Newark Restaurant Guide

“The George in Stamford is a lovely old hotel” – in fact it’s questionable if there is any grander coaching inn anywhere in the realm to rival it – and “dining is offered in a range of areas including the garden room, out in a large courtyard and a formal dining room”. The price shown is for the latter, ‘The Oak Room’ – an extremely fine if old-fashioned chamber that’s “ideal for business”. The cuisine here is not cutting edge, with pricing that would not seem out-of-place in a top hotel in Mayfair, but you are paying for the overall experience, including the biblical wine list assembled over many years. Top Tip – the £60 per head prix fixe menu here, with the option of both carved beef and puddings from their respective, gleaming vintage trolleys, is probably the best bet if you are budget-conscious.

Opened in 2020 and now a firm part of the Stamford scene, Oliver & Joseph Regis’s quirky venue is a “delightful, if slightly cramped, space” in one of the town’s gorgeous 16th-century buildings, where Dameon Clarke (ex-of Rywell’s ‘Wicked Witch’) oversees the “well-accomplished food” – be it the small plates available in the bar or the relaxed fine-dining menu on offer by night.