Hide and Fox

Allister Barsby's cooking has always impressed, and overall enthusiasm for this unassuming former village shop continues with the award of a second Michelin star. Saltwood knows a good thing when it sees it, even if the prices are starting to get as haute as the cuisine. However, judging from reporters’ positive comments ('we regularly go every three months as well as family celebrations and their special occasion evenings’), a meal here is still seen as a bargain compared with the equivalent elsewhere. Co-owner Alice Bussi runs front of house with a rarified calm – not unlike dining with a rather formal new acquaintance who takes food and wine very seriously. The ambience is pleasant enough, but the draw here is the cooking. Over the years, the kitchen has wavered little from its tried-and-tested formula of refining contemporary ideas with classic techniques, serving impeccable ingredients with seasonal punctuations on a choice of tasting menus – perhaps white asparagus and wild garlic in springtime, paired with halibut and Dover sole respectively. The wine list lives up to the standard set by the cooking, with a broad and varied selection from around the world (including a strong English showing) carefully chosen to balance quality and price.