The Hinds Head hotel offers medieval cuisine

Bridging the gap between pricey restaurant dinners in high class settings and uninspiring food in a traditional pub, gastropubs are a welcome new breed of eateries.

The gastropub idea is considered to have started at The Eagle in Clerkenwell, London. Owners David Eyre and Mike Belben chose to shun the usual dramatic tablecloths, elaborate decoration and fancy menus. ‘What I wanted to do at The Eagle,’ Eyre explains, ‘was to break down that invisible, but very off-putting barrier, that stands at the entrance of every restaurant and proclaims “How much is this going to cost me?”.’ Instead, blackboards broadcast the daily menu, there was no need to tip, and the food spoke for itself. The Eagle surpassed its first year’s projected figures after just seven weeks. Since then many of the country’s most renowned chefs have moved in on the lucrative market and set up gastropubs under their own name, with dishes inspired by their more pricey haute cuisine.

Nigel Haworth – The Highwayman
Haworth focuses on traditional North West dishes, and his suppliers are local people he knows and trusts to bring him the best. With rabbit pie, Lancashire curd tart and a Tri Counties cheeseboard, there’s something for everyone, even a special menu for the kids.
Burrow, Kirkby, Lonsdale, LA6 2RJ
Contact: 01524 273 338 www.highwaymaninn.co.uk

Heston Blumenthal – The Hinds Head
Blumenthal chose to serve classic British food as research for his experimental restaurant, The Fat Duck. ‘The building itself is Tudor and it seemed only natural to explore the cuisine of that time,’ Blumenthal told us. ‘Since then it has just opened up a whole new world of research and development and dishes,’ including oxtail and kidney pudding, pea and ham soup and Quaking pudding.
The High Street, Bray, Berkshire, SL6 2AB
01628 626 151 www.thehindsheadhotel.com

Angela Hartnett – York and Albany
With Angela Hartnett as head chef the menus promise to be unfussy, seasonal and truly delicious. Overlooking Regent’s Park, York and Albany also has a delicatessen, a tapas menu served all day and a complete cocktail list offering plenty of fruity refreshment. 
127–129 Parkway, Camden, London, NW1 7PS
Contact: 020 7388 3344 www.gordonramsay.com/yorkandalbany

Gordon Ramsay – The Narrow
Ramsay’s business partner and father-in-law Chris Hutchinson has said their first gastropub opening, The Narrow in London’s Limehouse, was an ‘embarassing success’. This truly is a place to relax among open fireplaces and comfortable lounging chairs, offering a traditional menu served with the irresistible Ramsay panache.
44 Narrow Street, London, E14 8DP
Contact: 020 7592 7950 www.gordonramsay.com/thenarrow