Crown Inn, Westcott

Sadly, it's now closed its doors and is a boarded-up eyesore in the otherwise pretty village. Paul's retired, I'm told, after reaching a settlement with the building's owners.

2 Sep 2011 14:32

The Volunteer, Sutton Abinger

Lovely location for a pub, although the interior resembles a wide corridor and isn't very attractive. The food was good pub food, but the beer could have been in better condition. The new-ish owners are hard-working and pleasant, although there is a limit to the number of times my conversation can be interrupted to be asked "Is everything all right?" by the same or different members of staff at various different points during our meal. Happily, I've maintained my sang froid so far because I know they mean well. Well worth a visit. Or two.

7 Jul 2011 18:20

The Abinger Hatch, Abinger Common

It's difficult to describe this lovely building as a pub any more. Yesterday evening, we were intercepted on entry and escorted to a table by a smart and courteous young woman. She then presented us with a menu filled with uninteresting and expensive meals, and there were no specials on offer. Then it became apparent that every beer I wanted was off, so we decamped to The Volunteer, where we had not only an excellent meal but also a pint. In The Hatch, as we left, we overheard the couple sitting next to us discussing the direness of the menu. Last time we were in, at Easter when they'd just reopened, the owner asked us if we had any suggestions for the menu, so we gave him a detailed list of what we and the dozen or so people we were with, all of us locals, wanted to find on a pub menu. Pub food, basically. It hasn't filtered through. Sad to say, we won't be returning until we hear that things have improved.

7 Jul 2011 18:08