The William Cobbett

The William Cobbett sits on Bridge Square in Farnham, and it takes its name from the writer and radical politician born in the town, comfortably Farnham's best-known native. It is listed as a bar rather than a restaurant, but the offer is described as pub and dining: elevated pub food, cocktails and a wine list given proper attention, in surroundings the venue's own description calls handsomely appointed. In plain terms, a town pub that has put effort into how it looks and what it pours.

The ££ price band is the useful signal here. It places the William Cobbett above a straightforward wet-led local but below the special-occasion end of the market. Expect to pay more than you would for standard pub fare, and less than you would at a destination restaurant. That band, paired with a cocktail-forward reputation, tends to mean drinks are a genuine part of the appeal rather than an afterthought before dinner.

Who is it for? Anyone who wants a drink that has been made with some care and food that goes beyond the basics, without committing to a full restaurant evening. It reads as a decent weeknight dinner, a solid stop for two or three people meeting after work, and a reasonable choice when one half of the group wants to eat properly and the other only wants to drink. Groups that want a long, boozy sit-down will likely find the bar side works in their favour.

Before booking, a few practical points. The facts available here do not extend to the menu, so if you are travelling in with a particular dish in mind, ring ahead or check online, pubs in this bracket often change their food offer with the seasons. The same goes for opening hours and whether the kitchen runs all day; that is not something to assume. Bridge Square is not the middle of Farnham's main shopping streets, so allow a short walk from wherever you park and check the route rather than expecting to stumble across it.

Farnham has a good number of pubs, and a reasonable number that have smartened themselves up for dining. The William Cobbett's position within that is fairly clear: a stylish town pub with cocktails as a stated strength and a wine list worth reading, priced in the middle. It is a sensible answer to the question of where to go when you want something better than ordinary but not formal.