The Hand and Sceptre offers a contemporary country dining experience in a relaxing and friendly environment. The pub dates back to 1728 and was named in honour of George Newhand, the original landlord. The building is wonderfully restored, incorporating the values of traditional pub hospitality with a modern design.

The ambience is simple and trendy, with seating at the bar within the restaurant or al fresco, in the shade of the huge umbrellas. The wine list has an even balance of New and Old World with a variety of styles to choose from different beers as well as over fifteen wines available by the glass.

The choices are simple with lots of tempting steaks, spit roasted meats, salads and pastas. To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, antipasti of Italian meats, dolcelatte, marinated vegetables and warm stone-baked flatbreads, or Mediterranean mezze of hummus, roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach and ricotta pâté with flatbreads.

Amongst the appetisers there is freshly made soup; lamb koftas, mint yoghurt, kohlrabi, cumin and carrot salad, or dolcelatte and pear tart with red onion marmalade. Look, too, for scallops in the specials section.

The salads offer chargrilled chicken, courgette, fennel, apple, asparagus, hazelnut and balsamic dressing; for the seafood fiends some prawn and avocado with mango, bacon, orange and pomegranate vinaigrette appeal.

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

Pastas include linguini with tiger prawns, crab, chorizo, chilli, tomato and white wine, or tagliatelle with slow cooked Bolognaise and parmesan. For the big event there is always roast rump of lamb with sauce soubise, asparagus, pancetta, button onions and baby potatoes. Battered haddock, frites, tartare sauce and minted mushy peas is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. Salmon, crab and chorizo fishcakes, roasted sweetcorn with cherry tomato salsa is worth trying too. For hearty eaters there are rib eye and fillet steaks or blackened cod fillet with egg noodles, pak choi, mango and chilli salsa.

A wide range of supporting dishes includes carrot, cumin, orange and chilli salad, and cabbage, leeks and peas. For desserts choose between an apple, blackcurrant crumble and vanilla custard and, sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream. There is also a selection of cheeses to set the buffs alight.

More information, including full menus, is available on their Website. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.