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.

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

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.

We parked on the road near the two pubs and headed on a walk, which due to some slightly off navigation took us past a farm with some attractive old buildings.

Historic farm house

Historic barn

The walk took us down to Bottom Wood, which if the greenery on the ground is anything to go by will be an astounding bluebell wood in a few weeks time. We spotted a variety of wildlife (including a twittering Skylark) and signs of other wildlife (including a badger set).

Circular walk in countryside near Heronsgate

Back in Heronsgate at the end of our enjoyable 3 mile wander, we tried out the pubs. The CAMRA pub it transpired doesn’t do Sunday lunch, so we headed to the Stag where we had received a warm welcome and reasonable pub food.

Sunday Roast at the Stag pub, Heronsgate

Heronsgate seemed like a pleasant corner of Chorleywood, amongst some pleasing countryside. On another occasion we might make a longer trip to the area to see if there’s more on offer in Heronsgate itself. The CAMRA pub is tempting but less so when you have to drive to it; ruling out making a day of trying out the ales of offer. Ho-hum.

The Bricklayers Arms, Flaunden

This week’s Sunday lunch sent us back onto the local narrow, winding and pot-holed roads that criss-cross the Herts and Bucks countryside. Our destination has been well written up, most recently by Giles Coren in the Times. Yes, we were bound for the Bricklayers Arms, located in the wonderfully named hamlet of Hogpits Bottom in the village of Flaunden. Distress at the lack of necessary punctuation aside, it’s a fine hostelry in a pleasant part of the countryside.

These country pubs are notoriously popular so we were booked in for 12:15, when the pub was largely empty. It didn’t stay empty long, however, and as 1pm approached the tables filled and the pub was suddenly bustling with activity and custom; not bad for a village that from any direction is down some narrow, and in places, rather potholed roads. The clientele had clearly come specifically for the pub; the muddy boots by the front door identifying the walker fraternity; while the pub also seemed quite popular with families, although as the table opposite discovered it didn’t offer any child specific meals, just half-portions of the main menu.

Roast beef for Sunday lunch at the Bricklayers Arms

The food was fine and hearty, although not the flavour explosion we’d experienced a couple of weeks earlier in the Bedford Arms in nearby Chenies. The service, however, was extremely efficient, even when full during the peak of Sunday lunch, to the extent that my dessert, which the menu warned could take upto 15 minutes, needed only 5 minutes for its arrival.

Our starters, puy lentil and walnut salad with goats cheese for Tara and home smoked fish platter for me were a good start. The roasts, Sarratt pork for Tara and Shropshire beef for me were fine and nicely cooked, although the flavours didn’t stand out. The desserts really hit the spot, however, the Apple and Cinnamon tart for Tara and my apple and forest fruit crumble leaving us suitably impressed.

The pub is a reasonable size and there’s also a good number of picnic benches in the pub garden for when the weather becomes warm enough. However I suspect that at whatever the time of year Sunday lunch will likely need advanced booking, although at other times it may be possible to be rather more spontaneous for a visit.

Find out more on the Bricklayers Arms website, which incidentally has a sister pub, the Nags Head, in Great Missenden.

Thanks to all of those who have provided fine suggestions for future Sunday lunch visits. These include:

• The Rose and Crown, Rickmansworth
• The Old Queens Head, Penn
• The Swan, Ley Hill

The Bricklayers Arms Sunday menu

But first to the food. The Bedford Arms had received a good write up and certainly lived up to expectations. We had a seat reserved in the bar as the restaurant was already fully booked. It has nice period features with some modern stylings too. Service was fine although the food took a while, which was, to be fair, peak Sunday lunch time. Fortunately the food was more than worth the wait. The Roast Beef was absolutely delicious; every bite a pleasure. Tara’s black sea bream was the same. The dessert – we both opted for the marble cheesecake – also hit that spot. That makes it two weekends in a row where we’ve come across top notch country pubs for food.

