The Nags Head
Modern European
Location London Road, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, HP16 0DG t: 0844 502 7153 w: www.nagsheadbucks.com e: goodfood@nagsheadbucks.com Take one look at this restaurant’s menu and you’ll know immediately that you’re in for a pretty special meal. Starters such as fresh Cornish crab with home-smoked salmon and chive cream, poached egg cocotte with asparagus and Stilton cream, and ham hock rillette with homemade piccalilli banish any thoughts you had of going straight to the main course. Impatience is understandable though, as mains include the likes of venison fillet with pheasant caillette and Cumberland jus, and poached wild cod with braised Savoy cabbage and a parsley marinière sauce. With such a menu, The Nags Head’s AA rosette for culinary excellence hardly comes as a surprise. Similarly, with its idyllic setting, rustic 15th-century interior and cosy guest rooms, titles of Food Pub of the Year and Accommodation Pub of the Year, as well as a place in Countryfile magazine’s ‘top 55 cosiest country pubs in Britain’, are all well earned.
SB £25 to
£42
Food Served: Mon-Sat 8am-10am, noon-2.30pm, 6.30pm-9.30pm; Sun 8am-10am, noon-7pm (Sunday lunch)
The Bricklayers Arms
Modern European
Location Hogpits Bottom, Flaunden, Hertfordshire, HP3 0PH t: 0844 502 7162 w: www.bricklayersarms.com e: goodfood@bricklayersarms.com The Bricklayers Arms is a culinary oasis set in an expanse of beautiful Hertfordshire countryside. After a tentative double take, hungry walkers are pleased to find that this gorgeous pub is not, in fact, a mirage, and they have actually hit upon one of the finest restaurants for miles. The Bricklayers Arms is currently The Good Pub Guide’s Hertfordshire Dining Pub of the Year and has an AA rosette to its name. Secreted down an unassuming country road, this inviting, ivy-covered 18th-century pub is a popular spot for those in the know, and equally worth visiting for a leisurely pint as it is for a three-course meal. Opt for the latter and you can look forward to the likes of chicken, bacon and walnut terrine, and pan-fried Cornish king scallops with celeriac purée and dry pancetta to start, and ox cheek slow cooked in ale and honey to follow. The Bricklayers Arms’ award-winning head chef, Claude Paillet, crafts beautiful seasonal menus, and he and the team smoke all fish and meat in-house.
WH £25 to
£42
Food Served: Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 6.30pm-9.30pm; Sun noon-7pm (Sunday lunch)
Bistro Gautier
French
Location The Amble Inn, 182 Station Road, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4UL t: 0844 625 2420 w: www.bistro-gautier.co.uk e: info@bistro-gautier.co.uk Just across from Batford Springs nature reserve you’ll find Bistro Gautier, a lovely family-run French bistro housed within The Amble Inn. In summer, the large beer garden is a haven for families and dog-walkers who stop by to relax with fantastic food and drink, whether it’s time for brunch, lunch or dinner. The welcoming atmosphere is enhanced by the friendly staff who make guests feel truly at ease, while the consistently excellent food turns new visitors into regulars. The menu changes with the seasons and might feature starters such as oeufs en meurette, a French classic comprising chicken livers cooked in a rich red wine sauce with bacon, leeks and poached eggs. Follow with seared venison haunch steak with blackberry sauce and boulangère potatoes, and finish with a sumptuous dessert of classic profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce.
SH £21 to
£32
Food Served: Mon noon-4.30pm, 6pm-10pm; Tues-Fri 10.30am-4.30pm, 6pm-10pm; Sat 10am-4.30pm, 6pm-10pm; Sun 10am-4.30pm Chilterns Guide 2019
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