The Plough and Harrow served as an old coaching inn in the past and has been restored to become a spacious country pub and eating house, with large open areas and numerous alcoves. It retains its old world charm with stone floors, exposed beams, leaded windows and roaring log fires. With two large patios in the front and rear, it allows al fresco dining almost throughout the year. The restaurant seats a hundred and can cover an additional eighty.

The dining area is decorated with copper, suede, raw wood and leather, creating a pleasant environment made even more attractive by interesting artefacts. The wine 'prison' with captivating barrels and bottles ready for release, is another area that deserves special attention.

The menu offers an eclectic array of pizzas, pastas, salads and steaks. There are also light bites which combine to become a meal. 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 look for freshly made soup; lamb koftas with mint yoghurt, kohlrabi, cumin and carrot salad, or gambas with rocket, garlic aioli and rustic bread. Look, too, for scallops in the specials section.

The salads offer chargrilled chicken with courgette, fennel, apple, asparagus, hazelnut and balsamic dressing, and the seafood fiends find pleasure in some prawn and avocado with pecans, mango, bacon, orange and pomegranate vinaigrette.

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; strozzapreti of tomato, goats cheese, spinach, pine nuts and raisins, 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.

The battered haddock with frites, tartare sauce and minted mushy peas is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. Spit chicken with lemon, garlic, thyme and frites 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.

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