If you’re looking for the perfect country pub and sophisticated modern British food, try The Sun at Northaw in Hertfordshire, the brand new pub from chef Oliver Smith, previously of Inn The Park, and his wife Sarah Doyle.

Just twenty miles from central London, within easy reach of the M25 and minutes from Potters Bar and Cuffley, The Sun at Northaw offers all the values of a quality characterful country pub, without the schlep.

Foodies will be excited by Smith’s seasonal menu, a real gastronomic treat stuffed with ultra-local produce from the East of England. A special food map on each table shows the locations of twenty-three producers, allowing diners to explore the best of the Eastern counties, from rare breed pigs of Mickleford Hall, Sarratt; duck and geese of Telmara Farm, Saffron Walden; and wild herbs from Forager in Chatham, Kent.

Daily deliveries directly to the kitchen from the finest local organic, Biodynamic, free-range and artisan producers demand an ever-evolving menu governed by the season. Dishes to start include soup of nettle – foraged from secret locations – with Great Garnetts Farm smoked bacon and three-cornered garlic flowers; fresh Cromer crab with sea vegetables and pea shoots; as well as panfried Temple Farm chicken livers and hearts on toast with dandelion leaves and Hertfordshire honey dressing.

Typical mains feature a selection from the grill including new season tender Hertfordshire lamb chop from Highbury Farm; sustainably sourced wild Suffolk Coast seabass fillet with Brancaster mussels and wild fennel; and cauliflower and Suffolk Gold cheese flan with a mustard leaf and pickled walnut salad. .

The Sun at Northaw, 1 Judges Hill, Northaw, Hertfordshire, EN6 4NL

T: 01707 655507