The Birds & Bees

You head out Easter Cornton way and find yourself in the kind of place that takes its kitchen seriously without being insufferable about it. The Birds & Bees does gastropub classics with real technique—the sort of spot where you can tell someone's thought about their ingredients and their execution. It's got that easy confidence of a place that doesn't need to shout about itself, which is exactly why nearly 2,000 reviews suggest you should probably book ahead. The crowd's mixed: couples on date nights, groups of mates, families who've escaped the town centre bustle. There's proper warmth to the service, and the bar side of things is handled with care too.