21 perfect pies for British Pie Week
Published 04 March 2026

Describing their venue as a neighbourhood restaurant inside a 19th-century pub, the good folk at The Camberwell Arms have an appealing proposition on a busy road that slices through SE5. 'Compelling, simple, seasonal' food is the real deal, served up in relaxed, pared-back spaces where the bones of the old pub remain in its stripped floors, fireplaces and high Victorian ceilings. There's a hatch window out front so drinks can pass to thirsty locals on the pavement, and a private dining room with its own bar at the other end of the spectrum. The gauntlet is thrown down with 'Scotch bonnet pork fat on toast' – a dish of fire and fat, and not for the faint-hearted. Share a few small plates such as semolina gnocchi in a 'bright, fresh' San Marzano tomato sauce or charred onions with artichoke pesto and pistachios; otherwise, stick to the trad two- or three-course format. A bigger helping of grilled fish (wild bream or plaice, maybe) arrives with chips and aïoli, while thinly sliced porchetta is dressed with white peaches and rosemary. Two like-minded people can go for sharers such as half a spit-roast chicken (with blistered hispi cabbage and crème fraîche enriched with chicken fat) or aged Hereford rump steak with anchovy dripping. To finish, a 'beautiful' apricot and chocolate galette with crème fraîche and sour-cherry molasses sent one reader away very happy. Sunday lunches catch the eye with more of those sharers as well as roast potatoes cooked with sage and lemon. The drinking options include cocktails and well-chosen wines (from £26.50).

At its heart, this gem of a village pub is a proper boozer, ‘pouring great drinks with passion and consideration’, although much depends on the sheer inventiveness of chef Adam Spicer’s menu. There’s more than a passing nod to the ‘St John’ school of cookery (devilled pheasant livers and hearts on toast), with its emphasis on beautiful ingredients, unadorned simplicity and full-on flavours. Great-value bar snacks are perfect with a pint, but that’s just the start. The kitchen’s black treacle and rye sourdough bread is a thing of beauty, while openers on the weekly menu might run from onion, mushroom and sherry broth to fallow buck tartare with St Ewe’s egg and Gentleman’s Relish. Main courses also have an East Anglian flavour, from Suffolk sea bass with mussels, samphire and vadouvan sauce to Naunton Hall partridge with bread sauce and Muscat grapes. Weekday ‘landlord’s lunches’ are great value, and the ‘Sunday Club’ is something special, with whole hay-roasted chicken as the centrepiece, bookended by Colchester oysters, game broth and desserts such as ‘Great Granny Rose’s’ bread pudding. The top-drawer wine list fits every occasion, whether you're after a vintage Burgundy or a lunchtime sip from the Languedoc.

*The pub is closed until further notice following a devastating fire at the beginning of June 2026.*

Stablemate to The Heathcock in Cardiff, this snug village pub brims with folksy features: wonky whitewashed stone walls, stripped floorboards, a Welsh dresser loaded with jars of preserved fruits, and a wood burner in an inglenook that contrasts with the polished metal of the open kitchen. The ever-changing menu takes its cue from the setting – traditional by inclination, but shot through with contemporary freshness. Executive chef (and local boy) Tom Watts-Jones previously worked at Fergus Henderson's St John in Clerkenwell, and it shows. Welsh rarebit (unctuous, glossy and perfectly charred) arrives on a chunky piece of sourdough (from the Hare & Hounds Bakery in Cowbridge) with a bottle of Worcestershire sauce on the side, while seasonally attuned starters might range from a thick, silky soup of new-season's asparagus and wild garlic topped with a runny-yolked crispy egg to a fresh, light risotto incorporating plump mussels and more wild garlic. To follow, our braised, crisp-skinned duck leg – an absolutely wonderful combo of crunchy and fatty – was teamed with velvety butter beans, chunky bacon and a rich cider sauce cut through with the spiky brightness of aïoli. We also enjoyed a tender, perfectly rosy hanger steak with flawless chips and a punchy peppercorn sauce. For dessert, dainty brown butter cakes – oven-fresh and nutmeg-spiced, fluffy in the middle and caramelised on top – were a huge hit, as was the almost impossibly thick and creamy honeycomb ice cream. A compact list of European wines offers plenty by the glass or carafe.

