CAMRA multi-award winning pub, featured in many Pub Guides!
Gill, Martin & Staff offer a warm welcome to you, whether a local or visiting pubgoer.
Click on this picture to open the pub photo album.
'A proper pub' is a phrase frequently used to describe our house, both by regulars and visitors. As a business we offer you all the traditional aspects of a friendly atmosphere, great real ales, great food and great company.
The building is a traditional style single bar pub, which was built in the 1820's and served as the local beer shop. It became a pub with 3 rooms in the late 19th Century, and has had various improvements made over the years.
We consider that we are running and living in a community service as well as a business, hence you can find several items unusual for a pub to offer (in the absence of a village shop) and many of our neighbours are regulars.
We look forward to seeing you in person whenever you can visit us! Cheers.
Gill & Martin
You will find 6 handpumps on the bar offering a range of ales, including changing guests, and a set of 4 pumps which are used for beer festivals, or ciders in the summer. Over-sized lined glasses are available to ensure a full liquid pint for all the real ales, and many other drinks.
Our philosophy for selecting all of our products is to support smaller British businesses wherever possible, which includes micro-brewers, cider-makers and food suppliers. We do tend to avoid stocking mass produced drinks, which tend to be of lower quality and contain many adjuncts to reduce production costs and aid preservation. We would rather sell fresh!
Quality lagers, including imported Budvar on draught and Kaltenberg (brewed to the Reinheitsgebot purity law)are on offer as well as a good selection of wines by the glass and bottle. You will find an ever-changing range of Belgian bottled beers & real Perry & Cider in stock all year, including locally-produced Millwhites.
Soft drinks are just as important as part of our offering, so there is fresh fruit juice, Fentimans soft drinks. Quality teas and freshly made coffee are available all day, too.
This is a pub first, eating house second (and definately not a gastropub), although good food is served for lunch, and small groups or buffets can be arranged on request. However, we do serve a variety of bar snacks all day, including excellent crispy pork pies and home-baked pasties.
Our philosophy, as with beers, is to support smaller quality producers of good food. We do use many local suppliers, but will buy further afield where practical. Yes, the Cornish pasties are from Cornwall!
Quality home-cooked meals are served 12.00 to 2.30 pm from Tuesday to Saturday.
You will probably find the pub is busy with drinkers at Sunday lunchtime, so the kitchen does not open, but you can have hot pasties straight out of the oven (while stocks last!)
Bar snacks such as quality pork pies and genuine Cornish pasties are available through the afternoon and evening, while stocks last.
Hot or cold buffets can also be provided for groups having a business or social event here.
We are proud to have been listed in the CAMRA Good Beer guide since we bought the pub, and we are also proud to be listed among 'Twelve of the Best' in the country in the Real Ale Guide 2007! The Good Pub guide also includes us under Hertfordshire.
Everyone is welcome in our house, as long as they respect the fact that it is our house, and everyone else is entitled to respect also. As a result, the atmosphere is always pleasant, friendly and welcoming.
You are asked to manage your mobile, not vice versa. Please use 'silent' or the off button when in the bar and take urgent calls outside. This is to avoid unecessary intrusive noise within the bar area. This also applies to any other equipment, such as laptops.
The pub is dog friendly (with well-behaved owners!) . The dog biscuits are on the front window cill and fresh water is readily available. Our pub dog, Duchess, can be noisy when greeting customers, but please do not be alarmed, she is a big softie, really! Please do not offer Duchess any food, as she is well-fed by us, and knows she should not bother customers. Walkers, cyclists and horse-riders are also welcome. Those of you interested in local history may like to know that there is a book available written by one of our regulars regarding the social history of the area, including the Chartists who founded Heronsgate. Maps are available for local walks, too.
Please note that under 14's are not allowed to remain in the bar area because of our licence, but children are welcome in the large garden and on The Pavilion. Obviously, they must be supervised at all times by thier guardians, and are welcome to use the toilets. Childrens games are available for use in the garden during the summer, including rope quoits and boules. Baby-changing facilities are not available in the pub due to lack of space, please speak to the bar staff if we can assist you in any way.
