The Ferry opened on Sutton Road in 2005 after a refurbishment and is today a warm, cosy pub with deep leather seating and teak furnishings. Its subtle lighting and spacious layout give it a comfortable and unpretentious ambiance. Expect to find no one single cuisine, but a blend designed to provide something for everybody, no matter what their tastes may be. Service is cheerful, brisk and totally in keeping with the friendly nature of a good English public house.

Modern day pubs usually share a number of characteristics and an important feature is space, preferably a restaurant where you are comfortable, not over-awed, and not sharing elbow space with the next table, however sociable they may be. Good, too, to have a garden, in this case a riverside one adjacent to the bridge at Cookham, and by no means least a roomy and well-stocked bar where you can actually get served without undue delay. After all, drinking should be taken seriously.

If a pub offers all of these, and is in a good location, there is little reason in today's economic climate why it should not flourish. The Ferry provides ample evidence that this is true. But of course there are other factors, not least of which is the food and drink. The term 'gastropub' covers a multitude of blessings and it is possible to see influences of brasserie, bistro, restaurant and even café at work within the great gastro umbrella.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates; garlic pizzette with caramelised onion and rocket, a box baked camembert with stiratta romagna and homemade tomato jam, Mediterranean mezze of hummus, roasted vegetables, feta, fregola, tzatziki, spinach and ricotta pâté with warm flatbreads. Amongst the starters is freshly made soup, gambas with garlic, rocket, aioli and rustic bread, and, spiced crab, avocado, prawns, ginger and pink grapefruit. Look, too, for scallops of the day. The salads - sorry, that should read 'leaves' - offer crispy duck, mouli, carrots, spring onions, water cress, hoisin and plum sauce, and for the seafood fiends some prawn, avocado, pecans, bacon with orange, mango and pomegranate vinaigrette is received with enthusiasm.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find margherita, a classic medley of pomodoro, mozzarella, oregano and basil; piccante with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato and jalapeños or rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats' cheese and cherry tomatoes.

The classic burger, which has risen from the confines of fast food chains, carves a niche for itself on the menu and comes with gherkin, mustard mayo, cheese, relish and chips. The freshly battered haddock with minted mushy peas, chips and tartare sauce is worth trying too. For hearty eaters there are rib-eye and fillet steaks, and roast rump of lamb with sauce soubise, pancetta, asparagus, button onions and baby potatoes. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple, blackcurrant crumble and vanilla custard and sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, and there is also a selection of cheeses to set the buffs alight.

The Ferry stocks a wide range of beers, both well-loved draught ales and bottled from further afield. The wine list covers plenty of territory from traditional clarets to Pinot Grigio, and champagne by the glass or bottle is always available.

Their excellent Website will keep you up to date on any changes. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.