Gerrards Cross, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

Katherine (daughter of the late Terry Wogan) and Henry Cripps have long stewarded this top-class, good-value gastroboozer, in a “nice location” near the local golf club; the “seriously good food” makes it “much more than a pub” and “friendly staff” ensure a good welcome.

This “fantastic” brick-and-timber boozer is a properly historic venue which, at 900 years old, may even be England’s oldest free house; its warren-like rooms have featured on many a TV show (not least ‘Midsomer Murders’, which is namechecked by their chicken pie), and its menu of pleasing classics (burgers, fish pies) plays an admirable supporting role.

A “very pleasant country pub” helmed by Sally & Alvin Michaels for two decades, and whose “good food” of Anglo-French bent (including home-smoked fish and meat, and local game) “attracts diners from well beyond its area”; indeed, one reporter who took far-flung American visitors found that they “loved the location and quaintness” of this attractive Georgian locale – also handy for the Harry Potter experience at Warner Bros Studio nearby.

2021 Review: “Just reopened and even better than before”, this ultra-lux country-house hotel has an unusual ‘high-concept’ buffet-style dining room inspired by Asian food halls, with chefs cooking at eight ‘live action food stations’ (robata grill, seafood, tandoor oven et al), from which guests choose as much as they want. It’s not fine dining, but it is good-value in its way and it’s something-for-everyone style suits entertaining or a family get-together.

There’s no doubting that Heston Blumenthal’s fifteenth-century tavern, a short walk from his Fat Duck flagship, is a “good gastropub”, and the majority of reporters are thrilled by its upscale pub food. But the celeb chef’s exalted reputation (reflected in the prices) means that expectations are sky-high – and though a majority of diners are well satisfied, visits “can be disappointing” (“our battered fish was hard and dry on the inside. Not acceptable at these prices!)”

There’s no doubting the “wonderful location, especially in summer” at this outpost of Richard Caring’s brasserie empire, where the “lovely décor” inside is matched by a pretty garden. While caveats remain over the service and food (Caring’s venues are “never knowingly under-priced”), for the majority the overall package is “solidly pleasing” (“even for a non-chain- lover”).

2023 Review: In June 202, Dom Chapman took on this well-known Thames-valley pub (he also owns The Beehive in White Waltham, see also), which had been run by the Bonwick family for the previous nine years. It opened too late for feedback in our annual diners’ poll, but an early report from fooderati insider, Andy Hayler, suggested that Champan will be continuing the high quality of The Beehive and also the Bonwicks’ former regime here: “service… was excellent. Overall, this was a very enjoyable evening, The Crown offering a very appealing menu and generally well-made food. … this is already shaping up to be a charming restaurant, and based on the chef’s track record I expect the food to progress further from this solid start”.

2021 Review: This smart village pub with a garden incorporates a very French dining room, ‘La Cloche’, which serves bistro classics with a nod to the hearty dishes of the southwest, along with a good selection of wine and beer.

“Wonderful décor, a nice mix of cocktails and a lively buzz make this a very good local” that works equally “for a romantic meal or for celebrating a special event”. The new branch in Chiswick generates most of the feedback this year, but Lorraine Angliss (also owner of Annie’s and Little Bird) has run the Richmond original for 15 years.

A “top pub garden” is the trump card of this handsome, green-tiled tavern on the Chiswick-Acton border, and it’s backed up by “super-attentive service, great food” and “a lively buzz”. It’s been “consistently good” in its current guise for more than 20 years.