The Gate - Rickmansworth

Old and new sit happily together at the Gate, which has been sympathetically updated with a contemporary extension plus grassy expanses for al fresco meals. Leather seating, chunky wooden tables and polished floors define the open-plan dining room, which now takes up much of the interior.

The fashionable menu aims for 'comfort appeal' and it provides an easily accessible run through 'sharing plates' of mezze and tapas, 'little dishes' (devilled chicken livers with smoked pancetta and onion toast, grilled asparagus with poached egg and Parmesan) plus 'leaves' (upbeat salads including seared prawns with chorizo, chilli and spinach).

Pizzas from the wood-fired oven are also a big attraction, along with pasta dishes and specialities from the grill and rôtisserie: try Moroccan lamb cutlets with saffron potatoes, chorizo, peas and mint or spit chicken with garlic aïoli, thyme and frites. The wine list offers sound drinking at reasonable prices, with plenty available by the glass.