The Peasant

The Peasant was a grand Victorian gin palace in a previous life & retains a raffish streak to this day. Despite the heritage (check out the centuries-old mosaic floor), pop art adorns the walls of the downstairs bar, which is also generously stocked with real ales. A textbook bar menu includes burgers & gammon with gravy for students from the nearby City University, but grown-ups tend to head upstairs for ‘long family lunches’ in the quieter restaurant. Here, amid art nouveau posters & circus knick-knacks, the kitchen sends out a lively menu with a few deviations from the predictable pub norm – think free-range rabbit & black pudding salad or seared line-caught yellowfin tuna with salsify & borlotti beans. Roasts steal the show on Sundays.