We had a quick walk around Chenies village and like many of the villages in the area it’s a beautifully picturesque corner of the world. Period buildings, a village green, winding country lanes; just what you’d hope for. Unlike Chalfont St Giles last week, Chenies is much too small for a high street, but for the quiet country life it’s all you might hope for. However both villages are located near cross-Chiltern walking trails and the Bedford Arms seemed to have something of a regular clientele, if the partially overheard conversations are anything to go by. We were though, it has to be said, some of the youngest in the pub by a considerable number of decades. Chenies isn’t for those after a racey life; it’s a place to relax, chill and take life at a slower pace. For a Sunday it’s just what you want.

Following our enjoyable lunch we decided to have a little explore of the area. We headed towards Latimer, and before long reached a pleasant bridge over the River Chess. We passed through Latimer, another tiny but lovely village, and towards Flaunden, home of the Bricklayer Arms; a pub we aim to visit on a weekend soon. We were beginning to discover that the roads in this area were in places rather sketchy; the recent snow and ice had led to some quite severe potholes. These are the smallest country lanes too, with little room to manoeuvre. Fortunately the roads were quiet, so a bit of careful negotiation around the potholes got us back on the more substantial road by Chenies and home.

Chalfont St Giles - village sign

Unfortunately more or less all of the shops are closed on Sunday, although the main reason for our visit was for Sunday lunch. In this respect the village’s selection of pubs and deli provide a fine choice of options. Our first port of call was the Fox and Hounds, principally because it received a staggering 8.1 on the Beerintheevening website. It seemed every bit the quintessential village pub. Unfortunately it was also booked up for Sunday lunch, meaning our appreciation was short lived. We returned to the high street and had a look at the Crown pub, which we liked the look at.

Relatively recently refurbished, the Crown has a modern but comfortable look, with separate eating and bar areas. The welcome and service was superb. The Crown is one of those places that upon stepping foot in the place you’re treated as if you’re a well-liked regular. It being Sunday, I continued in my research to find the best Sunday Roast in the area, while Tara had the tomato tart with goat’s cheese. It was part of a three-course deal for £20. Each course was absolutely delicious. From the prawn and langoustine starter to the treacle tart dessert, presentation and flavour was top notch.

Sunday Roast at the Crown pub in Chalfont St Giles

The Sunday Roast looked nice enough on first glance. The two slices of beef didn’t look terribly generous, however the experience was on the tasting. It was the most flavoursome roast I’ve had in a good while. Not the rarest cooked I’ve had but every mouthful was a pleasure. At £9.95, even without the set deal, it’s also by no means the priciest to be had. I think this may well but the Crown at the top of the pile so far in my search for the finest local Sunday Roast. However the search continues…

The Feathers, Church Street, Rickmansworth

Open just four months in its current incarnation, the Feathers is probably my favourite hostelry in central Ricky. The pub is a part of oldest Rickmansworth and has the fine stone and wooden beam clad interior you’d hope for. The Feathers has been given a modern refurbishment, giving a comfortable mix of dining, drinking and outdoor areas in very pleasing surrounds. The service is good, with the staff clearly having been training to ensure guests enjoy the new venture. The Feathers, price-wise and in terms of appearance, places itself at the classier end of the pub food spectrum while not straying into Gastropub territory.

The Sunday Roast is £9, which to my mind is mid-to-high for a non-Gastropub. Unfortunately the Sunday Roast I had last weekend was distinctly mediocre. The beef was not at all generous in quality and was clearly of the ‘been sitting there for sometime and overdone’ variety. The trimmings were fine but of a similar unremarkable quality and quantity. It’s the quality you might expect at Wetherspoons but which you’d only expect to pay similarly £5 for.

