The Hinds Head

You're crossing into Bray proper—that village just outside Maidenhead where the Thames bends and things get properly rural—to find this converted pub that punches well above its weight. The Hinds Head does what it does brilliantly: straightforward British food executed with the precision you'd expect from someone who runs The Fat Duck down the road. Think potted shrimp, bone marrow and parsley salad, spotted dick done right. It's not fussy or pretentious, just honest cooking backed by serious skill. The whole place has that comfortable, lived-in feel of a proper country local, which somehow makes the quality even more impressive.