Every bar and pub we've reviewed.

The craft beer bar that Staines needed and that has quietly built a reputation without needing to shout about it.

The brewery's own pub: the best place in Hertfordshire to drink McMullen's ales as they were intended to be drunk.

Cambridge did not need another bar pretending to be serious about cocktails; it needed one that actually was.

The cocktail bar that Bishops Stortford took a long time to earn - a serious drinks operation in a town where serious was not previously on offer.

Moulsham Street's most consistent performer - a gastropub that has found its register and stayed in it, rather than chasing the trend of the moment.

The Ship does not compete with The Hand and Flowers - it does not need to, and it does not try to, and it is the better for both.

The locals' pub in Staines - not the most interesting, but the most dependably correct, and sometimes that is exactly what you need.

Sits slightly off the main drinking circuit in Bishops Stortford, which is the main argument for going - it is usually less busy than it deserves to be.

Hertford's most ambitious bar - a Victorian railway building turned cocktail venue that operates at a higher level than the town's size would lead you to expect.