‘A real anchor in the community,' the Inn at the Sticks covers so many bases: at its heart is the pub and restaurant, with bedrooms upstairs, but it also encompasses an art gallery and a shop/deli, while the garden provides the backdrop for live music, events and summertime street food. The interior is rustic and uncluttered without being chintzy, and the place is blessed with some of the friendliest, well-informed staff you could wish for, while the menu is an ever-evolving line-up of ‘visually stunning’ tapas-style plates based emphatically on 'hyper-fresh' Welsh seasonal produce, with influences garnered from far and wide. You might find anything from boquerones with smoked mussels to crispy pork belly on creamed parsnip, Calvados sauce and wasabi emulsion, although veggie plates are the standouts – perhaps tandoori cauliflower florets or chargrilled hispi cabbage with chickpea and tahini houmous. Sunday brings further surprises – one visitor was delighted by a serving of zaatar-spiced roast Welsh lamb with crumbled feta followed by summer berry pudding with Greek yoghurt. To drink, there’s an excellent choice of ‘signature’ wines and beers.

‘Always delicious. Always seasonal,’ proclaims one reporter, while another notes that James Carn’s classy venue is ‘totally focused on delivering a culinary experience with personality’. There are a few tables on the pavement and the interior is plainly furnished in café style, complete with a variety of soothing pictures, while service comes from a knowledgeable and passionate team who know how to take care of their customers. A thoroughly modern menu kicks off with an ample choice of nibbles and small plates ranging from cep arancini to cured Suffolk sea bass paired with horseradish, kohlrabi and tartare sauce. As the plates get larger, the combinations of flavours and textures become more artful and stimulating – as in spatchcock quail with black-bean purée and Padrón peppers. At the finishing line, desserts mobilise vivid fruit flavours and there’s often a seasonal trifle too (perhaps cherry and white chocolate). Wines are an imaginative spread offered at prices it's hard to argue with – even at the top end, where some glittering vinous treasures await. In short, ‘the perfect local spot.’

‘It's the kind of place you want round the corner, but it's in the middle of a very beautiful nowhere,’ comments one reporter who loves everything about this terrific hostelry. The barman pulls pints and entertains everyone, chef/co-owner Stosie Madi sends out glorious plates of food, and Kathy Smith out front is the epitome of peerless hospitality. Farmers, fishing folk and walkers with dogs congregate here, and the pub’s close-knit family team does them proud, serving all and sundry ‘without faff or fuss’. The main menu is shot through with seasonal Lancastrian produce, from confit Tarleton tomato tart to chargrilled 40-day aged Bowland beef – although the pub is renowned for its majestic pies, constructions of exemplary roast-fat hot-crust pastry, generously filled with good things. To finish, the kitchen procures everything from Yorkshire rhubarb to Kentish cherries, as well as garnering elderflowers from the garden. The Bowland Brewery's exceptional ales top the drinks list, wines are accessibly priced and the Negronis infused with foraged wild pickings are a must. All of this, plus ‘long views of the fells’.

The Latin moniker harks back to a time when this veteran Dean Street site was home to a grandiose, old-school Italian restaurant of the same name. A great deal has changed since the old days, although some original features such as the dining room’s distinctive stained glass front windows remain intact. With the Hart brothers and long-serving chef Jeremy Lee running the show, the food is a sprightly mix of reworked British classics, leavened with French bistro standbys and the occasional Mediterranean riff, while ‘the attention to quality and seasonality is second to none.’  

