please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Superb country pub.
Ten handpumps with nine different real ales.
Three of them commonly seen; London Pride, Old Hooky and ESB.
A couple of Christmas specials; Hook Norton's Twelve Days and Fullers Snow Globe.
The others included; Owd Rodger, Lock Keepers, Peacemaker and 61 Deep.
A bugger when, because of driving, I can only have two pints!
Where did they get all those beer bottles? Most looked unopened.
Food and price was okay. The verdict is out on the bar staff.
Well worth another visit.
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Seven real ales on offer here - and I tried the On the Fence from the Brains brewery which was in good condition. Cost per pint was around £3.60. Mixed clientele with several CAMRA-types. Hidden away in the lanes to the east of St Albans the Plough is well worth a visit.
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cracking pub but needs to trim down on the food (which was poor) and concentrate on what it's best at,
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Driven out here. Nice little village, bats swooping through the air. Very nice pub interior, but a dreadfully quiet weekday evening. Two different beers in mediocre condition - London Pride very cloudy. Was going to try another half but spent so long waiting for the bar woman to stop talking with a local/ friend that we gave up. Probably too many beers on tap for the number of punters.
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I was pleasantly surprised by the beer range in here. On our Easter Sunday visit, they had Greene King Old Golden Hen, Abbot, Fullers London Pride & ESB, Brains SA, Cottage Vulcan & Riley Kestrel & XT3 Indian Pale. They also stock a real cider, which was Westons Cider Twist Ginger. Food was ok too. The pub was much busier than we expected. Although the sheer number of children in here, did lend the pub to feeling more akin to a creche. With its huge collection of beer bottles lining the walls, I could imagine that this could be a very pleasant place to while away a few hours on a quiet weekday afternoon or evening. Although on a busy weekend, it may be best avoided.
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Fabulous pub with great selection of ales. Beer memorabilia adorns the place and despite the large amount of catering going on it still maintains a good pub atmosphere. Food was great and not at all expensive, I had the lamb burger (locally sourced meat) and it came to under a fiver; the chips were lovely. Beer garden at the back and a small children's play area.
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Last went here several years ago & it was absolutely awful so haven't been back until a colleague told me it had improved. So we decided to give it another go & were glad we did. Very friendly staff - warm welcome from everyone when we walked in and a much better atmosphere all round. Great choice of real ales & excellent food. Much better ordinary menu and good choice of specials. Not cheap but good value for money. We will take note of the comment by "Allthewayfromthebrickys" though as that was our experience on our last visit which was truly awful. But if we get service and value like we did on this visit then we will definitely return.
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Vastly improved since my last visit. Wam welcome from the barman and chef, excellent(if a little pricey) beer from local breweries such as Tring & Buntinford and great home-cooked food. Highly recommended.
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A great pub and try to pop along on a reasonably regular basis. The beer is well kept and the food (when Carl the chef is working) is great - massive portions and great home cooked food.
But...
What a let down when the chef is on holiday. The food recently was barely fit for human consumption. I'm sure a temporary chef could have been installed as cover rather than serve the dross that was put in front of us recently.
A supurb pub in a lovely quiet village overlooking fields. Just don't eat the food when the chef is away!
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We went to eat at this pub on a Sunday recently for a special occasion - Fathers Day and my Dad's 65th birthday. We took along the brats (who are actually generally very well behaved little girls) and had a fantastic time. Lovely table reserved for us (very important with children, who generally cannot take a pub crawl at lunch time to find space to sit down) and of course the garden facilities kept them well entertained for the afternoon. We arrived at midday and had a lovely varied menu to choose from (and the 8 of us tried most things!) - everything from full English breakfast to yummy roast dinners, and sandwiches and kids food inbetween! The staff were very pleasant, friendly and helpful, and we were served very quickly and with a smile - what more can you ask for?! Oh yes, for the food to be delicious - and it was! Just what this area needs, we're so pleased the eating times have been extended and we will definitely be going back for more soon.
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Recently made one of my occasional lunchtime visits to this formerly-delightful pub. Oh dear! It took ten minutes to get the first pint (despite it being only 12:15 and the place nearly empty). It took 30 seconds to decide not to eat, having seen the new menu which is a virtual wasteland for vegetarians. Having got through the first pint, initially in the garden (where we were irritated and harassed by uncontrolled brats) and then in the conservatory (where the brat infestation was scarcely better), we found that the bar was now rammed, although plenty of tables were empty, being adorned with "Reserved" notices (which I hate in pubs: it's not a flipping restaurant for God's sake!).
After waiting ten minutes again (in the company of many other disgruntled and thirsty punters) we gave up and went elsewhere.
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Definitely worth a visit. Decent range of beers and lagers. Food was good value for money and was tasty. The current owners/landlord seem to be making an effort. Good size garden wih plenty of countryside around for walks.
