Leighton Buzzard, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2024 Review: “All food pubs should be like this!” – according to fans of this “perfect pit stop” on the outskirts of town. “You can’t fault the intent or enthusiasm of the service and the food, if unadventurous, is very decent”.

Choose from either the 16-seat chef’s table experience or eating in the main restaurant if you visit this ambitious venue under chef Scott Barnard’s (two times runner-up in Masterchef: The Professionals). The former is £135 per person, while the latter provides a three-course meal for £80 per person. Feedback is limited but says “it’s very good”.

“A hidden gem, off the beaten track in Ashridge Forest”, this village pub is “well worth finding” for its “very interesting menu (that changes every fortnight) and pretty rural location” just outside London. David & Becky Salisbury have been at the helm for more than 25 years, and ensure that the kitchen keeps abreast of contemporary dietary requirements.

2022 Review: You can eat like a Rothschild at this gastropub on the Waddeston estate, dining on meat from the estate’s farms and vegetables from Baron Rothschild’s walled garden at Eythrope. The pub serves “really excellent food” and is set in “pleasant countryside”, with profits going to support the historic Waddesdon Manor, now owned by the National Trust while the Baron retains the estate. There is also afternoon ‘teapas’ – a selection of savoury small plates and more traditional scones and cakes.

“Fascinating dishes served with enthusiasm” make a meal at this small tasting menu-only restaurant on the edge of town “a great experience”. Steven Barringer is a “passionate chef” heading a young team “who clearly care” and he takes the time to chat to his guests, while his cooking is both “interesting and subtle”, in particular the “superb fish dishes” and “amazing desserts”.

“Excellent restaurant-quality cooking” – “several notches above typical gastropub standard” – wins fans for this venue on the edge of a common in a “quaint town in leafy Hertfordshire”. Chef and co-owner Matthew Reeder operated a supper club on the premises when it was run as a pub by his father; he later returned with the skills he picked up working in some top-class kitchens (The Typing Room, Galvin Bros, Anglo, where he was head chef), delivering meals that “take some beating”. ‘Steak nights’ do feature, but more characteristic dishes include the likes of Salt Marsh Lamb, Pea à la Française, Black Garlic; or Roasted John Dory, Caper, and Sea Herbs.