Crown & Punchbowl - Horningsea

A thorough, paint-licking refurbishment has transformed the Crown & Punchbowl at Horningsea, a 400-year-old pub, into a country restaurant in the modern rustic style. Standing in a prosperous village just a few miles from the Milton Business Park and Cambridge city centre, it's a prime out-of-town destination for business or pleasure - and it now has the bonus of five delightful letting rooms.

Concise seasonal menus offer modern dishes with a pronounced European accent, including asparagus risotto with rocket, a salad of roast sweetbread with walnut vinaigrette, and calf's liver with pearl onions, figs and pancetta, plus steaks with salsa verde and hand-cut chips.

Chalkboards list a selection of seasonal fish specials (monkfish with Puy lentils and seafood sauce, for example) as well as mix-and-match sausages with mash and sauces, while afters could feature orange crème brulee with lavender shortbread or rich chocolate tart with chocolate and marshmallow ice cream. The short wine list offers plenty by the glass.