At first glance, it looks like your average, old-fashioned town boozer, but The Ginger Pig is actually a light, airy spruced-up gastropub, serving expertly cooked “upmarket” food at reasonable prices. From the team behind Brighton’s much-loved Gingerman restaurant, this boozy venture also follows the ‘seasonal and local’ ethos – with a few telling add-ons from elsewhere. “I’ve never had a bad bite here”, notes a fan, who reckons the cooking is “to die for”. On offer, there might racy on-trend starters such as crispy pork neck with kimchi purée and grilled lettuce or pickled mackerel with cherry tomatoes, grilled fennel and pickled cucumber, while mains could take in anything from burgers and bone-in sirloins to roast monkfish with spiced potatoes, crispy squid, black garlic, spinach and curry velouté. Desserts often show a retro twist (chocolate and cherry sundae with almond praline, for example), and the drinks list stretches much further than your average pub offering – note the barrel-aged cocktails and English sparkling wines. Service is “just fabulous”, and “amazing roasts” also get the vote.