Right, I think I have settled on a Specialized Sirrus 3 - found a 2020 model going for £799 new. Only minor worry is that they seems to use pretty modest components - Shimano Sora rear derailleur and cassette, Microshift R9 front derailleur and shifters: from what I am reading around they are pretty entry level, which is annoying to find on a bike which has a RRP of £1000 - anyone has any experience with these, especially latest models?
I had Tiagra groupset and Sora shifters on my old Fuji Absolute (roughly 2010 model) and shifting was far from smooth - although it is to be said that I did fit a different speed cassette when I replaced my stolen rear wheel (being a numpty newbie and not buying the right one) and changed the original derailleur once I had that stolen (I live in London after all, bike theft is part and parcel of the game), so not sure where the fault actually lies and can't really remember if shifting was good or bad with the original setup.