The menu is a joy to behold – a mock-up broadsheet replete with jokey line drawings and special boxes advertising everything from the much-lauded smoked eel sandwich with pickled red cabbage to the mighty ‘pie of the day’ and specials such as spiced beef with artichokes and Parmesan. Opening salvos given an idea of the kitchen’s repertoire, which spans everything from artichoke vinaigrette to crumbed lamb’s sweetbreads with peas, almonds and mint. Mains of skate with black butter and capers or marinated lamb rump accompanied by sweet cabbage hash and green sauce uphold the British tradition or you could speed off to Italy for a serving of cannelloni, fennel, winter greens and three cheeses. For dessert, sticky toffee pudding has its moment (served with custard and cream); otherwise, consider gooseberry sorbet, lemon posset or ‘les QV profiteroles au chocolat’. 

The wine list takes diners on a whistlestop world tour, although its heart is in the classic French regions, with plentiful by-the-glass options for those on a strict budget. Overall, regulars confirm that the place is still a Soho diamond: ‘No matter when you visit, you can always be assured of an extremely warm welcome and superb service.’

Three decades on, St John appears to have changed not one jot. Still the same whitewashed walls, the same squat wine glasses, the same paper tablecloths and the same commitment to ‘nose-to-tail’ cookery – although eating here can sometimes test your faith. While some dishes such as the signature bone marrow and parsley salad still resemble exhibits in an edgy east London gallery, others look like they’ve emerged from the kitchen of an old Parisian bistro. A serving of wild boar terrine (with cornichons and excellent sourdough) and a plate of mallard (with parsnips and pickled walnut) both successfully combine sharp looks and keen flavour. Likewise, a dish of mandolined kohlrabi, pure and simple, with lemon, capers and chervil for company. And there are more than half a dozen unashamedly patriotic English puddings to choose from – perhaps ginger loaf with butterscotch sauce, buttermilk and quince jelly or an Eccles cake served with a hunk of Lancashire cheese. The wine list is the type you'd find in a Parisian bistro, with tip-top house pours ushering in a glorious selection from the French regions.

Overlooking the Gothic remains of medieval Byland Abbey, this dream-ticket pub ‘hits that sweet spot between effortless village local and divine destination dining’. Inside, it’s pure, cosy magic, complete with flickering fires, ancient stonework and genuine Yorkshire hospitality. Pull up a stool for a pint of hand-pumped ale or graduate to one of the three dining rooms for seriously appealing food with a punchy regional accent, underpinned by produce from owner Tommy Banks’ family farm. Classics such as beer-battered haddock or Saddleback pork pie sit alongside upmarket ideas ranging from confit chicken and nasturtium velouté to BBQ fallow deer haunch and braised shoulder with sour cherries. And you can now enjoy the pub’s ‘absolutely incredible’ smash burgers indoors during the colder months. For afters, it’s hard to see past the luscious soft-serve ice creams – ‘nostalgic bliss in a bowl’. Brilliant Sunday roasts are a winning ticket too, with everything from Yorkshire hogget to rare-breed Berkshire pork reared at the Banks’ family farm. Aside from real ales and botanical cocktails, there’s a decent selection of wines with plenty by the glass.

‘Our local’ noted one reader proudly. For anyone with misgivings about pubs with restaurant inclinations, this urban hostelry should set you straight. As befits a sibling of Southwark’s Anchor & Hope, Stoke Newington’s Clarence Tavern, and the Magdalen Arms in Oxford, the Canton Arms is fully committed to its role as an old-fashioned city boozer. Low-lit and friendly, there’s pretty much a 50/50 split between drinkers knocking back pints of real ale in the front bar and diners in for some consistently delicious food in the dining area at the back.

Ingredients are seasonally spot-on, with the daily changing menu delivering anything from labneh with walnut and pomegranate dressing or crispy blood cake with homemade quince jam to roast hake with crab bisque, steamed potatoes and gremolata or duck confit with Puy lentils. After that, there might be bread-and-butter pudding with praline sauce, which was recently reported as ‘something I dream of weekly’.

It’s all considered good value, and that includes the line-up of drinks, which range from an ‘amazing’ selection of real ales on rotation and an impressive list of classic cocktails to a perfectly judged European wine list.

