With the brash blare of Upper Street buffered by leafy residential streets & a church spire rising in the distance, The Duchess is sitting pretty on an inviting corner spot. Staff smile out from behind the bar at the front, while towards the back a carpeted floor & comfy seating effect a transition from pub to large domestic living room. Food is pitched for wide appeal, with ‘family favourites’ including Portland crab cakes, spring onion & baby leaf salad, or char-grilled rib-eye with chips & peppercorn sauce – everything at un-scary prices. There’s a decent selection of beers too, with ales from Tottenham’s Redemption Brewing Co & Cornwall’s Sharp’s, as well as the usual lagers. For oenophiles, the pub’s Master of Wine has selected bottles to please a variety of palates & wallets.