The Parrot Inn, Forest Green

I live a few miles from The Parrot but it's where I go if I'm hungry and I fancy something slightly more interesting than Ye Traditional Pubbe Grubbe.

Before I get to the food, the bar itself is in classic country pub style with stone floors, an open fire and many walkers with dogs. There's a good atmosphere but the bar can seem really cramped. That's just a reflection of how extraordinarily busy it normally is - I got there very early one day and was amazed at how large the place looked! As for the beers, the bitters (listed elsewhere in these reviews) seem very well kept. A friend of mine questioned the quality of a pint of lager on one occasion and it was replaced immediately and with profuse apologies.

As previous reviews have mentioned, the landlord owns a local farm and the produce from the farm features heavily on the menu and in the pub's farm shop. The food is, 95% of the time, extremely good. There are enough basic meals on the menu to keep the faddy or traditionalist punters happy, but there are always plenty of more unusual options. This week I had an oxtail and tongue stew that was truly excellent.

The only caveat I would give to anyone planning to go to The Parrot is this: prices for main courses are very fair (�9 - �14ish) especially for the quality. But the price of some of the extras is, frankly, ridiculous: �6 for a tiny plate of cheese and biscuits and a similar amount for some very small starters.

In a nutshell, drink the bitter then have just a main course and possibly a dessert. You'll be glad you did.

1 Mar 2009 14:30

Cricketers Arms, Ockley

The Cricks is a solid, traditional, small English pub with very good beers and good, plain, genuinely home-made food.

You wouldn't go to The Cricks (or anywhere else in Ockley!) for a wild night out but the Cricketers is where the locals mostly seem to drink these days and it's very, very friendly. For what it's worth, it's the pub I usually choose to drink in when I'm in the village. Recommended.

1 Mar 2009 14:08