The Crooked Billet

Just down the road from the Bletchley Park is this magnificently thatched village pub. Timbers from a sailing vessel surplus to requirements around the time of Sir Francis Drake were recycled to create the core of the building. The soul of the once rural alehouse remains; crackling winter log fires (the house bacon is smoked in the inglenook) cast flickering shadows across oak beams; and there are huge lawned gardens. Top sommelier John Gilchrist and wife/chef Emma took on the run-down Billet more than a decade ago. Emma's menus are based on the finest, freshest ingredients from small, local specialist producers and suppliers, and the emphasis is on taste and modern presentation; a cosmopolitan mix of contemporary and classical with English and French influences. The carte selection reads like a gastronome's wish list; all meals are matched to particular wines. Typical dishes could be pan-fried scallops with sweet potato purée; and crispy suckling pig and bacon.