Sands End

This corner pub was given a facelift by the new owners at the end of 2007. It's now light-filled, with cream-coloured walls, old oak floorboards, candles on the tables and blackboard menus. The staff are enthusiastic and clearly committed to the place, whether they're pouring you a pint of real ale (from the Hook Norton brewery perhaps) or dishing up the British Isles menu, which has a recognisably Irish accent. The bread is good, baked daily on the premises. Scallops were served with discs of black pudding, a pleasing combination and done well. But corned beef and carrot pie disappointed: the hot-water crust was served slightly burnt, yet the filling was lukewarm. Summer pudding was the best dessert, sharp and running with dark juices. There are two wine lists: the regular one, and a version for the kind of people who think nothing of ordering a £65 bottle to go with their pub grub (amazingly, there was no shortage of these on our visit). Even the more modest wine list is packed with well-chosen bottles, with more than a dozen sold by the glass.