“First and foremost, our food has to be delicious, well balanced, and not too heavy. Second, we of course want it to be made from ingredients that are sourced from passionate suppliers – be that buttermilk from a local dairy, oysters from Porthilly, or radishes grown in the garden. In addition, our menus always reflect the seasons – whether produce from our own garden or from our suppliers. Another big thing is that we like to encourage the experience to be unstuffy, and there are dishes we would encourage to be eaten as finger food, for example the asparagus spears dipped in egg yolk and hollandaise, and front of house (or the chef) will always encourage you to do so.”

Mini Yorkshire pudding and steak tartare; Wye Valley asparagus with hazelnut dukkah, brown butter hollandaise, and hen’s egg; and brown butter poached turbot with hay-baked oyster, buttermilk, peas, and radish.

Josh and Holly took over this 200-year-old pub with its gorgeous views over the Chew Valley in 2006, and it’s now one of the country’s great gastropubs, employing all the best principles but wearing the ethical commitment lightly so that guests focus mostly on the wonderful cooking. We especially like how they encourage children to enjoy smaller portions of à la carte dishes – such as poached white fish with vegetables, a small ploughman’s lunch, a bowl of mussels – instead of just chucking chicken nuggets at them.