Cow and Plough

Head out towards Oadby and you'll find yourself in the kind of place that takes both its pints and its plates seriously. The Cow and Plough is a proper gastropub that doesn't try too hard—it just gets the fundamentals right. You're looking at a solid selection of real ales (part of the Steamin' Billy crew, which tells you something), decent British cooking that doesn't pretend to be fancier than it is, and the sort of reliable neighbourhood crowd you want propping up a bar. It's the kind of spot where regulars know the staff, the quiz nights pull a decent turnout, and nobody's bothered about Instagram.