The Jolly Cricketers is located in the affluent village of Seer Green, near Beaconsfield and Chalfont St Giles.

It’s a good looking historic pub on the outside, but it’s on the inside that it reveals its secret – serving up some truly fabulous food, and recently voted the best gastro pub in the South East.

WWII aircraft at RAF Halton's Charity Flying Weekend

The Queen’s official birthday is celebrated by trooping the colour and a flypast by the RAF in central London. If the idea of the tourists crowds don’t appeal, it’s happily possible to watch the flypast from the comfort and attractive surrounds of Buckinghamshire.

RAF Halton holds a Charity Flying Weekend each year to coincide with the trooping the colour flypast, and welcomes visitors to what is normally a military aerodrome.

The 2011 event was held in conjunction with the Chilterns MS Centre, who held their Summer Fete, and the Berkhamsted-based De Havilland Moth Club, who had arranged various flying displays.

We arrived shortly after midday, so in good time for the flypast at around 1pm. We were struck by just how popular it was, given that we’d only heard about it through having come across photos of the previous year’s events and looked up the 2011 dates. The parking area was filling up quickly with hundreds of cars, although still had room enough for us.

Spectactors at RAF Halton watch Battle of Britain Memorial Flight approach

We had no idea what to expect, however there was a good selection of stalls – many in military green tents that were rather in keeping with the event. Arts and crafts, traditional fete games (Tara won a coconut from the coconut shy), and the usual food and drink were all there, so everything you’d need. Many visitors had also come well prepared though with some impressive picnics, table and chairs in evidence. Well prepared to enjoy the day.

Turning towards the aircraft, the inter-war De Havilland Moths were much in evidence, with much to-ing and fro-ing. A nice selection of WWII aircraft were also on the ground. The main event was the flypast – which included most but not all of the formations seen flying down the Mall a few minutes earlier. While the Red Arrows went elsewhere, we saw the fast jets, transporters, hawker jets and the always superb Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which gave us three fabulous passes.

We headed off shortly after the flypast, just as Captain Neville’s Flying Circus was getting underway – clearly there was much going on to provide entertainment for the whole day. Next year we may well bring a picnic and make a full day of it.

Overall it’s a great local event that piggy-backs on a national spectacle. It’s free to get in, raises money for a local charity and provides a good day’s entertainment for anyone who likes to watch magnificent men in their flying machines in action.

View more photos from the RAF Halton Charity Flying Weekend on the Mule’s Flickr channel.

Part of the Queen's Birthday flypast over RAF Halton

The Artichoke’s website offers three dining areas within the newly expanded restaurant: The Kitchen Dining Room with views of the restaurant’s kitchen, the Garden Dining Room with a kitchen garden theme and a Wine Room, upstairs. Having recently been engaged by recent Masterchef and Great British Menu TV series, we were keen to see the chefs at work, and requested a table in the Kitchen Dining Room.

On entering the Artichoke, you’re immediately aware that you’re not in any old restaurant. The service is elegant while being extremely slick. To our delight we’d be given the table right in front of the kitchen area, so prime views of the chefs were on hand. Within moments the chef himself arrived and greeted us personally – a lovely additional touch.

The menu contains a exquisite selection of meals, with 2 courses at £35 and 3 courses at £43.50.

Tara had young beets with shepton goat’s cheese, beetroot sorbet, lemon thyme, goat’s cheese mousse, rye bread, beetroot powder for the starter followed by pan fried fillet of cornish sea bass, lobster ravioli, spaghetti of vegetables, lobster bisque with saffron and orange for the main.

I had new season asparagus, herb emulsion, smoked and pickled quail eggs, dorset crab bonbons, crab and lemon dressing to start followed by breast of wood pigeon with hazelnut and truffle crust, wild garlic, pickled salisfy, morels, hazelnut cream for the main course.

