Post

‘Always full of Newnham locals’ (especially when the excellent-value lunch deal is available), this beautifully restored Post Office building is now a fantastic boutique bistro and bottle shop that is enhancing the town’s already ‘cool’ reputation. Owners Ben Thompson and Florence de Maré are both successful designers, and it shows. ‘Ever-present’ head chef Fred Page (ex-Marle at Heckfield Place) commands the room from behind a high-top counter surrounding his open kitchen, but wherever you sit, there are no bad spots here. Likewise, there are no bad choices on Page’s weekly changing menus. Everything is made in-house, from the cordial in your rhubarb Bellini to the unbelievably crispy olive oil-soaked spelt rolls, and Page’s small plates tease out the very best from locally sourced ingredients. Feast on an oozingly rich pig’s head croquette or saltfish beignets before tackling a beef-heart tortilla with chimichurri and chipotle or chalk stream trout with slow-cooked cuttlefish and chickpea stew – ‘all beautifully thought out and presented with an impressive choice of accompanying wines.’ Delightfully warm, personal service makes you feel like an old friend.