Ripley is one of the amiably well-to-do villages of Surrey, surrounded by farmland and replete with boutique homeware shops, cosy deli/cafes and red-brick dining pubs. Yet even though Surrey is the most cushy and well-to-do county in all of Englandshire, for the longest time there was a desert of good places to eat twixt the …
Category Archive: Rest of UK
Outside of London
Review: The Mole Inn, Toot Baldon
Living in Ludlow, I often find myself rolling up and down the M40 to the metropolis. So it’s useful to know a few good eats not too far from the motorway, to break up a tedious drive with a nice lunch or supper. One such spot is The Crabmill at Preston Bagot. It’s the absolute …
Review: Green Cafe, Ludlow
It’s terribly inconsiderate of The Green Cafe to close throughout January. Who said they could have a holiday? I want lunch! I want the best chicken liver pate ever created, with crispy bits of French stick toast and the most fruity and punchy fig chutney to cut the savoury meatiness perfectly. I want a bowl …
Review: The Wellington Arms, Hampshire
Last Christmas we took a break from festivities entirely. In the middle of travelling around the world for a year, we found ourselves in Cambodia and in the town of Siam Reap. Essentially a tourist service centre for the astonishing ruins of Angkor Wat. And there wasn’t the tiniest hint or mention of Christmas anywhere. …
Review: 24 St George’s, Brighton
I managed to live in the south-east of England for many years before discovering that Brighton pays host to the second largest arts festival in the UK, after Edinburgh. It rumbles on for about three weeks in June with music, dance, theatre, comedy, book talks, galleries, outside performance and all manner of other chicanery. There’s …