A centuries-old village local atop a hill midway between Hadrian's Wall and the conurbations of Tyne & Wear, the Feathers continues to provide sustenance for locals and visitors alike. Inside, it looks the part with beams, log-burning stoves, Northumbrian ales and old-fashioned pub games as part of the offer, although the place has built its current reputation on locally sourced seasonal food, industrious home production and a commitment to ethical practices. The kitchen cures its own charcuterie, makes black pudding and pickles North Sea herrings (‘as good as most I’ve had in Scandinavia,’ noted one visitor) – as well as producing bespoke spirits including mulberry gin. They have a published list of more than 60 local suppliers, including foragers and growers, Northumbrian farmers specialising in rare breeds and day-boat fishermen catching sustainable species off the East Coast. An outdoor fire pit works its magic on flatbreads, grilled vegetables (used for vegan meze) and Haydon Bridge beef patties (slotted into brioche buns with Gorgonzola piccante and dill pickles). Otherwise, the kitchen’s eclectic approach sees battered haddock and fillet of wild halibut with chilli and rosemary velouté alongside braised local roe deer with celeriac purée, English lentils and emmer wheat or Spanish-style home-cured pork chop with fried potatoes and bravas sauce. For afters, the Northumbrian cheeses are well worth a punt, as are the homemade ices and homespun desserts such as blackberry and apple sponge with custard or steamed gingerbread pudding. To drink, vermouth-based cocktails and keenly priced, well-chosen wines fit the bill nicely.

‘It’s such a gorgeously considered pub,’ commented one reporter after visiting the born-again Highland Laddie. Reenergised by the team behind the Empire Cafe in 2025, this is everything that a proper English pub should be – 'oh, and they have a mustard menu!' Inside, the Laddie ticks all the boxes, preserving the essentials of a traditional old-school boozer and maintaining a genuine sense of community while letting the good times roll. As for the food, it’s ‘both high-end and accessible’, pulling in ideas from all over, whether you fancy a freshly shucked Lindisfarne oyster, a keema toastie or an elevated ham roll with bread cooked over the coals. Dig deeper and you might find a lobster madeleine with Yorkshire chorizo butter, a treacle onion tart or pork schnitzel with two fried eggs. Club steaks are served by the inch, there’s no creative let-up when it comes to sides, and the nostalgia is ramped up with the likes of strawberry and Champagne trifle with ‘sprinkles’. But never forget that this is a self-proclaimed ‘drinkers’ pub’ dispensing everything from ‘properly served’ British brews and ’the best Guinness in Leeds’ to a staggering line-up of whisky optics.

‘The quintessential village pub’ is one visitor's verdict on this handsome Cotswold hostelry with rooms – and we wholeheartedly agree. The ‘Killy’ retains the charm of a cosy local boozer – villagers drink real ale and chew the cud around a wood-burning stove in winter – yet its kitchen produces highly accomplished and full-flavoured cooking.

Diners head for the recently extended restaurant, where flagstoned flooring and stone walls dovetail well with the 17th-century bar. Panache is apparent early in a meal, perhaps with a delicate yet boldly flavoured appetiser of cheese and truffle gougère with a parsley emulsion. A thick little slice of smoked trout could follow, perked up by a zesty buttermilk and lovage sauce poured at table by one of the chatty, clued-up staff. Better still is a hillock of mushroom cream surrounded by celeriac velouté, with slices of cep and crunchy hazelnuts adding to the end-of-year flavours.

Mains are similarly seasonal in style – notably a serving of juicy guinea fowl breast matched with nutty risotto-like pearl barley in a creamy chestnut velouté, the dish piqued by the bitter notes of caramelised chicory. A side of shredded ‘winter spiced’ red cabbage – tangy, sweet, rich – adds to the indulgence. Inventiveness and flair continue with desserts, witness a dark and luxurious chocolate délice, spiced with Szechuan peppercorns. The expertly annotated wine list keeps pace too, with big flavours galore – even in the kindly priced house selections.

