The Fox - Letchworth Garden City

A deft conversion of a run-down boozer from the owners of The White Horse at Brancaster Staithe, this likeable gastropub is a ”hub of the local community”. Eat and drink in the bar or the more formal dining room from a menu that highlights fresh fish, mussels and oysters delivered from the north Norfolk coast. There’s always something good on the menu, from bivalves and crustacea to more elaborate plates of, say, rabbit ballottine with pearl barley and wild mushroom risotto or pollock rarebit with buttered green beans and smoked tomato sauce. Start with half a dozen Brancaster natives ‘au naturel’, and round off with a superior pud such as tiramisu or salted hazelnut parfait with caramelised pears, Earl Grey and prune purée and hazelnut praline. Sunday lunch is a hit and service is reckoned to be “impeccable”.