please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Clearly my post wasn't a review, just a fact.
MH obviously doesn't like criticism - and wants us to follow his links, and paste to see decades old information on other sites.
No thanks MH; this site about pub reviews, not links to/about other sites!
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Hidden away in a peaceful setting, this rural community pub is popular with cyclists and walkers. A local brewery is usually present among the five hand pumps. The front bar features terracotta tiles and a fireplace, the rear bar contains a hundred-foot-deep well. There are two gardens, one child-friendly, the other for adults only. Lunches are served daily and evening meals from Tuesday to Saturday. The pub has a strong community focus showing TV sports, movies, and hosting charity events.
As for historic Interest, yes, there is that well in rear bar area. However, more interestingly, the pub was apparently that used as The Fool And Bladder, in the 1980 film by the late Vivian Stanshall, national treasure, "Sir Henry At Rawlinson End". You can see the pub in the opening shot here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6W5RB50fXk
You can find a link to a more recent view, in one of my earlier comments.
This pub serves two regular beers, Greene King Abbot and Greene King IPA.
There are three changing beers.
So there you go, I'll leave the kind reader to decide whose reviews they would rather study, mine or Randolph's - correctly oft described by Fozzy 123, as a multi-login troll.
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Hat thinks people are interested in 30 year old views of pubs - and that they will even download it from another site!
Mad hatter?
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Brightie, old chap. Just because you and a few others choose to behave in much the same way does not make that a site rule. WhatPub and PubsGalore would seem to be the places for the type of information, which fully satisfies the scope of your particular outlook - my condolences.
There is one actual site rule, however, that comments should not be posted, which only refer to someone else's and not to the pub, as do yours - which tell no one anything whatsoever about it either.
But paste this for a view of this pub in 1980:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6W5RB50fXk&t=2s
You love it, don't you?
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Rooty toot, indeed.
People are indeed interested in movies. They probably use a film review site though.
The most "recent" review of this pub is two years ago, so please do the BITE website a favour and concentrate on saying something useful about a pub that you have been inside, or have a trading update (closed, open, etc.) to provide. Take a look at exemplary contributors such as Mappi, Blue, Snarling, Boehm and small group of others and you'll get the idea.
Toodle-pip, must dash.
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Well, my dear energy-saving bulb, many people are interested in pub history, and in films.
If you want to know what it looks like though, then paste this link:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.8049701,-0.3077462,3a,37.5y,296.11h,93.34t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVyX3rgT5pHl290nYVffynw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
As for beer, there are some quite recent reviews below.
Rooty-tooty-toot-toot-pip-pip, as you are wont to say.
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Content free from Hulot Shat.
I wonder what the pub and beer are like.
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This seems to be the pub which was used as The Fool And Bladder, in the cult 1980s film "Sir Henry at Rawlinson End", by the late lamented Vivian Stanshall, National Treasure. It's on You Tube, so check it out, if you're in a whimsical mood, or if you're feeling sullen for that matter.
Then you could pop in, and win over the bar staff, by exclaiming "I don't know what I want, but I want it NOW!" or "If I had all the money I'd spent on drink, I'd spend it on drink"
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Apologies. I've got the ales wrong below. The only Tring ale was Side Pocket For A Toad and there was also the local Three Brewers Classic.
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Nice rural pub with a dining room at the right as you enter and more of a drinking area to the left. The bar itself is at the rear beyond the pub's well. There is a garden at the rear and a larger one to the front. It's a Greene King pub. IPA, Abbot and the house Elephant Brew were on, alongside White Hawk & Apache from Tring.
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Nice pub but locals think it's an extension of their front room. The landlord appears to offer a taxi service to the Hooray Henry's that form the regular clientele. These numpties insisted on shouting out their exploits from the previous night out at a club in St Albans! Doffing your cap to the spoilt brats from the nearby properties is beyond the pale.
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Atmospheric pub with great character. Very well kept ale. Friendly bar staff. A bit quiet for a Friday night, but it's out in the sticks. But - jeez. Why was it full of dogs? Ok, if you like drinking in a kennel!
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Had lunch here on Saturday & apart from the price of the beer (why do Greene King make their landlords charge SO much for their beer?), it was nice. The food was excellent & it is a nice pub. We would come here more often if they reduced the price of their beer.
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Lovely country pub doing very good food. On the downside, it's owned by Greedy King and the beer is VERY expensive - my pint of Sundance was an eye-watering �3.60!! Shame because I really like the pub.
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I enjoyed a very nice pub lunch and a beer one lunchtime in here the other week. It's a lovely little pub tucked away in a country lane that has a very nice atmosphere. The management were quite happy for me to bring my 2 year old son in, provided we sat in the right hand bar. Food good, beer good. Lovely.
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I can't understand how this pub can be rated lower than others in the area. The staff are friendly, the ale well kept, if a little limited in choice, and the ambience very pleasant. And the pub dog is remarkably intelligent. Easily the best place for a drink around Wheathampstead.
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its a very nice pub actually with a lovely fire.
what is wrong with kids not being allowed?
some people appreciate a quiet drink with adults.
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Went for lunch and a drink. Excellent food - steak and ale pie especially which is made with Guinness. Staff very friendly and efficient, good selection of ales (Abbott, IPA and two guests, My guest ale was very well kept. Also lagers (selection of four on draught). Service a bit slow but maybe the pies had to be properly heated at the last minute before serving - they certainly came very hot. Rooms and decor looking a bit tired though. Chairs stained and not very comfortable, tables scratched and with chipped varnish. Draught excluders on doors coming loose and I pulled a curtain rail down by trying to pull the curtain aside. Menu boards all showed age in that the prices had clearly been changed many times. Pity that because this is usually a nice place to go.