The tidy 17th-century Kinneuchar Inn sits alongside Kilconquhar Loch, famous for its winter ‘bonspiels’ – outdoor curling jamborees for the uninitiated (hence the pub’s sporty signage). These days, however, its regulars have something different on their minds: the place is still a cosy local haunt capably run by a superb team, but most interest now centres on the food coming out of James Ferguson’s kitchen. Drawing on the full range of the East Neuk’s formidable natural larder, he creates ‘hearty dishes laced with Mediterranean vibrancy’. Menus change daily, so expect anything from creative seafood dishes such as grilled line-caught squid with Sivri Bibir peppers, chill and parsley to roast partridge with celeriac mash or grilled lamb leg with braised turnips, pearl barley and anchovy. And ‘you won't find a better pie for two anywhere,’ proclaims a devoted fan. On Sunday evenings, the kitchen serves up ‘herb-fed’ rotisserie chicken feasts for the whole family, and there are fried chicken buns to nibble on special occasions. Drinks include craft beers and cider, plus a short but enterprising wine selection.

It’s been a decade since the rebooted Marksman opened, serving finely tuned British food for East London hipsters – though its pedigree goes deeper, having been a veteran of this Bethnal Green address for more than 150 years. Past and present blend well here: downstairs is all high Victoriana with mahogany panelling, a miniature cupola and regimental wall plaques adorning dimly lit walls; upstairs, the dining room goes full postmodern with pendant lights, starburst-patterned floors and mid-century furniture. The menu also seems caught between these two worlds, deftly mixing British culinary tradition with more contemporary flourishes – perhaps devilled St Austell mussels with green tomato, or crumbed cod’s cheeks with tartare sauce. As you’d expect from alumni of St John, mains are meaty and mighty: Tamworth pork chop with chard and anchovy, a warming chicken and girolle pie for sharing or a roast Hereford rump of beef for Sunday lunch. Desserts might see crowd-pleasers such as set chocolate with salt toffee and hazelnut crumb. House wines offer decent value, and there's a well-curated selection of beers on tap. Look out for good-value steak nights and curry nights. 

Dating from the 16th century, the Merry Harriers is snuggled away in a rural Surrey enclave noted for its scenic woodland walks. Owners Alex Winch and chef Sam Fiddian-Green have given the place a gentle modern makeover (soft green colours, bentwood chairs, winter fires) and turned it into an ‘incredibly inviting’ destination for locals and visitors alike (keep an eye out for the weekly ‘meat raffle’). A menu that exhaustively lists all the kitchen's local suppliers inspires confidence, and the food is just what country-pub aficionados relish. To begin, a heritage tomato salad with goat’s curd might vie with sardines on toast, while mains could run from lamb’s liver with mash and shallots to halibut with brown shrimps, burnt butter and cucumber. Meat from the nearby family farm is a star turn, from braised short rib with polenta to sharing cuts of wagyu/Hereford cross. At the sweet end of things, there might be blackberry and tonka bean trifle or a ‘sandwich’ of Kentish cherries and chocolate ice cream. Tip-top draught beers and a carefully compiled wine list, too.

‘We did a big walk around Kinder Reservoir, and to come here after for wine and some great food was bliss,’ noted one couple who sought refuge in the ever-welcoming Pack Horse (circa 1577). All-comers are greeted with a mix of friendly familiarity, genuine warmth and professionalism: ‘you can turn up in your tiara or your muddy walking boots’. In return, you’ll be treated to superb hospitality and cracking food based on sustainable supplies from local sources: meat butchered just four miles away, for example, might appear in a pie of beef shin, Guinness and mushrooms. Snack on a ‘Manchester egg’ (aka a black pudding Scotch egg) before tackling a smoked haddock fishcake with warm mussel tartare or a bacon chop with pease pudding, spring greens and cider. Sunday roasts ‘for two’ receive high praise for beef wing rib on the bone or pork shoulder chop – and if you still have room, gorge on one of the creamy desserts (gooseberry and sherry trifle, perhaps). Quality growers abound on the inspiring wine list, and the pub champions local breweries too.

