Hardwick

A fine spot, this, with views of the Blorenge Mountain & Abergavenny. The pub has been sympathetically stripped back to reveal quarry-tiled floors, with bare beams & a few arty adornments on the pale cream walls. Best of all, there’s a wide view of the kitchen, where chef Stephen Terry cooks like a returning hero (it was he who won a Michelin star for the Walnut Tree, Abergavenny back in 2003). The style is deceptively unfussy, rustic even, with lunchtime grilled sandwiches (say ribeye, grain mustard & mushroom) served with triple-cooked chips and salad alongside the full menu, which strides confidently from the likes of confit duck hash with a fried organic egg, mustard mayo and watercress to homemade Gloucester Old Spot pork sausages with roast root vegetables, braised cabbage, fried polenta and spinach. The evening choices are much the same, minus the sandwiches & the more typically pubby options. Puddings, which can be downsized for smaller appetites, might typically include baked ginger stem cheesecake with poached Yorkshire rhubarb