The Culpeper is my new favourite pub in East London. This upscale Spitalfields venue has it all. A stylish restaurant with mouth-wateringly good gastropub food, a sunshine soaked rooftop garden and BBQ area and soon, 5 bedrooms will be finished for guests who wish to stay a little longer.

The gorgeous Victorian building had a long life as a Truman’s pub, the new owners have preserved the historic features but added some chic contemporary features. Parquet wooden flooring, industrial style lighting give a trendy elegance while shabby miss-matched chairs and stools add character to the room. It is a lovely big space that I can imagine gets extremely busy on Sunday lunchtime.

In the kitchen Sandy Jarvis cooks up seasonal British delights, crowd-pleaser recipes with a focus on great flavour. Instead of trying Jarvis’ celebrated menu I wandered upstairs to the roof in search of the BBQ. It was a scorching hot day and the roof was full of sun worshippers, slurping refreshing cocktails and indulging in grilled meat.

The food we tried was simple but delicious. Merguez sausages are a must, intensely spiced with a hint of charcoal smokiness, they cost just £4 for two sausages. They were so good we had to order a second portion! Pork Chop was tasty too, though once the fat was removed there wasn’t a huge amount of meat left to fight over. The Chimmichuri sauce is particularly delicious with the pork. Of the vegetables I would recommend Romanesco, a cauliflower like vegetable that has the prettiest edible flower buds. The peppers with anchovies and green salad were nice accompaniments with the BBQ-ed meat too.

Desserts here are not just an afterthought, as they are in many pub establishments. Roast peach with crème fraiche & ginger biscuit crumb was a soft and subtle summer hit. A lovely caramelised cooked fruit with contrasting cream and a crunch from the crumb. Strawberry Eton Mess is a more obviously British recipe, and The Culpeper do a great rendition.

Sitting amongst the vegetable garden on the Culpeper roof is one of the most enjoyable ways to spend a sunny Saturday in London. Book ahead as there are already a few locals who call this place home.

More information on The Culpeper here.