Pubs & Restaurants
The White Hart, Godmanchester
What a great little pub & restaurant, I have been there a few times now, and the food is excellent.
This place has great real homely feel about it, comfy old chairs and a settee, It is under going refurbishment at the moment ( 8/4/13 - 16/4/13) so looking forward to seeing how they can improve on what was avery nice pub, a great place to enjoy a quite drink, it has a restaurant but also serves bar food, all the food listed below is from the bar menu.
Their Sausage and Mash is fantastic, the sausages are very tasty and quite filling, the mash is smooth and seasoned great and the gravy is sublime, could eat this every day.
The Burger is also very very good, a good size, the texture of the burger is very good you can tell its home made, it tastes delicious, it comes with home made chips that are crispy on the outside and smooth inside, the onions rings are big a tasty, again crispy on the outside and well cooked on the inside. it also comes with salad again fresh and tasty.
The sandwiches are really big and also come with chips and salad, great value I had the chicken and bacon, enough for 2 really, its a whole meal in a sarny.
The George, Spaldwick
This is the sister pub to the White Hart in Godmanchester, owned by the same people and kept to their very high standards.
Very comfortable pub to have a drink some of the chairs have come from the Houses of Parliament, big old fashioned leather wing backs, it also has a couple of large settees, the bar a small, we went on a busy evening and getting to the bar was a bit of a struggle.
Had the burger to see how it compared to the White Hart, It was exactly as I expected, almost identical to the White Hart, great food.
The Black Bull, Brampton
A bit of a disappointment in the food area but the layout and the furniture is quite nice, well laid out.
My partner had the big bull burger, bit of a let down, the meat was ok slightly over cooked, the bun was spongy, the home made chips were almost incinerated and the salad was about the only thing that held up, the tomato sauce was very runny, not a brand name we suspect.
I had the Steak & Ale pie with mash and peas with gravy, The pie was ok, a little small but tasty all the same, the mash was almost tasteless and had no seasoning, the peas were peas, the gray was again tasteless, not worth the £7.95, will probably go back for a drink but not the food, Gorden Ramsey needs to visit and help out.
The Brampton Mill
On first impressions it seems really nice and cosy, with 2 floors of restaurant, I have been 2 or 3 times now at different times and days, it can be quiet and you can sit back in comfortable chairs and enjoy a drink and a chat, at other times its a struggle to get to the bar and very noisy.
The restaurant was a let down, we ate there in winter and was frozen, and to be honest the food was as I remember very poor considering the price.
UPDATE: May 2015: Just thought I would give it another go, surprise, new chefs and now some really tasty food at a reasonable price, now worth a visit for lunch or dinner.
Southern Fried Chicken (Takeaway)
Now I don't normally buy take aways but this week ( 8/5/13) I had the misfortune to visit this takeaway in All Saints Passage, Huntingdon, feeling a bit hungry after a hard days graft and a little late to go home and cook I ordered a Large Doner Kebab and a Chicken Shish Kebab for my partner.
Lets start with the Doner, it was possibly the smallest large Doner I have ever had, the meat was not to bad but the chilli sauce was just powder, really dry and the salad was none existent. The Chicken Shish was also tiny and had no salad worth talking about, also dry, not a good evenings meal, so, if your ever in the area forget this place and pop around the corner to the Chilli Bite.
Chicken & Chips, Bar hill
What a great find this was, half a chicken and 2 bags of chips for £5.25, Bargain, my partner and I eat here when we go to Tesco for our shopping.
They also do the usual fish, pies, saveloy's etc, but try the chicken.
The Bull, Wheathampstead
Visited this great pub/restaurant in Feb 2014, we were quickly shown to a good table near a window with a view of the river, I had a very large steak that was cooked perfectly as was everyone else's meals. The Burgers were to die for according to one of the party, chips were crispy and the salad was fresh, we were not rushed out like some places I have visited and the waitress service was very good, prices are very competitive so go visit and try this gem.
The Rusty Gun, St Ippolyts
Went to this Pub/Restaurant at the weekend for a birthday celebration, not mine, the pub itself has a good feel about it, warm, cosy and very old world, its at the backend of nowhere so finding it will be a bit of a problem if you don't have sat-nav.
So, to the food, I had sausage and mash, should have been labeled as something chewy with no flavour, covered in a thick brown fluid (not gravy), the mash was ok, so were the peas, a little pricey at £11.99, and to top it off, the portions were very small. So to dinner No 2, Chicken burger with chips, what he got was cremated black rock hard thing between a crappy bap with some salad (soggy) and chips, which were OK, bargain at £15.99, The whole table (10) seemed disappointed with the overall quality with the food, shame, could have made an evening with great company even better. 1/10.