While many restaurants describe their food in a fancy way these day, the food at the Artichoke really is a cut above the rest. In some ways this makes choosing courses quite liberating, as you can cast away any preconceptions of the meal, as you simply won’t have tried anything like it ever before.

Each dish was splendidly presented, and abounded with well considered mixtures of flavours. This was combined with outstanding service – this is the sort of place where you are never asked who is having which dish when they are brought to the table. It’s all impeccably done.

In-between courses, diners are also treated to palette cleansers, which included a Waldorf salad foam and later vanilla ice cream with passion fruit granita. Even these smallest of dishes were the greatest of treats.

Overall, the Artichoke is an excellent choice is you want to treat your taste buds to something special. Our bill came to £120 with a glass of wine each and desserts, so while out of budget for regular dining (for most people at least), it’s right at the top of our list of venues for marking a special occasion. Indeed, the couple on the table were doing just that in celebrating their 25th anniversary. We felt rather decadent not having done the same. But do we regret it? Not for a second. If you’ve not been to the Artichoke before – try it out – soon!

The Swan in Amersham

We’ve tried a few of the dining options in Old Amersham over the past year or two. We were bowled over by the standard of cuisine in the Artichoke restaurant and have some good experiences in some of the pubs and the deli. This was the turn of another pub, the Swan, located further away from most of the shops and eateries, down the western end of the high street.

Our visit was at a quiet time before dinner got underway, however the outside area was proving popular with afternoon drinkers. We settled in to a table by the window to overlook the high street, accompanied by a pint of Rebellion from the Marlow Brewery and Aspall Suffolk Cyder. There was a really nice selection on the menu, which would cater for most tastes. The food was good, although not quite perfect, as while my lamb was deliciously succulent and tender, Tara’s duck was overcooked. Nevertheless, with friendly service, pleasant atmosphere and good food and drink overall, we’d recommend giving it a try.

• The Swan in Amersham

Turville

The village of Turville is widely known as a picturesque jewel in the Chilterns, but the fact it was also the outdoor filming location for the Vicar of Dibley made it an easy choice for us, as Tara’s quite the Dibley fan.

There’s little in the village itself, but for us it was an absolute pleasure to wander the small streets around some of the prettiest historic buildings and Chilterns countryside you could ask for. For those looking to spend a while longer to absorb the atmosphere, there is a village pub and a walk up the hill to the windmill.

• Turville church history
• Turville pub – The Bull & Butcher

Fingest

We decided to follow recommendations and travel the short distance up the road to the next village of Fingest. We pulled into the Chequers pub, which has a good write up in the Good Pub Guide. The menu was a little more limited than we’d expected, being largely meaty pub classics. I opted for sausage and mash, clearly comprising nicely sourced produce. We’re rather unsure about the future of the Chequers, however, as the current landlord was leaving the following week for a pub in Medmenhem, near Henley. Hopefully there’ll be a new landlord to carry this pleasant pub into the future.

The village of Fingest lacks the jaw-dropping looks of Turville, but it has a fine Norman church and is worth a brief stroll.

View our set of photos from Turville and Fingest on Flickr.

• Fingest church history

Food and drink festival

Looking for local events over Easter weekend, we came across the Chilterns Easter Festival of Food and Drink in Great Missenden, which it happily transpired was being run by the family of one of our favourite local tweeters.

Such festivals can sometimes be rather hit or miss, but this one was certainly on the money for us, offering a wide range of produce and goods, including many that are locally grown and crafted. There was a nice amount going on: demonstrations to drop into, a food tent for lunch, outdoors for relaxing and of course dozens of stalls.

View our set of photos from the food and drink festival.

• Chilterns Easter Festival of food and drink

Coleshill and the Harte and Magpies

Wrapping up the Easter holidays we looked for a local day trip, and opted to try the Harte and Magpies pub in Coleshill, near Amersham. This is the sister pub of the Royal Standard of England at Forty Green, near Beaconsfield. We suspect the Harte and Magpies doesn’t have the wow factor of its sister, but it offered a good menu with some nice specials, and many were enjoying the outdoor seating. The village of Coleshill is very pleasant to have a potter around, although rather too far from the pub. The village common was a remarkable combination of quintessential green which turns into a splendid woodland walk. Very nice indeed, and look out for the windmill.

