Pub perfection

olive loves all pubs, whether it’s a tiny micro stocked with stellar craft ales or a scrubbed-table gastro spot serving staggering food – and we’re particularly fond of those which deliver both under one roof. Democratic, relaxed, endlessly flexible, the best pubs are welcoming, self-contained worlds we can lose ourselves in. But what makes a great one? O has been giving that some serious thought.

A SENSE OF PLACE

Ideally, pubs embody their locality, and few chefs embrace Kent’s larder like Billy Stock at the historic . Daily blackboard menus accommodate a rich variety of local produce – some from neighbours around Wickhambreaux’s village green – in plates of violet artichoke and white bean gratin or crispy lamb