This is, I feel, where The Feathers may have trouble in terms of retaining food custom, as I love my Sunday Roasts but I certainly wouldn’t rush back for this one. When you have a new venture and you’re pricing and presenting yourselves as being reasonably well presented and classy, the whole product needs to delivery to estabish a customer base and here it simply didn’t. Others around us were also unhappy with their food; a table who ordered burgers and had requested how well it was cooked along with expecting the cheddar topping and potato wedges promised in the menu instead received standard well-done burger with a processed cheese slice and what can only be called a stingey number of standard chips. Again, if you’re promising quality in the menu the product has to deliver.

Overall I’d happily return to The Feathers for drinks on the grounds that it has perhaps the nicest ambience and surrounds of a pub in central Rickmansworth that I’ve come across so far. However the food pricing and quality seems out of proportion at present and I’d likely now need to hear positive things about improvements before going out of my way to have another meal there.

Scotsbridge Mill, Park Road, Croxley Green

A little out of Rickmansworth on the way to Croxley is the Scotsbridge Mill. A spacious, family friendly place, the Mill as its name suggests, is a converted water mill. Impressively, the mill leat is neatly integrated into the pub, with the water of the River Chess passing over a series of weirs viewable through glass. As with The Feathers, the service is dedicated to customer satisfaction. Food is delivered remarkably quickly as is of good quality. For the Sunday Roast there’s the option of specifying how the meat should be cooked. My medium-rare roast beef came perfectly medium-rare and was of a quality entirely superior to that of a thin, placid fare experienced at The Feathers. The meat looked like meat, carved relatively thickly and served in a tasty gravy. The roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and trimmings were of similar good quality and seemed freshly cooked, not hard over-done as can so often be the case in pubs. The dessert that followed was much enjoyed and the filter coffee was to die for – a big surprise.

The Scotsbridge Mill is also configured to have a comfortable bar area and a considerable dining area with a number of tables outside near the river when the weather suits. Although at a glance it may appear externally to be of the Harvester or Brewers Fayre variety of pubs, it’s an entirely superior product and one of a handful of pubs run by the same company in the area. Care and attention has clearly been paid to all aspects of the product and it really does deliver well.

Two down … the results

There are plenty of pubs in Rickmansworth but these two sells themselves as a cut above the norm and in terms of service and ambience they certainly deliver. However in the search for a decent Sunday Lunch only the Scotsbridge Mill comes through victorious. At £12 it’s more expensive than the Feathers’ roast but the distinction in quality more than outweighs any cost consideration. Although I’m keen to support the new owners of The Feathers in their venture they’re going to have to make some notable improvements in the food delivery to get back into the running.

Are there other contenders for a decent Sunday Lunch in or around Rickmansworth? Let me know your recommendations.

Vintage Wine Bar

Ever since the sainted Hand in Hand – now mainly Prezzo – closed to much booing and gnashing of kneecaps, furtive activity has been going on behind the newsprint-shrouded windows of its smaller wing. Just in time for Christmas, the Vintage Wine Bar declared its presence on the site. We went along for a Christmas Eve drink to see if there might finally be a reasonably priced antidote to the chavvy/sexagenarian atmosphere of Pinner’s existing High Street pubs.

It’s insanely tiny. I’m starting with this fact, because it’s unavoidable and makes me worry that the Vintage may not long survive. There’re four tables at a push with some standing room at the front and the back by the bar. The decor can only be described as a cross between the Habitat home catalogue and several tubs of metallic paint (see photo by Dan)…. I liked it, anyway. We managed to lurk long enough for a table to become free and settled in for an hour.

Given it was Christmas Eve, there was a reasonable number of people about, but not so many as to relieve the relative piece and quiet. We might have to go back on a normal night to see how the Vintage stands up to Saturday night crowding – and whether they turn the music up or put unsightly things on the telly.

As for drinks, a round of two beers and a couple of glasses of wine cost £14, which isn’t bad going. The Vintage is definitely a wine/cocktail bar rather than a pub. Expect only bottled beer here – though they do have a decent range (Dan had Cobra). The organic rosé was lovely and there was plenty of choice.

As people who don’t really enjoy noise and overcrowding, Dan and I thoroughly approved of the Vintage. We’ll have to see how it fares.