The Black Rat

Now owned by the people behind the adjacent Black Boy pub, The Black Rat is a white-painted boozer-cum-restaurant that has benefited from sympathetic re-modelling. Old beams & timbers, dark floorboards, exposed brickwork & a big inglenook are reminders of the past, while unadorned wood tables & old church chairs are an intrinsic part of the Rat’s unpretentious charm. Menus aren’t short on appeal or imagination either, & the accomplished modern British repertoire is built around locally sourced, seasonal produce: expect generosity & punchy flavours in dishes such as saddle of venison with red cabbage, broccoli & blackcurrant sauce. Good desserts too, if a pistachio & olive oil cake with marmalade ice cream is anything to go by.