Craft beers and small-batch gins are to the fore at this appealingly converted pub in Richmond’s historic town centre. Independently run by locals, the Tap Tavern deserves a wider audience – not least for the utilitarian main room’s mighty marble beer wall, and the outside tables that look on to a picturesque cottage-lined twitten. Top of the hops on our visit are a rustic saison ale from Bristol’s Lost and Grounded, and rich, velvety Notting Hill Oatmeal Stout from Kensal Rise’s Moncada. Of two dozen-plus gins, we’re drawn to Slingsby Rhubarb Gin and Ki No Bi: a dry gin containing yuzu, bamboo and shiso leaf from Japan’s first artisanal distillery in Kyoto. A dozen wines by the glass include a distinguished Dão. To eat, snack on the likes of tiger prawns with chilli dip; alternatively, dine on buttermilk chicken burger, or carrot and broccoli hot dog, and finish with pineapple tiramisu.