The White Horse, St Neots
I have driven past this pub many times and often though I should pop in for a bite to eat, And so it came to pass that I did indeed drop in for meal and a drink. The pub itself is quite pleasant, old fashioned as you would expect from an old inn, but still very comfortable and relaxing. The Aspall's cider was quite refreshing, makes a change from the usual crap like strongbow in most pubs, I ordered the classic BBQ Burger, so I took my seat in a quite corner and supped my cider and waited, It took 30 minutes, I was told by the waiter Alfie (who was excellent) that's the normal waiting time as it all made fresh, 30 minutes later my burger arrived, first impression was nice fresh salad, crispy chunky chips and a really tasty slaw, then i took my first mouthful of the burger, now, at this point I should add that I though it would be almost impossible to get a better pub burger than the White Hart's in Godmanchester, WRONG, the beef just melted in the mouth and the the big surprise, a BBQ pulled pork topping, again it just melted when in the mouth, plus a good helping of mature cheddar, this without doubt was and is the best burger I have ever eaten, 11/10, top marks, I could waffle all day about just how good this burger was, but don't take my word for it, GO TRY ONE, a great meal that was not too heavy for a burger, so, I feel the need to return soon to try the other meals on the menu.
UPDATE: Returned to the White Horse last week and tries their Crispy Chilli Beef, this is now my favourite, the noodles were done to perfection and full of flavour, the crispy beef was exactly that crispy, this is without doubt the best noodle dish I have had for a very long time, please do go try out the food in this place, you won't regret it.
The Fitzwilliam Arms, Marholm, Peterbourgh
When I have some spare time I like to go out searching for new Pubs and Restaurants looking for that gem in the middle of nowhere, so this week after a business meeting in Peterborough, I decided to go for a drive with my partner and we found The Fitzwilliam Arms, a Vintage Inn, in the small village of Marholm.
First impressions were good, typical coach house style with comfortable seating, we were shown to a table by a very nice waiter, menus were delivered; we ordered drinks and studied the menu. We both like the look of the I quote ‘fabulous James Martin pies including his popular British Beef and Merlot Pie & Fish Pie’ See the menu below. A word of advice for you James, remove your association with these so called pies or your gonna get a bad rep, the good news first, having ordered the pies arrived with 3 minutes, great quick service, then, (my first thought was Oh NO, its been nuked) and I was right, still cooking at the table, so we waited a while for it to stop fizzing and tried our meals, my partner had the beef, Nice size and a good flavour, however the beef was chewy and over cooked, my advice is to use a smaller a bomb when cooking, the chips were tasteless and soggy, not a good start. I tried my Fish Pie, the sauce was fantastic, the boiled spuds were either overdone or undercooked because of the different sizes, I did eventually find some fish, about a teaspoonful of salmon, James WHERES THE BLOODY FISH, it was so small I ordered a side of large chunky chips, 2 minutes later they were on the table, crispy on the outside, fluffy crap on the inside, probably the worst meals we have had in pubs for a very long while. So the verdict is 1/10 certainly one to miss on every occasion.
What a great little pub & restaurant, I have been there a few times now, and the food is excellent.
This place has great real homely feel about it, comfy old chairs and a settee, It is under going refurbishment at the moment ( 8/4/13 - 16/4/13) so looking forward to seeing how they can improve on what was avery nice pub, a great place to enjoy a quite drink, it has a restaurant but also serves bar food, all the food listed below is from the bar menu.
Their Sausage and Mash is fantastic, the sausages are very tasty and quite filling, the mash is smooth and seasoned great and the gravy is sublime, could eat this every day.
The Burger is also very very good, a good size, the texture of the burger is very good you can tell its home made, it tastes delicious, it comes with home made chips that are crispy on the outside and smooth inside, the onions rings are big a tasty, again crispy on the outside and well cooked on the inside. it also comes with salad again fresh and tasty.
The sandwiches are really big and also come with chips and salad, great value I had the chicken and bacon, enough for 2 really, its a whole meal in a sarny.
The George, Spaldwick
This is the sister pub to the White Hart in Godmanchester, owned by the same people and kept to their very high standards.
Very comfortable pub to have a drink some of the chairs have come from the Houses of Parliament, big old fashioned leather wing backs, it also has a couple of large settees, the bar a small, we went on a busy evening and getting to the bar was a bit of a struggle.
Had the burger to see how it compared to the White Hart, It was exactly as I expected, almost identical to the White Hart, great food.
The Black Bull, Brampton
A bit of a disappointment in the food area but the layout and the furniture is quite nice, well laid out.
My partner had the big bull burger, bit of a let down, the meat was ok slightly over cooked, the bun was spongy, the home made chips were almost incinerated and the salad was about the only thing that held up, the tomato sauce was very runny, not a brand name we suspect.
