Hi olivertomberry,
I think that a Fairlight bike would be an excellent choice and there's some great reviews of their bikes in the media such as the below:-
Here's a review of the Fairlight Strael:-
https://road.cc/content/review/240016-fairlight-cycles-strael-20
And a review of the Failright Secan:-
https://road.cc/content/review/248008-fairlight-cycles-secan
But sometimes cycle media is not always totally reflective of the real world and long term ownership. Therefore perhaps one of the best tetimonies is the fact that David Arthur from Road.cc after reviewing this bike went out and spent his own money on a Farilight Secan. Bear in mind that he'll test hundreds of bikes including some exceeding expensive and nice bikes I think the fact that he wanted to spend his own money on a Fairlight Secan speaks volumes and I'll try and post below this some links so you can see what he has to say about the bike.
Depending on your priorities any one of the Fairlight bikes could work for you? Also their bikes are available as a frameset only as well as complete bikes. I might be doing them a massive disservice with this overly simplistic (and potentially inaccurate) summary of their bikes range but roughly you have the Faran which could be described as a tough, versatile bike capable of touring as well as much more. The Faran has a steel fork and although it is currently unavailable the Faran version 2 is due to be relased in perhaps July or August. There is the Strael which is I suppose what sometimes gets described these days as an "all road" Bike (whatever that means to people) but if you need an example of that bikes capabilities it has been ridden to victory by James Hayden in two editions of the Transcontinental across Europe unsupported race. Then there is the Secan which is capable of both road and off road gravel riding as well which includes being able to take wider tyres than the Strael and 650b wheels if you want.
One reason that I would highly recommend Fairlight bikes is from a bike fit and comfort perspective because unlike many other companies Fairlight make it easier and more likely that you'll be able to get a frame which fits you.
For me personally, and this is probably why my next bike will a Fairlight, one of the biggest appeals of their bikes is the fact that they provide two different sized versions of each frame offering both a regular and a tall version. Now although I've been cycling for a long time I've not had many bikes in that time and so I didn't know lots about bike fit and geometries when I bought one of my bikes. Despite the bike shop recommending the size to me I've never got on with it and discomfort problems are exacerbated the longer the ride.
I've since come to realise that for my body shape and style of riding (primarily everyday type riding with commuting, getting to shops and then occaisional longer rides including audax) I'm not personally a fan of a long stretched out 'race' riding position with a stem slammed low on a short top tube because I personally find it uncomfortable.
Fairlight have a principle called Fit Form Function (
https://fairlightcycles.com/why-fairlight/fit-function-form/?v=79cba1185463 ) but basically what the Fit part of it means is that they offer both a regular and tall version of each of their frames meaning that their bikes will provide a good fit to a greater number of people. The following video does a far better explanation of the idea than I ever could:-
View: https://vimeo.com/180866780
And you don't have to be an expert in order to figure out which frame size and version (regular or tall) is correct for you because all you do is select the model of bike that you want from the Fairlight website and then you can enter both your height and inside leg measurement and it will recommend which frame is best for you.
The reason that I've recommended their bikes is because for me personally rather than the particular specs of a bike including the groupset, finishing kit etc., or discount percentage available (which I know are also important considerations for everyone) the most important thing for me with a bike (which I've discovered over time) is the fit and geometry of a bike as well as the functionaility in terms of will it do what you want of it without being a hassle. For example is it easy to fit mudguards and racks to, does it take the tyre widths that I want to use etc..
When it comes to a saddle then this is so personal and it's impossible to recommend to somebody else what saddle might work for them. I personally use a Brooks Cambium C17 carved and I find that absolutely fantastic but with saddles what is right for one persona may not necessarily be right for the next one.
Good luck with your search for a new bike and if you get a Fairlight bike I hope that you enjoy it!
John