The banks of the Thames are awash with good restaurants in central London, but if you want something special it lies around 35 nautical miles down-river.
Bray on Thames is a village a set on the banks of the river a stone’s throw from Maidenhead and five miles north-west of Windsor. Other than being home to renowned film studios and a glorious ecclesiastical parish, it is contains two of the four three-Michelin-starred restaurants in the United Kingdom.
The Fat Duck, run by Heston Blumenthal, is a pub turned restaurant that serves, albeit a tad pricey, one of the best menus in the country. Ranked the fourth best restaurant in the UK on Trip Advisor the contemporary British/ European menu is an experience to behold, with tables frequently booked by guests from afar.
It is rivalled, if not bettered by it’s neighbour The Waterside Inn, the second-best restaurant in the country according to the same platform. Founded in 1972 by Michel and Albert Roux it is currently run by their son, the well-recognised Alain, who steered it to become the first restaurant outside France to retain all three stars for twenty five years.
But if you struggle to secure a reservation in either of these prestigious joints then fear not, three other of the village’s five best restaurants have earned the Certificate of Excellence on Trip Advisor, with complementary revues aplenty between them.
Italian Caldesi Campagna, and gastro pubs The Hinds Head and The Crown At Bray will all offer up a tremendous evening out in what is surely Britain’s best foodie village.