I had the Steak & Ale pie with mash and peas with gravy, The pie was ok, a little small but tasty all the same, the mash was almost tasteless and had no seasoning, the peas were peas, the gray was again tasteless, not worth the £7.95, will probably go back for a drink but not the food, Gorden Ramsey needs to visit and help out.
The Brampton Mill
On first impressions it seems really nice and cosy, with 2 floors of restaurant, I have been 2 or 3 times now at different times and days, it can be quiet and you can sit back in comfortable chairs and enjoy a drink and a chat, at other times its a struggle to get to the bar and very noisy.
The restaurant was a let down, we ate there in winter and was frozen, and to be honest the food was as I remember very poor considering the price.
UPDATE: May 2015: Just thought I would give it another go, surprise, new chefs and now some really tasty food at a reasonable price, now worth a visit for lunch or dinner.
Southern Fried Chicken (Takeaway)
Now I don't normally buy take aways but this week ( 8/5/13) I had the misfortune to visit this takeaway in All Saints Passage, Huntingdon, feeling a bit hungry after a hard days graft and a little late to go home and cook I ordered a Large Doner Kebab and a Chicken Shish Kebab for my partner.
Lets start with the Doner, it was possibly the smallest large Doner I have ever had, the meat was not to bad but the chilli sauce was just powder, really dry and the salad was none existent. The Chicken Shish was also tiny and had no salad worth talking about, also dry, not a good evenings meal, so, if your ever in the area forget this place and pop around the corner to the Chilli Bite.
Chicken & Chips, Bar hill
What a great find this was, half a chicken and 2 bags of chips for £5.25, Bargain, my partner and I eat here when we go to Tesco for our shopping.
They also do the usual fish, pies, saveloy's etc, but try the chicken.
The Bull, Wheathampstead
Visited this great pub/restaurant in Feb 2014, we were quickly shown to a good table near a window with a view of the river, I had a very large steak that was cooked perfectly as was everyone else's meals. The Burgers were to die for according to one of the party, chips were crispy and the salad was fresh, we were not rushed out like some places I have visited and the waitress service was very good, prices are very competitive so go visit and try this gem.
The Rusty Gun, St Ippolyts
Went to this Pub/Restaurant at the weekend for a birthday celebration, not mine, the pub itself has a good feel about it, warm, cosy and very old world, its at the backend of nowhere so finding it will be a bit of a problem if you don't have sat-nav.
So, to the food, I had sausage and mash, should have been labeled as something chewy with no flavour, covered in a thick brown fluid (not gravy), the mash was ok, so were the peas, a little pricey at £11.99, and to top it off, the portions were very small. So to dinner No 2, Chicken burger with chips, what he got was cremated black rock hard thing between a crappy bap with some salad (soggy) and chips, which were OK, bargain at £15.99, The whole table (10) seemed disappointed with the overall quality with the food, shame, could have made an evening with great company even better. 1/10.
The White Horse, St Neots
I have driven past this pub many times and often though I should pop in for a bite to eat, And so it came to pass that I did indeed drop in for meal and a drink. The pub itself is quite pleasant, old fashioned as you would expect from an old inn, but still very comfortable and relaxing. The Aspall's cider was quite refreshing, makes a change from the usual crap like strongbow in most pubs, I ordered the classic BBQ Burger, so I took my seat in a quite corner and supped my cider and waited, It took 30 minutes, I was told by the waiter Alfie (who was excellent) that's the normal waiting time as it all made fresh, 30 minutes later my burger arrived, first impression was nice fresh salad, crispy chunky chips and a really tasty slaw, then i took my first mouthful of the burger, now, at this point I should add that I though it would be almost impossible to get a better pub burger than the White Hart's in Godmanchester, WRONG, the beef just melted in the mouth and the the big surprise, a BBQ pulled pork topping, again it just melted when in the mouth, plus a good helping of mature cheddar, this without doubt was and is the best burger I have ever eaten, 11/10, top marks, I could waffle all day about just how good this burger was, but don't take my word for it, GO TRY ONE, a great meal that was not too heavy for a burger, so, I feel the need to return soon to try the other meals on the menu.
UPDATE: Returned to the White Horse last week and tries their Crispy Chilli Beef, this is now my favourite, the noodles were done to perfection and full of flavour, the crispy beef was exactly that crispy, this is without doubt the best noodle dish I have had for a very long time, please do go try out the food in this place, you won't regret it.
The Fitzwilliam Arms, Marholm, Peterbourgh
When I have some spare time I like to go out searching for new Pubs and Restaurants looking for that gem in the middle of nowhere, so this week after a business meeting in Peterborough, I decided to go for a drive with my partner and we found The Fitzwilliam Arms, a Vintage Inn, in the small village of Marholm.
