Fox and Hounds, Barleyback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Closed and boarded up.
Sadly.
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This is a popular and very friendly country pub. There's a pleasant garden with a small children's trampoline and skittles, with traditional pub tables. Inside is also pleasant with a traditional but clean feel. The food from what we sampled in June 2013 was excellent - mains are mainly in the £10-12 range - home-made lasagne, coq au vin, and more traditional choices like home-made pies - all very good. There's a children's menu which seems a bit steep at £5.25 for a main but the fish fingers were home-made and it was good to see a real fruit salad for kids at £3.00. The beer is very good indeed, with local breweries favoured. The staff were great on our visit and could not have been friendlier. So we were certainly impressed and will be back.
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Went in here at last minute as the booking at our original pub of choice wasn't available (Pub was closed!) anyway, squeezed us in, 3 real ales, excellent dinner and no complaints whatsoever. After I placed my order of steak I saw one of the biggest fish in a serving of fish and chips I've seen for a very long while! Instantly wished I'd had that instead, although when my order did arrive it was excellent.
This place has never served us a bad dinner.
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Passed here while on business in the area and found this pleasant village pub for a good lunch. Weekday lunch menu was interesting but not overpriced, good selection of food, real ale very well kept on several handpumps and two barrels behind the bar, landlord smartly dressed and helpful. Small but comfortable looking children's area to one side. Only a few miles from the A10 / A505 and Royston - take a detour and try this one, it's worth it.
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For the record the new owner is one Adrian Parkes whose track record is as owner of the Falstaff Microbrewery housed in the Falstaff pub in Derby, which is currently Derby City CAMRA pub of the year.
So things look very rosy , and they certainly did when I popped in on Bank Holiday Monday.
Three hand pumps on the bar and as well as two brews from the Falstaff brewery (3 Faze and Smiling Assasin) there was Dark Star Hop Head and the two we tried were in excellent condition.
As mentioned below the pub has been tastefully refurbished and with its large stone fireplace an wooden beams and now a focus on real beer, is how a real country pub should be.
I wish the new team well and hope they are succesful. I will certainly be popping in again when I have the time luxuary to avoid the M11 and A10.
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It's open and what a welcome addition to the real ale pubs of Hertfordshire. Beers from the pubs owners Falstaff Brewery (Phoenix) and brews from Red Squirrel; Buntingford and Dark Star. The Phoenix and Red Squirrels rebanded Redwood (Late American IPA) particularly in good form.
Pub nicely refurbished without loosing it's old charm. A bit of a drive for me, but I will be returning on a regular basis (hopefully with one of my daughters driving next time !!!!).
Well done to all concerned with saving this lovely pub and serving well conditioned beers.
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About to reopen on 16 April 2011 as a genuine free house. Owned, managed and lived in by the landlord and specializing as a quality real ale pub supplying beers from his own micro brewery (Falstaff) and other Herts micros. Beautiful 17th century inn with bags of character. Child and dog friendly (if well behaved and under control!), real fires, exposed beams, nooks, crannies and a bar billiards table! Well worth a visit.
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Tried to do a pub walk from here on Sunday and it was closed and under offer
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The new and improved Fox and Hounds is great. I must say I've had breakfast and dinner there and both times were fantastic. The staff are friendly, very professional and the food was to die for. Love the comfy leather tub chairs infront of the fire, definatly a place I would spend my money during this credit crunch
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The pub is reopening this coming Saturday(19th July). They do have a website you can visit, but i am not sure if they allow URL's on here!! Sounds like it's going to be very interesting up there, with the opening of a deli and breakfast being served on a Sat and Sun, and i hope i am right in saying that they will have Hoegaarden on draft, happy days!!!
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Indeed, work is moving apace at the Fox now, the outside has been painted and the windows re done, the inside is in the process of being re-wired(i think) and plastered. Hopefully the pub will reopen sooner rather than later, although it being closed is saving me a fortune at the moment!!!
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I have heard that the Fox will be re-opening in August.
hopefuly it will get some of the summer trade.
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Bad news i'm afraid, the Fox and Hounds had a fire in the early hours of Sunday morning. I don't know all the details but it would appear that the bar and restaurant are mainly affected. Obviously it is closed for the time being, will keep things updated when i know more. A real shame this, everything was just shaping up nicely, hopefully Punch will give them the support they deserve
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It's nice to be able to write a positive review of the Fox and Hounds for once, as it has changed beyond recognition to be honest. It's clean(no more worrying about treading in dog shit or piss), welcoming, and warm!! A few of the old regulars have moaned to me about it being "turned into a wine bar" which is odd, cos i wouldn't have thought any of the old regulars had ever been in a wine bar!! Usual moans about 10/20p on the price of a pint, but it's no dearer than anywhere else in the area. I actually enjoy going in there now, whereas before it was a bit clicky, now everyone can enjoy the pub. Hope that the present team stay on for a good term, and keep getting busier!!
anonymous - 18 Oct 2007 13:52 |
Now a really great pub with great food. New management very friendly. Food very good indeed, well prepared and friendly chef happy to talk about where he sources all his food. We went in on busy Saturday night and had a fantastic meal, with excellent service. Looking forward to going again very soon!
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1st visit to pub as new to area. Been told by villagers that it needed to improve.
I was most impressed with service ,atomosphere and comfort of the place.I did not know the pub before but was very impressed.
Look foward to many a re-visit.
well done new owners !
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Couldn't agree more joannam77, went in there briefly on Sunday and then my wife had something to eat in there tonight, very very nice. As you say, attentive bar staff, the food was freshly cooked and very good. It looks like it is going to be professionally, which will be a refreshing change, and if it pisses some people off in the village that they can't just lounge around the bar drinking alcopops, good!!! About time this pub got back to how it should be
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Well at last!! I think it looks like we might have some landlords who really want the pub to work as much as the locals. They have got some great ideas, have cleaned the place up so it feels really welcoming. The bar staff are friendly and are always behind the bar - revolutionary compared to the last shower!!
The food is great and I have a really good feeling about this place. All it needs is for the village to really support it and I think we will have a lovely successful village pub - hooray!!
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Guess what? Another change of landlord!!! Who knows what is gonna happen now, just hope the new folk can turn a pub round, which is dying on it's arse, no atmosphere, absolutely nothing to pull any punters in. The annoting thing is, it wouldn't take much for it to be the better pub in the village, cos the Chequers is like having a drink in the landlords front room!!!
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Since my last post, there has been 2 changes of landlord!! It is like a revolving door this place!! But(hopefully) the new people look like the real deal, new curtains(doesn't sound much but if you saw the last ones you will understand why!!), lick of paint, sofas, tidying up of the big restaurant, it's amazing what a difference the little things make. Food has now started, offering the pub staples of fish and chips, cottage pie, chilli, etc at reasonable prices. Hopefully Brendan, Paul and Sue will get the support from Punch and restore the pub to how it was
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Since my last update back in March 2005, there has been 2 more changes of licencee, one lot has just left(thank christ) and the new occupants already seem a million times more professional than the previous landlord. Been in 3 days, already the garden has been tidied, the outside of the pub weeded!! and the promise of a jukebox and maybe some live music. Just the kick up the arse this pub needs really, and with food starting soon, hopefully this pub can get back to it's former glory, good luck to Mark and Estelle, the new landlords.
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Under new management, excellent quality food at reasonable prices, good specials, 4 real ales(Adnams, Broadside, 6X and IPA),Stella, Carling. Garden in process of being landscaped for the summer, helpful bar staff(well some of them, well one of them actually!!)
keendrinker - 29 Mar 2005 14:43 |
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