The Belgian Arms — Restaurant in England

On a sunny Friday afternoon, I had the pleasure of stopping by The Belgian Arms for a lunchtime meeting.

Nestled by a charming village green, this historic pub offers a delightful garden terrace, perfect for enjoying a meal in the warmth of the sun. Despite a brief delay in service due to a health and safety inspection—where were reliably informed the kitchen earned a full five-star rating—we were more than satisfied with our experience.

We began with the onion and cider soup, a dish that immediately impressed. Rich, flavorful, and accompanied by warm cob bread, it set the tone for a memorable meal. My companion, who required a gluten-free option, was equally pleased with the alternative bread provided—attentive service that didn’t go unnoticed.

For the main course, I opted for the duck leg salad, which was nothing short of amazing. The meat was perfectly tender, falling off the bone, and the salad itself was a stunning accompaniment, bursting with fresh, vibrant flavors. It’s a dish I’ll definitely return for and one I highly recommend to anyone visiting.

My companion chose the chicken dish, which was not only very well presented but also thoroughly enjoyed—there wasn’t a morsel left on the plate by the end.

In summary, The Belgian Arms is a gem. With its historic charm, lovely garden, and attentive staff, it offers a dining experience that’s hard to beat. The food is excellent, the wines selection varied, and the ambiance perfect for a relaxed, yet refined meal.

It’s no wonder this spot earns a full five out of five stars from me. Whether you’re a local or just passing through, it’s a must-visit off the...

Food was incredible.....but there were some let downs. I personally don't like it when you have to order side dishes to makes up the veg in your plate. It annoys me as you never know this until the plate arrives. I did ask what was the portion size like, I was told it was pretty large. I do agree with that statement but the only veg was 3 asparagus spears which makes it all feel very unhealthy and at that price point, I do expect a reasonable away of veg, or it to be abundantly clear you will need other veg. As much as the argument may well be that I did get what was on the menu, rarely does anyone list all plated items so rarely do you know the veg coming so that was disappointing.

We were also sat in a table where we had to ask to get past people everytime we wanted to get up for anything. The waitress had to do this the most, but it just felt awkward and uncomfortable. I'm fine with that if in for a drink in a packed place and, but not when eating a meal. It felt far nicer when that table was clear but it rarely was clear

Also no music at all.....some background music would have been nice.

But the food we ate was lovely.

Please could you make it clearer that side veg is required or just please add a few more veg to the main, and maybe make sure that table that blocks the table you put us on only has 2 seats there.....if we were over weight I think it would have been really embarrassing as we really had to squeeze by and that was...

A beautiful old pub in an extremely picturesque little village, looking out onto a pond and a village green with what looked like Edwardian houses surrounding it. I felt like I had been transported back in time when walking up to the pub. Unfortunately when I was inside it had suffered the same fate as many other pubs - it had got pretentions above its station and had stopped being a pub. It had an incredibly over priced menu with pretentious names for the food, and the atmosphere and buzz in the pub was non existent. We went on a Saturday evening and it was dead.

For the very expensive cheese board (£10 - I wouldn't dream of getting it but my friend did), it came with a couple of crackers you could get from the shop for 50p, three very small slices of cheese and a bowl of normal chutney. The atmosphere was dreadful and service was cold like you'd expect from a pretentious place. The death of good pubs is happening across the country and this was yet another example of pretentious menu and zero atmosphere.

For such a beautiful place they should really make a space that people would...