First impressions were good, typical coach house style with comfortable seating, we were shown to a table by a very nice waiter, menus were delivered; we ordered drinks and studied the menu. We both like the look of the I quote ‘fabulous James Martin pies including his popular British Beef and Merlot Pie & Fish Pie’ See the menu below. A word of advice for you James, remove your association with these so called pies or your gonna get a bad rep, the good news first, having ordered the pies arrived with 3 minutes, great quick service, then, (my first thought was Oh NO, its been nuked) and I was right, still cooking at the table, so we waited a while for it to stop fizzing and tried our meals, my partner had the beef, Nice size and a good flavour, however the beef was chewy and over cooked, my advice is to use a smaller a bomb when cooking, the chips were tasteless and soggy, not a good start. I tried my Fish Pie, the sauce was fantastic, the boiled spuds were either overdone or undercooked because of the different sizes, I did eventually find some fish, about a teaspoonful of salmon, James WHERES THE BLOODY FISH, it was so small I ordered a side of large chunky chips, 2 minutes later they were on the table, crispy on the outside, fluffy crap on the inside, probably the worst meals we have had in pubs for a very long while. So the verdict is 1/10 certainly one to miss on every occasion.
Our pies are specially created by James Martin, exclusively for Vintage Inns
British Beef and Merlot PIe
slow-cooked British beef, shallots and roasted portobello mushrooms in a rich merlot red wine sauce, topped with puff pastry, served with seasonal vegetables and seasoned chips £10.95
Fish pie
Scottish salmon, smoked haddock and king prawns in a leek and crème fraîche sauce, topped with crushed potatoes, cheddar and shell-on prawns, served with seasonal vegetables £10.50
British Beef and Merlot PIe
slow-cooked British beef, shallots and roasted portobello mushrooms in a rich merlot red wine sauce, topped with puff pastry, served with seasonal vegetables and seasoned chips £10.95
Fish pie
Scottish salmon, smoked haddock and king prawns in a leek and crème fraîche sauce, topped with crushed potatoes, cheddar and shell-on prawns, served with seasonal vegetables £10.50
Spice Land, Sawtry, PE28 5XP
All you can eat indian buffet, one of my favourite eateries to take friends and family, always a varied choice of food even some Chinese noodles (not so good), chips and chicken dippers, however the rest is great indian cooking, my favourite being the Chilli Chicken, Onion Bhajis and Spicy Prawns, always a good choice of curries to, the other great thing about this place is that they don't have an alcohol licence which means you can take your own, I recommend a good indian larger like Cobra, so for a great evening of food and more food, this is the place to visit, a little off the beaten track, but worth the effort seeking it out. They have a great indoor fish pool to, some really nice large Koi.
So my verdict 7/10, certainly worth a try.
All you can eat indian buffet, one of my favourite eateries to take friends and family, always a varied choice of food even some Chinese noodles (not so good), chips and chicken dippers, however the rest is great indian cooking, my favourite being the Chilli Chicken, Onion Bhajis and Spicy Prawns, always a good choice of curries to, the other great thing about this place is that they don't have an alcohol licence which means you can take your own, I recommend a good indian larger like Cobra, so for a great evening of food and more food, this is the place to visit, a little off the beaten track, but worth the effort seeking it out. They have a great indoor fish pool to, some really nice large Koi.
So my verdict 7/10, certainly worth a try.
The Real China, The Galleria, Unit 64 | Hatfield, Herts
I do love my Chinese and this is my favourite, all you can eat at a reasonable price, all the food is tasty and well cooked, so much to choose from including Teppanyaki.
They also have the obligatory English food like chips, chicken nuggets for the kids, makes a great end to an evening after a visit to the Galleria either shopping or going to the cinema. 9/10 well worth a visit.
I do love my Chinese and this is my favourite, all you can eat at a reasonable price, all the food is tasty and well cooked, so much to choose from including Teppanyaki.
They also have the obligatory English food like chips, chicken nuggets for the kids, makes a great end to an evening after a visit to the Galleria either shopping or going to the cinema. 9/10 well worth a visit.
The Pike and Eel, Needingworth, PE27 4TW
What a great hotel to have a Sunday lunch and drink in, On the edge of the river with moorings for boats, it gets really busy in the summer with all the boaters stoping for a meal and a drink. If you go in the evenings during the week you are guaranteed a quiet and relaxing evening.
The food is great and they always have a really good specials board.
Well worth a visit.
What a great hotel to have a Sunday lunch and drink in, On the edge of the river with moorings for boats, it gets really busy in the summer with all the boaters stoping for a meal and a drink. If you go in the evenings during the week you are guaranteed a quiet and relaxing evening.
The food is great and they always have a really good specials board.
Well worth a visit.