King William

Tucked away on a corner of the busy London Road, the King William is the kind of pub everyone should have as their local. With just two small bars, three tables apiece, it’s always a bit of a squeeze, but that only adds to the conviviality. Although a regularly changing rota of beers from small breweries demonstrates serious pub credentials, the food is the big attraction. Using local ingredients, including vegetables from the owners’ allotment, fine English tradition is brought bang up to date: mixed cheese tart, watercress & toasted walnuts, calf’s liver, chips, tomato crumble & green sauce, or flavoursome Middle White pork chop with cinnamon-scented apple sauce. Fish dishes such as shellfish stew or squid in beer batter usually please, too, as does hot chocolate pot to follow. A small dining room upstairs offers set menus (£29 for three courses) in a slightly more formal setting.