The Oast House

It’s a long way from rural Kent, but one of hop country’s most distinctive architectural features is now oddly at home amid the concrete and glass of Spinningfields. The Oast House is testament to the imagination of owner Tim Bacon and his team at Living Ventures, who somehow sensed that city folk would like nothing better than hunkering down in the ultimate rustic pub. The building, with its little white tip, can be seen from all around and is at the centre of an enterprise designed to work inside and out; there’s an outdoor barbecue-cum-kitchen, loads of room for alfresco drinking and, in the run-up to Christmas, festive tepees strung with lights. Food is uncomplicated, with build-your-own deli boards, rotisserie chicken and barbecued burgers, steaks and hanging kebabs the mainstays of the menu. Inside, the place is comfortable and beery, with regular ale-tasting masterclasses and live music every night.