Mermaid Inn

A Mermaid has stood on this cobbled street in historic Rye since the 12th century. The current incarnation is a mere stripling: dating from 1420, when it was built above Norman cellars, and it certainly looks the medieval part, with an interior that is somewhat akin to stepping into an Old Master painting overlaid with a rich patina of age. Head-skimming beams are hewn from ship's timbers, antique weapons hang above a vast inglenook in the bar, and the panelled dining room is a suitably atmospheric venue for a repertoire of updated Anglo-French dishes: perhaps scallops with cauliflower purée, tomato and chilli jam, followed by halibut with braised fennel, sweet potato purée, and Pernod and watercress sauce; for those with meatier appetites, there could be pork fillet wrapped in pancetta and served with red cabbage, creamed potato and red wine jus.