• Coleshill village website
• The Harte and Magies pub

We arrived in Wallingford late in the day, too late to visit sights such as the castle gardens that close at 3pm, although we glimpsed some of the castle ruins from the Thames path. The riverside area is quiet and largely undeveloped, unlike in larger towns, and following the path takes you quickly into countryside. The Thames Path also offers fine views of the Wallingford’s bridge. A stroll over the bridge itself gives some idea of the size of the Thames at this point, which while much narrower than in London, remains impressive.

Wallingford's bridge over the Thames

The shopping and entertainment in the town seems reasonably good for a town of Wallingford’s size and includes theatre and cinema in the Old Corn Exchange, some good looking hostelries including the swanky Old Post Office, and a selection of both high street and more boutique shops with a speciality in antiques shops.

There doesn’t seem to be a particularly quick way of reaching Wallingford from the M40, as both routes, one a B road and the other optimistically graded an A road, take around 20 minutes. From the east it’s necessary to cross the Thames, which is possible at Wallingford Bridge. Roadworks hampered our leaving the town by this route, however alternative bridges are available a few miles to the north or south of the town.

All in all Wallingford makes for a good fair weather day-trip destination and several hours can be happily spent pottering around its historic sights, attractive streets and interesting shops, with plenty of option on hand for refreshment.

Wallingford Market Square

The Swan, Ley Hill, nr Chesham

This pub was recommended a few months ago. We decided to pop over there on the August Bank Holiday, not realising that it’s a time when many villages and towns hold special events. Ley Hill was no exception, with live music and stalls set out around the Swan as part of the Ley Hill Festival 2010. Fortunately we decided to call ahead, so did have a table secured, although were completely bemused by the level of activity greeting us on arrival! Despite being so busy there was good food and service to be had.

The Swan, Ley Hill

Inside the Swan, Ley Hill

Ley Hill music festival, outside the Swan

The Waffle House, St Albans

We visited the smart town of St Albans in late September. Offering no shortage of tempting eating options we were enticed by the prospect of the Waffle House, located in a historic watermill.

A sweet option from the Waffle House in St Albans

The Old Orchard, Harefield

We heard about this pub through a flyer in the post. We don’t normally pay much attention to junk mail, but the Old Orchard’s menu was in a classy, vintage style with an enticing menu that caught our attention. What’s immediately striking on arrival at this Harefield hostelry is the location – commanding superb views over the local lakes and the nearest you can get to a Lake District style of view in these parts.

The interior is old fashioned pub combined with a comfortable layout and a bar that features an amazing compressed air tube system that delivers orders to the kitchen. The meals were brilliantly presented, including the Sunday roast, below, and a rustic ploughman’s lunch. Thoroughly recommended.

The Old Orchard pub, Harefield

Inside the Old Orchard, Harefield

The view outside from the Old Orchard pub

The menu from the Old Orchard pub, Harefield

Sunday roast in Old Orchard pub, Harefield

The Fat Aubergine makes much of its shakes and smoothies. There’s a bewildering variety, although Brown Sugar already offers a strong selection. As with Brown Sugar there are several menus around which makes it trickier to make a choice than perhaps it should. We both intended to have dairy free options and went for fruit smoothies and shakes, however missing the small print from each menu ended up with yoghurt and a milk shake respectively! They were tasty enough, but you don’t necessarily want to have to spend a good deal of time reading to make a simple choice.

We were more disappointed by the food, which is already prepared and not made to order as in Cinnamon Square or Brown Sugar. This meant that some of the choices were already sold out, and we felt there were relatively few fresh options available; something the competition does well.

