The Talbot

Sisters Wiz & Annie Clift have their roots deep in local soil at this unsung genius of a gastropub. Everything except their culinary inspiration comes from the local landscape or the garden at the back, & what they can’t cook & serve immediately, they pickle – they are the queens of pickling, serving piccalilli with pig's head brawn, say, or teaming pickled plums with local goats’ cheese & caramelised apples. The food has a directness & richness of flavour, while the cooking, though rooted in a cosmopolitan sensibility, is without pretension & comes across as homely in the best sense of the word, as dishes such as venison casserole & roast rib of beef testify. But the Talbot’s chief charm is the character of the place – relaxed, kindly, idiosyncratic & very hospitable in a rather old-fashioned, rather unfashionable way.