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A Free House I believe and well deserving of it�s GBG entry. There are 8 hand pumps, 6 of which were working when I visited on a Monday lunchtime. Some interesting beers and I had the Brains Merlin�s Oak and Rebellion Freefall. There is a What�s On board with details of brewery, strength and price, plus a Coming Soon board. A decent menu with a specials board and I grabbed a quick Beef Stroganoff as sustenance. Nicely decorated (the pub not the stroganoff) with old advertising posters, beer clips and a large collection of old bottled beers. It�s not a pub you would just happen across, you�d need to know it was there. It�s a bit out of the way in a rural setting but has a reasonable catchment area of residents nearby. If going by public transport the number S7 bus from St Albans ends and starts it�s journey just up the road from the pub. Buses are every hour midweek (no Sunday service) so just enough time for a couple of pints and a bit of food before catching the next one back. Do check out opening times though as they close in the afternoon. Current midweek times are 11am - 2.30pm and 6pm - 11pm. Food is served 12 �til 2. A pub well worth a visit.
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what to me a proper english pub should be like, usually got at least 5 decent beers on handpump plus all the usual lagers if thats your poision, bloke that used to be the chef at the goat, is now the chef there so i understand and boy, the found is getting better and better week by week......sunday lunch is a cracking deal
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I think it might have gone downhill due to a different maagement team, something to do with that lot in the Three Blackbirds in flamstead, I think they have both leases, They are consistently inconsistent.
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Sad to say that the food in the Plough has really gone downhill this year,... maybe due to staff changeover perhaps? Can anyone explain?
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Well worth a visit - nice place; good beer, friendly staff - genuine character. Poor quality sausages. Their jar of tartare sauce was 1.5 years past its sell-by-date. Generally speaking, the food's great. Surrounding by rolling fields - let's hope that the local government crazies don't permit it to be ring-fenced by affordable housing.
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A really friendly, local pub- but diverse clientele as well. Good range of real ales, yummy food, and thankfully, no big screens or loud music- the landlord is friendly too, in a nicely low-key way. Good play area for kids- mine like it anyway.
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It's a nice pub in a lovely setting but the food is awful. I had prawns with salad in a pitta bread. There was no mayonnaise or anything on the prawns & the salad was mainly lettuce which was absolutely drenched in dressing, so much so that the pitta bread was completely sodden & fell apart at the bottom when I picked it up. Go there for the beer (which I believe is OK) & the pub but eat elsewhere.
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THIS PUB WAS RECOMMENDED TO ME FOR THE FOOD.HAD THE TYTTENHANGER SPECIAL - ONLY �3.50, BUT HARDLEY SPECIAL, JUST AN ORDINARY CHEESE & HAM TOASTIE. BEER CHOICE WAS OK, BUT TOO MUCH EMPHASIS ON NATIONALY AVAILBLE BRANDS SUCH AS FULLERS,YOUNGS ETC.QUITE A NICE PUB THOUGH AND CLEARLY VERY POPULAR
anonymous - 18 Nov 2007 14:47 |
Great country pub, great beers, very popular, fantastic on a sunny day, but the queues can be off-putting (due to its popularity). Tricky to find. Arrive early for food orders. Extremely nice and friendly staff.
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worth a visit beer, in good order, bit crowded on a friday night though considering its location, bar staff friendlier than the locals though
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Yes, it is a fine pub in a pleasant setting with what appears to be a decent selection at the pumps. However, I have rarely visited the place without being served beer more suited to the Sarsons factory (again, last Friday). Although they will change a pint, polite criticism is not usually received with good grace. The safest bet is to determine what the locals are drinking and try a half of that. Never visit at opening time unless you enjoy line conditioned ale. A pity.
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Excellent pub, Its got a great landlord which all good boozers need .The beer is always top notch and the food is also a class above most.The only downside is it isnt near enough to my Gaff.By the way Its never come across as the Slaughtered Lamb to me either.
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A great country local with good beer and food, sensible pricing, no smoking and kids area and nice garden.
A real landlord as well, could this be a coincidence?
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Great beer and great atmosphere. Not too sure about the previous entry concerns the locals as they are all very hospitable.
anonymous - 7 May 2004 16:51 |
Really good beer here lovely settings and surroundings,locals are ok but a bit american werewolf like ie you made me miss the board ive never missed the board...have to have a designated driver to get you there
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This is a lovely pub with real character. A very friendly atmosphere and good beer.
anonymous - 29 Dec 2003 17:44 |
Great country pub in small village on the outskirts of St Albans with up to 8 real ales available. Good food at reasonable prices. Owner has his amazing bottled beer collection (more than 600) scattered all over the place!
ian - 11 Jul 2003 14:18 |
