Cock

Imaginative food in pretty pub with extensive wine list, four interesting beers, a bustling atmosphere and a smart restaurant

'A first class pub with wonderful food and drink,' says one of our readers with enthusiasm; we agree, as do so many other customers. They've sensibly kept the public bar on the left for drinking only: an open woodburning stove on a raised hearth, bar stools, wall seats and a carver, and steps leading down to more seating. Adnams Southwold, Brewsters Hophead and Oldershaw Grantham Stout on handpump, 20 wines by the glass mainly from the Languedoc-Roussillon region and Cromwell cider (made in the village). Other bar rooms have white-painted or dark beams and lots of contemporary pale yellow and cream paintwork, church candles, artworks here and there, and a really attractive mix of old wooden dining chairs, settles and tables. In marked contrast, the stylishly rustic restaurant on the right (you must book to be sure of a table) is set for dining, with pale wooden floorboards and another woodburning stove. There are seats and tables among stone troughs and flowers on the terrace and in the neat garden, and pretty hanging baskets. This is a delightful village on the River Ouse. Sister pubs are the Crown & Punchbowl at Horningsea, Three Horseshoes in Madingley and Tickell Arms in Whittlesford (all in Cambridgeshire).