On the whole, although it’s nice to see new businesses on the High Street, we didn’t feel Fat Aubergine offered anything that wasn’t already available from other cafés. It’s not the easiest of markets either, as Cinnamon Square uses its award winning homemade breads and is better than ever in its recently expanded form, while Brown Sugar’s deli format offers a superior selection of fresh food. For the moment at least we’re likely to stay with our current regular favourites for weekend lunches.

Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire were the destinations of a series of day-trips during half-term.

Pitstone, Ivinghoe and Tring

Back in February we visited the pleasant town of Berkhamsted. On Bank Holiday morning we pushed a little further north to the area around Tring, as two museums were open. The Pitstone Farm Museum (situated in the village of the same name) and the Ford End Watermill in Ivinghoe are unusual in only being open on a handful of days a year. The reason being is that both are volunteer-run and require a good number of volunteers in place to operate.

Tractor rides at Pitstone Farm Museum

The Pitstone Farm Museum is a real medley of attractions. At its heart is a preserved farm, however farm buildings have been turned into historic shops including a fascinating Smithy. There are also tractor rides, preserved vehicles, model railway and canal, crafts and stalls, and a brilliantly reconstruction of a Lancaster Bomber cockpit, to name but a few. There’s also a pleasant cafe selling home-made food at down to Earth prices.

Neighbouring Pistone is the attractive village of Ivinghoe, probably best known for the nearby Ivinghoe Beacon, one of the highest points in the Chiltern Hills. Also open for the Bank Holiday was the Water End Mill. This watermill is hundreds of years old and sells itself as being one of the only functioning watermills still to use its original machinery. There are friendly volunteers on hand to answer questions and activities for children to play with. The highlight undoubtedly was seeing the mill in full action, rattling away and actually grinding to make flour, which is for sale.

Miller collecting flour as it's made at Ford End Watermill

Back towards Pitstone we stopped for the short walk to Pitstone Windmill. Unusually this wasn’t open on the Bank Holiday, however there are fine views to be had from the windmill. In the past there used to be a cement works nearby, however today the scene has returned to its rural origins.

Pitstone Windmill

We wrapped the day by hopping over the border from Buckinghamshire back into Hertfordshire, with a stop in Tring itself. The town has a modest, pleasant high street, although as with many of the towns in the area there’s not much open on a Bank Holiday. There is branch of Costa on hand, however.

Tring high street

To view our photos from this trip, visit our Flickr channel.

Whipsnade Zoo

Just over the border into Bedfordshire and not many miles from our last day trip is Whipsnade Zoo. One of better known attractions of the area, Whipsnade is now run by ZSL that also operates London Zoo. It’s not cheap day out, costing £19.50 for adults, plus £4 for parking. This is however a family ticket for those with children. Whipsnade should be around a half-hour drive from Ricky, although as we found this is subject to the whims of the M1.

Whipsnade steam train passes camels, deer and yak

Covering a large site, there’s plenty to take up a day. We spent 5 hours at Whipsnade and still didn’t see it all. This, in some part, was due to the sign-posting, which we felt to be lacking and unclear at times. It was good to see animals with a good amount of space to roam on the whole. Some animals, such as wallabies and the odd “it’s not a rabbit, it’s not a deer, what is it?” mara and are allowed to wander around the site. Anyone disappointed at finding no elephants at London Zoo can now see them at the roomier Whipsnade, where the smaller elephant seemed to be content squirting water around. Other highlights included the rhinos, meerkats (which we dutifully compared), camels, giraffes and cheetahs. For children especially there’s a petting zoo and a steam train ride.

See a selection of the animals we saw at Whipsnade on our Flickr channel.

Thame

Having browsed a number of local towns on Flickr we decided we liked the look of Thame, situated in nearest Oxfordshire, just over the border from Buckinghamshire. Thame is a market town with a splendid historic centre and a good clutch of both independent and chain high street shops. A branch of Costa has opened in recent weeks, which is generally a sign of good times for a town, while we’re big fans of the brilliant independent book shop ‘The Book House’ and the extensive family butchers opposite. There’s also a branch of the glorious Steamer Trading Cook Shop, however after the huge spending spree this resulted in on visiting the Marlow branch, we sensibly gave it a wide berth on this occasion.