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Have been there a couple of times(when we could find it) beer has always been very well looked after and food was very good nice to see that they still cater for walkers dogs and cyclists
Can get very busy in the warmer months
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Lovely old pub in a wonderful location and consequently very popular - that is the trouble. The management know they do not have to try very hard to attract enough customers, so they don't. With a little bit of effort, this could be the most popular pub in Hertfordshire, despite the Greene King tie-in. Beer okay but not much selection - just one guest beer usually. Sorry, I just do not like GK IPA, however well kept - it has no character.
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Can't agree with cgj.
Children are and always have been, welcome in the front and side bars and there never have been any problems. Both of our boys have been accompanying us for evening meals and Sunday lunch since they were quite young.
However, children (and dogs) have always been excluded from both the back bar - beyond the well - and the rear garden; there are signs to this effect.
To my mind, this is a reasonable compromise - and as a regular at this pub, I have been happy to accept.
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Very poor provision for families with children. On arrival when asked if we could sit in other part of pub with more space was told 'no because we don't want screaming children there'. I should of left then.
The older bar staff were very unfriendly and clearly didn't want people with children. Horrible atmosphere.
Toilets were the worst I've EVER been in. Absolutely disgusting.
Could not recommend.
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Visited the pub at lunch time. Currently run by 'Bob, Sue & Gavin'. Good friendly reception and four ales available. This is a Greene King pub and they had Abbot, IPA and two other ales on tap. Food selection was on the 'board', rather than a printed menu, with the usual selections - baguettes, combos (soup and filled baguette) various Ploughman's and other snacks and hot food. The smell of the cooking food as I parked my bike in the car park was wonderful and really whetted my appetite. I plan to return this Thursday with a group of about 10 cyclists. Our hosts were very happy to accommodate our needs.
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I've been using this pub regularly for more than 20 years and it has really been transformed by the current landlord (Bob)his Wife (Sue, who runs the kitchen) and son (Gavin)not forgetting the rest of the team.
Bob takes real pride in his beer (as does Gavin) and an excellent standerd is usually assured. The food is always good.
Sunday lunch is very good value and because of this is always very popular (both summer, with the extensive gardens being available and in winter, whenit's really cosy with the log fires blazing) so it pays to join the queue outside the front door at 11.55am if you really want a table. Being a fairly small pub there is only a limited amount of space and for this reason, reservations are not taken - it's first come, first served.
It is, therefore, an excellent local pub that serves both good beer and food.
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I have been to this pub several times over the past 20 years, even before the present management too. Generally it has been OK and even sometimes very good. The present manager seems pleasant but his lady can come across as humourless and, by not engaging in conversation unless approached, somewhat uncaring. They don't do lot to accommodate customers needs here. We once wanted to hold a family reunion there and wanted to reserve 15 places in the dining room at Noon on a Sunday. There is no mechanism for reservations - even of a large number - and they would not bend so we went elsewhere. However to more recent matters. I went there with my wife on a weekday in February 2008 for lunch. The food was really excellent. Particularly recommend the Steak and Kidney Pie. Sadly not individudally cooked - it's made from a piece of crust and a serving of beef. However that aside it was really good. Not cheap though - this place never is - but good nonetheless. The food-serving staff were very helpful, no problem about condiments and mustard and the mustard was freshly decanted into its own bowl. I chose a pint of Old Hooky to drink which frankly was not up to scratch - flat (and that despite efforts by the manager's lady during its pulling to get a head on it) and tasting rather 'thin' too. Half way down the glass I took it back to her and asked for a half of Abbott instead. Although somewhat surprised at my taking the ale back she did not offer to replace it (in fairness I had drunk half of it!) but given that there had been a complaint I was surprised that noone took the slightest interest in my comment that this beer was old and rather off. I was particularly surprised that no one in the management saw fit to draw a small quantity to taste and also that this brand continued to be sold to others without any suggestion of a warning. I formed the impression that they knew full well that the beer was not 'right'. Sad to find the ale not being looked after in such a nice 'real ale' pub.
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I used to go here regularly for Sunday lunches and family meals. However, I went this summer, July 2007, for the first time in two years and it has really changed. I thought it would be a nice place to entertain some new friends but; the staff were incredibly rude (not in funny "Fawlty" way) and the food was appaling: a vegetarian friend was only given the choice of some palid vegetables whereas the "roast beef" was "packet style" heated up. We were given no condiments and the food was slammed down in front of us...no gray either. Other customers we equally harassed and disappointed. I give this pub 1/10 - despite what I've reported it is a nice environment with HUGE potential.
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Nice pub in a remote location.
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It IS cliquey, but I don't mind that. The IPA and another were okay, which is my main concern.
We won't be rushing back, however, because of the attitude of the barman on our last visit. If I wanted Basil Fawlty, I'd watch UK Comedy Gold.
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Visited on a midweek evening, obviously a 'proper' local so can appreciate the cliquey comment made earlier but did have a nice atmosphere. Had some simple pub food which was very good and would think the sunday lunch would be excellent. Will definitely return,
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Agree with the 1st comment. It can get quite busy on a sunday but maybe that just means it's popular.
anonymous - 30 May 2006 17:32 |
Nice, nice, a bit cliquey, just smile and sit by the fire with a knowing look!
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A real oasis of a pub found down a very quiet lane off the beaten track. Well worth the detour though this is a superb inn, selling excellent beer and food. Garden is idyllic (and never crowded)
Geoff - 5 Jul 2004 17:38 |