A stellar blueprint for the Public House Group, this strikingly converted Notting Hill hostelry has lost none of its appeal as an exceptional neighbourhood hangout. Good vibes and great service are a given and the place has a terrific community spirit, with lots of entertainment including perudo nights, ma jong and seasonal game dinners. The owners are also serious about provenance and biodiversity: vegetables are sourced from the group’s own market garden in Oxfordshire, and they cooperate with farmers who are championing regenerative methods. Regulars reckon there isn’t a dud on the menu, although dish descriptions are pared back to the bare necessities (‘trout, cucumber’; ‘pork collar, cabbage’). Whether you’re inclined towards something veggie (onion tart with watercress) or fancy a meaty fix (raw beef with runner beans), there’s always something tasty on offer. If you’re holed up in the bar, you can snack on cod cheeks with curry sauce or mince on toast while supping one of the superbly kept beers from London breweries and elsewhere (Portobello Pils, Dalston Sunrise IPA). There’s a carefully curated wine list too.

Tucked deep within Highgate at its most herbaceous, the Red Lion & Sun makes every effort to appeal to what a dining clientele expects to find in a modern pub. Inside, it's done out in cool light blue, with simple wood furniture and a long bar with stools, plus a glassed-in conservatory room and two open garden areas (with heaters) too. It's as near to the ‘country pub’ experience as a hostelry in the metropolis can get.

A well-drilled team fronts the place, and the kitchen turns out a daily changing menu, updated every morning on the website, and formulated in conjunction with the local Highgate butchers: not surprisingly, the Sunday lunch session is always wildly popular, when prime cuts of 35-day, dry-aged Aberdeen Angus beef are the stars (including côte de boeuf for sharing). Meanwhile, the regular repertoire covers a lot of ground: Korean-spiced chicken wings or Dorset crab served in Basque style suggest a cosmopolitan approach to starters, or there might be chargrilled sardines doused in olive oil, lemon and garlic. Roasts typically take in slow-cooked, properly crackled pork belly with a cloud of buttery mash, but casserole cookery is good too – duck cassoulet appears in its canonical bean stew, elevated by the fat from chunks of smoked sausage. 

Desserts plough a populist furrow, taking in Eton mess, sticky toffee pudding or passion-fruit cheesecake. For those who are already sweet enough, British artisan cheeses come with Dorset pear paste and crackers. A conscientiously curated wine list starts at £8 for a glass of organic Montepulciano d'Abruzzo; there are also good cask ales, and not one but a whole selection of mezcals for the truly intrepid.

Opened under new ownership at the end of 2023, this old red brick pub on a city-centre backstreet has a deceptively large and modern interior. For drinkers, there’s a bar and a cosy snug (along with high-quality real ales and cider on tap), while diners have various options: a section off the bar with round tables as well as seating for couples, a first-floor space (the Gallery) for private parties, and a bright ground-floor ‘Orangery’ overlooking the little urban garden.

Like the decor, the food is contemporary in style – a collection of small and large plates (available all-day on Fridays and Saturdays) served by enthusiastic young staff who also get an honourable mention from readers. There’s ambition here, both in the drinks selection (pairings from the well-thought-out wine list are offered with main courses) and the food, which incorporates fusion assemblies as well as pub food of the burger/meat-platter ilk.

Results can vary, with the stars at inspection being an expertly judged ‘small plate’ of three ox cheek tacos (tender meat and crunchy cucumber salsa, topped with a generous squiggle of spicy chermoula), and a moreish pudding of warm carrot and pecan cake with delectable ‘beurre noisette’ cream cheese and ice cream. Less accomplished was a ‘large plate’ of smoked tofu laksa (one of several diverting vegetarian options), where authentic Asian flavours were hard to discern among the general creaminess. A convivial hubbub and a groovy soundtrack of obscure 60s and 70s tunes (chosen by the staff) add to the vibe, and we've had abundant praise for the Sunday roasts.