These British pubs serve food worth travelling for

A few decades ago, pubs were for pints, and the food, when offered, tended to be simple and stodgy. But British culinary culture changed forever in 1991 when The Eagle opened its doors in London’s Clerkenwell and coined the term ‘gastropub’; its focus on high-quality dining as well as drinking raised the bar.

Today, many British pubs count a Michelin star — or two, in the case of Tom Kerridge’s Hand & Flowers in Marlow. Leading chefs are proudly presenting themselves as publicans, from Adam Handling (Tartan Fox, Cornwall) and Tommy Banks (The Abbey Inn, North Yorkshire) to Heston Blumenthal, whose Hinds Head in Bray, Berkshire, has been awarded Best Pub for Food in the Great British Pub Awards 2024.

Some of the inns on our list are elevating classic pub grub, others reviving lost regional recipes or even showcasing international flavours. What you can count on, though, are filling dishes in a relaxed setting — with roaring fires, flagstone floors and wooden beams more or less a requirement.

Live-fire cooking and Cornish coastal produce shine in this recently restored freehouse. Picture Roseland Peninsula hispi cabbage and black garlic, moorland lamb and signature ‘pillow’ flatbreads all perfectly charred in the open grill, then devoured in firelit snugs or the suntrap beer garden, depending on the season. The Sunday roasts are fit for a king — apt, since local legend states Henry VIII once visited the inn — accompanied by family-style vats of veg and homemade sauces. The reasonably priced lunch menu of crowd-pleasers — including a grilled Cornish farmhouse cheddar sandwich — and extensive real ale selection ensure the local community keeps coming in addition to the down-from-London crowd. Mains from £12. 

This Bray boozer’s recently win at the Great British Pub Awards coincided with its 20th birthday as a gastropub, and added to its longstanding Michelin star. As you might expect from a pub owned by Heston Blumenthal (the head chef is Edoardo Brambilla), nostalgic dishes are reimagined with a playful wink and technical wizardry; for example, the Quaking Pudding, a wobbling nutmeg- and cinnamon-infused evolution of a medieval custard-based sweet. The oak-beamed, dark-walled building, originally a hunting lodge, gives Blumenthal’s signature recipes — such as runny-yolked Scotch eggs and triple-cooked chips, which have sparked countless imitations in gastropubs nationwide — a fittingly theatrical backdrop. Mains from £31.

Set within a 1,000-acre deer park, The Gunton Arms rears its own venison, which features in posh sausage rolls or a warming stew. Old-school British flavours are scattered with a few international influences (crab pasta, lamb kofte, aubergine croquettes), from the kitchen headed up by Hix alumnus Stuart Tattersall. Six days a week, meat is cooked over a large open fire in the Elk Room — so called for the antlered specimen mounted above the hearth — where oak-panelled walls are decorated with contemporary art by major names such as Tracey Emin and Lucian Freud. Mains from £16.

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Living up to its name, this country inn carries a dash of renegade spirit, with the menu taking a Mediterranean turn to offer what it describes as ‘Britalian’ fusion food. Kick off with ‘nduja and taleggio arancini, plus fried, chilli-flecked oysters, before admiring the artistry of its colourful, mains – the black and yellow polka dots of a confit golden yolk, pickled onion gel and cheese-filled ravioli, for instance. Or shards of 70% Tosier chocolate resting upon amaretto-anointed cherries. It’s enough to rival the modernist paintings on the pub’s wood-panelled walls. Mains from £23.

Pub landlord Nick Parkinson (son of legendary TV presenter Michael) is making waves in the picturesque North Pennines by masterfully treading the line between hearty classics and finer offerings. Sure, steak and chips are on the menu, but they’re served as sirloin steak with braised short rib, black garlic, cavolo nero and chips of the triple-cooked variety. The burger is melt-in-the-mouth venison sandwiched between pillowy brioche, and the cheese board upgrades the standard crackers to a date-and-walnut loaf and pickled celery. This inn, which also has four rooms, has already made the Michelin Guide and The Good Food Guide — not bad for its first year. Mains from £20.

This pub in the foodie town of Clitheroe focuses on serving food that’s filling, flavoursome and pleasurable rather than fashionable. Pies are a stalwart, their glazed pork-fat pastry and generous savoury fillings racking up multiple awards over the years. Regional culinary heritage is well represented, including Lancashire hotpot and wet nelly — the county’s traditional bread pudding. Ingredients, whether foraged or farm-sourced, come from within a strict 30-mile radius, encompassing delicacies such as Morecambe Bay turbot and Meanley Estate pheasant. Three courses from £50.

A Josper oven, fired by charcoal produced in a local forest, works its smoky magic on produce such as olive-fed Wagyu ribeye, dry-aged loin of Gloucester old spot, scallops and even Jersey royal potatoes, at this 16th-century coaching inn. Being in the ‘garden of England’ and only 10 miles from the coast, there are rich pickings on the Bridge Arms’ doorstep. Like its nearby sister restaurant, The Fordwich Arms, the Bridge Arms is owned by publican power couple Daniel and Natasha Smith, and holds a Michelin star. Mains from £24.

Taking seasonal, sustainable sourcing to elevated heights, The Farmers Arms’ plot-to-plate menu is largely supplied by pioneering Birch Farm, its sister permaculture and agroforestry project, which is a few minutes’ walk up the country lane (book a tour before dining at the pub). The quality sings even in a green salad – featuring unusual ingredients like nettles, lime tree leaves or grape leaves – while the farm’s rare heritage breeds make for an exceptional hogget shepherd’s pie and house-cured charcuterie platters. Start with an aperitif, such as a foraged nettle and rosehip bramble, from an inventive cocktail list that leans on homemade fruit cordials and spirit infusions. Mains from £18.

With celebrity chef Tom Kitchin as co-founder, The Scran & Scallie reels in diners from far and wide. Bidding guests to ‘Sit ye doon yer welcome’, its unpretentious scran (grub) proudly showcases the Scottish larder, with home-cured salmon, seared Orkney scallops and, naturally, haggis, neeps and tatties. Even the burger is made from Highland Wagyu beef. Perennial pub favourites — including steak pie or ham, egg and chips — also make the menu. Desserts, meanwhile, hark back to childhood classics (vanilla rice pudding, ice-cream sundaes), but with suggested whisky pairings. Mains from £16.50. 

The capital is, unsurprisingly, packed with gourmet watering holes, but The Harwood Arms is the only one with a Michelin star. On its short daily menu, game is always a fixture, as are vegetables from the rooftop garden in summer. Pâté en croûte has become a signature too, with seasonally changing meat fillings and homemade relishes, jellies or pickles, while heritage puddings include milk flan with quince, and custard tart with blackberry jam and ginger. And although pewter tankards hang on the walls, wine is the drink of choice here, with some fine French vintages on the list. Diners can also choose BYOB (corkage £40). Two courses from £64.

Whipped cod’s roe on fried potato skin, fava bean panisse with beetroot ketchup, potted wild boar on toast — it’s easy to get carried away with bar snacks at this Usk Valley up-and-comer. The weekly menu keeps things concise, though, offering a trio of options for each course, all of them prettily plated and offering a lighter, more modern take on classic pub food. Use of local suppliers — including The Welsh Truffle Company, Talgarth Mill for flour and Creedy Carver, where poultry is sourced — highlights the team’s commitment to product provenance. Mains from £21.