Marlborough, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

Australian Dan Bond’s unpretentious restaurant, which gained an outdoor marquee in covid times, is a real local hit; “you know everyone will like the food, you know it will be fair value” and “you know they’ll work their socks off to give you a good time”….“plus, Dan’s just a good bloke”, so “how could it not be everyone’s favourite?” Top Tip – “their occasional wine dinners are great fun too”.

“One of Rick Stein’s smarter outposts” – this centrally located outpost of the celeb chef family’s empire occupies a period building on the high street, and is a useful option in this surprisingly thinly provided area, including for “a business chat with friends”. Limited but positive feedback this year on its cooking, although the indication is that it’s “very decent”.

2023 Review: Complete with a riverside terrace, this privately owned pub near Newbury receives a good rep in our annual diners’ poll for its 40-seat dining room overlooking the river Lambourn, where chef Sam Cary aims to deliver ‘refined modern British pub food’. In an April 2022 visit, Tatler’s Fay Maschler declared it “a rare jewel of a country pub” offering “everything you want a welcome to be”.

2023 Review: “Always reliable, serving exceptional food for a village pub”, say fans of Dave Watts’s rural inn, where classic pub dishes jostle on the menu with somewhat more ambitious fare. Top Tip – “the plat du jour is unbelievable value!”