dispatches. Free bread is the kind of touch that gets everybody onside. The enterprising cosmopolitan wine list is a closely printed miscellany of thoroughbred bottles, opening with a Soave Classico and Dão red at £27, and there is a clutch of quality fortified libations.
Tucked deep within Highgate at its most herbaceous, the Red Lion & Sun makes every effort to appeal to what a dining clientele expects to find in a modern pub. Inside, it's done out in cool light blue, with simple wood furnitu… Read more
Tucked deep within Highgate at its most herbaceous, the Red Lion & Sun makes every effort to appeal to what a dining clientele expects to find in a modern pub. Inside, it's done out in cool light blue, with simple wood furniture and a long bar with stools, plus a glassed-in conservatory room and two open garden areas (with heaters) too. It's as near to the ‘country pub’ experience as a hostelry in the metropolis can get.
A well-drilled team fronts the place, and the kitchen turns out a daily changing menu, updated every morning on the website, and formulated in conjunction with the local Highgate butchers: not surprisingly, the Sunday lunch session is always wildly popular, when prime cuts of 35-day, dry-aged Aberdeen Angus beef are the stars (including côte de boeuf for sharing). Meanwhile, the regular repertoire covers a lot of ground: Korean-spiced chicken wings or Dorset crab served in Basque style suggest a cosmopolitan approach to starters, or there might be chargrilled sardines doused in olive oil, lemon and garlic. Roasts typically take in slow-cooked, properly crackled pork belly with a cloud of buttery mash, but casserole cookery is good too – duck cassoulet appears in its canonical bean stew, elevated by the fat from chunks of smoked sausage.
Desserts plough a populist furrow, taking in Eton mess, sticky toffee pudding or passion-fruit cheesecake. For those who are already sweet enough, British artisan cheeses come with Dorset pear paste and crackers. A conscientiously curated wine list starts at £8 for a glass of organic Montepulciano d'Abruzzo; there are also good cask ales, and not one but a whole selection of mezcals for the truly intrepid.
A centrally located watering hole with food that's worth knowing about
Beamed unexpectedly into the middle of the Wigmore, you might easily imagine you were in a London pub, albeit one that has been spruced and burnished to a high degree. A happy babble fills the air, there are cask ales and craft be… Read more
Beamed unexpectedly into the middle of the Wigmore, you might easily imagine you were in a London pub, albeit one that has been spruced and burnished to a high degree. A happy babble fills the air, there are cask ales and craft beers being quaffed all round (including the house special, Saison) and the offer extends to early-bird breakfasts and roasts on Sundays. The fact that the Wigmore is in a component organ of the conspicuously snazzy Langham Hotel, its kitchen overseen by Michel Roux Jr, is a mere background detail to the scene.
The bar snacks are a noticeable cut above the norm of your average neighbourhood boozer. The focaccia comes with caponata and vegan feta, or you could plump for crispy artichoke with saffron aïoli – in acknowledgement of the instinct for something crunchy to eat with beer. Otherwise, splash out on the gooey ‘XXL stovetop toastie’, a three-cheese goodie. If you graduate to the main courses, expect roast cod with cauliflower and curried leeks, pearl barley risotto or braised venison with pumpkin purée and chanterelles.
Whether you're calling them a snack or a side, the fat chips showered in Bloody Mary salt are worth the asking price, and nobody will baulk at cinnamon-spiced cheesecake with prune and apple compôte to finish. If you're more grape than grain, fear not. There's a decent showing of wines by the glass, with crisp whites and full-throttle reds adding to the gaiety.
Opened under new ownership at the end of 2023, this old red brick pub on a city-centre backstreet has a deceptively large and modern interior. For drinkers, there’s a bar and a cosy snug (along with high-quality real ales an… Read more
Opened under new ownership at the end of 2023, this old red brick pub on a city-centre backstreet has a deceptively large and modern interior. For drinkers, there’s a bar and a cosy snug (along with high-quality real ales and cider on tap), while diners have various options: a section off the bar with round tables as well as seating for couples, a first-floor space (the Gallery) for private parties, and a bright ground-floor ‘Orangery’ overlooking the little urban garden.
Like the decor, the food is contemporary in style – a collection of small and large plates (available all-day on Fridays and Saturdays) served by enthusiastic young staff who also get an honourable mention from readers. There’s ambition here, both in the drinks selection (pairings from the well-thought-out wine list are offered with main courses) and the food, which incorporates fusion assemblies as well as pub food of the burger/meat-platter ilk.
Results can vary, with the stars at inspection being an expertly judged ‘small plate’ of three ox cheek tacos (tender meat and crunchy cucumber salsa, topped with a generous squiggle of spicy chermoula), and a moreish pudding of warm carrot and pecan cake with delectable ‘beurre noisette’ cream cheese and ice cream. Less accomplished was a ‘large plate’ of smoked tofu laksa (one of several diverting vegetarian options), where authentic Asian flavours were hard to discern among the general creaminess. A convivial hubbub and a groovy soundtrack of obscure 60s and 70s tunes (chosen by the staff) add to the vibe, and we've had abundant praise for the Sunday roasts.
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