Boston & Hawthorne

Just off Stockbridge's main drag, this quirky curiosities and oddities bar offers affordable cocktails and Italian-style street food.

The 2018/19 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £7.95 (+p&p).

The former Raeburn Bar has been given something of a rebrand. Although still sharing a little leftover décor with its predecessor, walls have been stripped back to expose stone and the cabinets are now filled with a whole host of oddities. A three-headed mouse, an illustration of the devil from the Codex Gigas (that’s the devil’s bible to me and you) and yes, a jarred baby feature amongst many antiques. The food offering is equally unique. ‘Historical’ Etruscan, Roman, Neapolitan and Sicilian-style banquets can be pre-ordered for up to ten people (complete with jugs of mead), while walk-ins pick away at Italian street food. House arancini arrives on a bed of purée, supposedly fennel and it's a pity the wild boar sausages aren't full-sized, though dunking pizza crusts into garlic butter is a real gluttonous treat. By cutting out the middleman, the wines are perhaps the cheapest in Stockbridge and their pizza and wine weekend deal is a real steal – if you're on a tight budget this could be the spot for you.