The Crown St Margarets

Given its location within roaring distance of ‘fortress’ Twickenham, it’s no surprise that this affluent pub/restaurant is a home from home for fans of English rugby – it even offers special pre-match menus on big days (£23.95 for two courses). Otherwise, beef from Surrey farms and daily supplies of fresh fish prop up a globetrotting menu that might run from sautéed wild mushrooms on toast or bang-bang chicken with oriental salad via gourmet burgers, French fish stew or fillet of smoked haddock with pea and leek risotto to pistachio cheesecake or banoffee sundae with banana and butterscotch ice cream. Leather chesterfields, big arched windows, curved ceilings and chandeliers set a gentrified tone in the dining room, while the bar offers ales from the likes of Windsor & Eton, Sharp’s and Surrey Hills, plus jugs of Pimm’s and some well-chosen wines. “Always excellent”, cheers one fan.