Thame town hall and high street

We picked up a number of local walk leaflets from the town hall to ensure we saw the best of what Thame has to offer. This included a nature reserve a few minutes walk from the town centre and to the north of the town the River Thame which eventually runs into the similarly named River Thames. There’s also a fabulously traditional looking cricket ground where spectators seem to gather to picnic around the boundary.

Thame is a 40 minute drive from Rickmansworth along the M40. See more images of our Thame visit on our Flickr channel.

Each of the roads leading to Harefield seem to be quite small and narrow. Although not unusual around these parts, Harefield is larger than some of the other villages we’ve encountered yet seems somewhat tricky to reach. On arrival however, there’s a very good size pub car park, able to cope with even the busiest of Sunday lunchtimes it would seem.

From the car park the pub is accessed over a small pub which crosses a small river, running parallel to the canal. There’s both a sizeable seating area inside the pub and outside, however the weather made the outside off-limits to all put the hardiest of patrons.

The Coy Carp’s interior is fairly standard pub, fairly comfortable without being either modern or historic. Despite some poor comments on beerintheeventing.co.uk we found the service to be fine. It’s primarily ordering at the bar, although waiting staff did take our order directly for dessert.

Tara trying the fish platter at the Coy Carp pub

As befits any Sunday, I opted for the Sunday Roast. I have to say this wasn’t particularly memorable; the beef was okay but the roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding were both rather soggy. I wonder if they’d be defrosted. It’s a shame because roast potatoes that are properly crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside can really help make a Sunday lunch. The gravy did help redeem it somewhat, which added some good flavour that otherwise wasn’t terribly forthcoming from the meal.

Tara on the other hand opted for the Fish Platter; a selection of different fish. This was nicely done, although some of the veg were well grilled to the point of being cremated, which is something I also found with some of the veg accompanying my roast. Also the lemon, which you’d expect to squeeze to add to the fish, had been grilled; this made it entirely too hot to handle. On the whole though, not too bad a dish.

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding at the Coy Carp

The desserts rather helped improve the overall experience; both Tara’s brownie and my Banoffee cheesecake being tasty and enjoyable options.

All-in-all it’s a reasonably priced and nicely located if unoutstanding pub. We’d probably go again for a cheap meal out, perhaps with friends, although I wouldn’t rush to try to the Sunday Roast again. At Sunday lunchtime the Coy Carp does seem to be a popular local option; it’s clientele largely comprising a combination of the older generation and families. However unlike many pubs they don’t take bookings, and the size of both the pub and car park should mean it’s rare that you’d find yourself out of luck when turning up on a whim.

Goslings and geese by the Coy Carp pub, Harefield

Few restaurants in the area so regularly feature in top food guides as the Artichoke in Amersham. Being closed on Sundays, we booked in for Saturday lunch a few weekends ago. It quickly becomes apparent that this is the home of fine dining; the service is top notch from the moment you walk in while the menu exudes quality. It’s priced accordingly without being prohibitively expensive. Definitely worth a visit for a special occasion.

Another weekend took us again over the border to Buckinghamshire; this time to Chesham on the Metropolitan Line. Curiously, Chesham is the largest town on the Amersham branch of the Met Line, however the path of history has meant that rather than a mainline stop is it an infrequently served station at the end of a single line spur of track from Chalfont & Latimer. Despite the relative inconvenience of reaching this farthest flung outpost of the tube network, our visit revealed some surprises. Chesham’s high street isn’t bad, but it’s the old town which is the biggest highlight. Based on recommendations we tried out the Queens Head, famed around these parts for its Thai food. It lived up to the reputation and was a fine old pub with it. Round the corner there’s also a Chess River walk to be had.