Alford Arms — Restaurant in Dacorum

Not sure what is wrong with the other reviews as we had nothing but exceptional service and amazing food when we booked a table on a Friday night in December. Although for some reason the website only allowed us to book the outdoor seats the staff did everything they could to get us a table indoors. Since walking in the door everyone was smiling and the staff seem to really enjoy their job. The menu varies and uses locally sourced food so don’t be surprised if some of the menu is not available later in the day especially on a weekend. There are specials not on the menu and the special burger looked amazing! However we stayed with the menu. I didn’t take a picture of my Bubble and Squeak starter but needless to say that dish alone felt like a meal. The perfectly poached egg and creamy hollandaise sauce was absolute heaven. Next it was onto the main course. I opted for the turkey and a side of the chilli cauliflower whilst my partner thoroughly enjoyed the Mac and Cheese with a side of thin fries. The fries are beautifully cooked a light colour may make you think that they are undercooked but believe me that is far from the truth. Perfectly crispy and tasty and enough to satisfy two stomachs. Back to the roast turkey dinner and that was also very good, the roast potatoes instantly took me back to those at my grandparents. The type that has a thick crispy coating and perfectly fluffy innards and dipped into the Red Wine gravy was a sensation. I could have a mug of that gravy sat by a warm fire it was that good. Having finished the second course I was quickly running out of space in my stomach, Ian our server brought over the desert menu to tempt us and Christmas pudding was soon ordered! The pudding was delightful and light. The brandy butter had melted around and mixed in with the small jug of cream liberally applied. This finished me off and even the next morning I am still full. I cannot praise the Alford Arms enough. The staff are brilliant watching the camaraderie between the staff was entertainment itself. We will certainly be back to this...

Unless you are from the area this little gem is not something that you'll stumble across outside of reviews and recommendations. It's understated exterior contrasts to the warm, homely feel presented once you walk through the doors. Nice décor, friendly staff and a layout which feels cosey without intruding on other diners.

We came for the food, well lunch and it was very nice. Warm Rustic Breads with the usual accompaniment of vinegar and oil, enhanced by a serving of roasted garlic 😋.

Starters was Cornish mackerel with cucumber linguine. It was delicious, light, fresh and not a mouthful was wasted. The Bubble N Squeak (which I'm not a fan of) was a marvel. Was it the smoked bacon and/or the poached egg partnership that made this sing? I'm not sure but quite honestly, I'm now a convert 👏🏾

For mains we both had confit pork belly with creamy mash. Not a lump in sight for the tongue to stumble upon and the pork was wonderfully succulent without being fatty and the cracking had and impressive snap to it. Not a morsel was left on either plate. Bravo team.

So why only 3 star's you ask? Well, parking is an issue but that's not really the real crux. The service needs some work. Rustic Breads arrive but no side plates for another 5 minutes. After clearing starters away, new cutlery was provided but laid bare on the wooden table. I'd expect new serviettes to be paid down and cutlery placed on top of them. Finally, although food was wonderful, I felt that the choices were a little limited but that's a little critical on my part.

Overall, this place is good and if the small service points are resolved this place will be great and deserved of 4 or 5 stars (assuming food stays...

This place was a real treat, in a nice back out of beyond location but not to far of the beaten track, very friendly happy staff & very full of people on a nice hot sunny evening but not crowded. We were given the main menu & a quick look menu, the drinks menu was already on the table which has lots in it to cater for all drinking needs..There were a variety of starters, mains & puddings to chose from & a tough choice at that as they all sounded deelish num num... We ordered our drinks a starter a main & they arrived in about the right time not to early & not to late ( for us anyhow ) we chowed the starter which we shared then our main course arrived which was presented well & fab tasting.. The only problem i had is that i couldn't finish my main course, my Mrs managed to finish hers & we were so looking forward to the pudding we both agreed on that we should try & decided that we were beaten or at least i was, my Mrs went for the Lemon posset as she thought it would be a light pudding & wouldn't add to her already filling dinner ... Wrong... we both were so full we were uncomfortable & laughing our heads off at the state of us ( 1x G&T for her & 2 Beechwood Ales for me all evening ) & not in a drunk way.. We say it all the time & have never learned from it that if we order a starter we normally have to sacrifice our pudding & before we do we should at least look at the size of courses coming out of the kitchen to gauge our course of action...All in all a brilliant place with a brilliant meal & drinks all at a reasonably price to - jolly good show...