The Black Horse — Restaurant in England

Sadly not going to become our go-to place for great pub food, drinks and a good time. I had high expectations based on the 'gastro pub' description, as well as reviews and photos, but unfortunately, the food was more ghastly than gastro.

We ordered the 'Toasted ciabatta' which was more warmed than toasted, honestly not exaggerating here, not even a grade 1 tan on the bread, but felt warm to touch, and most definitely not ciabatta, maybe a very distant cousin twice removed, and most definitely old, very old! Olives were edible, so feel free to order some with your drink, they got those right, or just decanted the jar well. Then came the 'Roast camembert with apples and walnuts', perhaps the timer wasn't working that day, perhaps the "chef" (although I doubt there was one in that kitchen), was just too busy to waste his/her talents on a measly Camembert, but the poor cheese looked like it was put in the microwave on high for 7 mins, the proteins had actually split and we were left with a leathery outer shell and a clear liquid at the bottom of the dish. That wasn't the worst dish, if you are squeamish, look away now. So we ordered a Shepherd's pie to share, you know, the seductive comforting dish that feels more like a hug than a meal on a cold day, with minced lamb and vegetables being cuddled by a gravy like sauce and mashed potatoes? I was very excited by this dish, a Shepherd's pie priced at 22.50 must be a very special and hearty meal! especially that I was starving after the offensive starters. Well, it was very pale and large clumps of lamb that looked like they were taken out of the freezer, defrosted in the microwave, chucked with some carrots in a bowl of something liquidy, I really cannot call it sauce, nor gravy, and topped with mashed potatoes. I took one mouthful and actually felt sick and pushed the whole thing to my husband. well, he's not definitely not squeamish and has the super power to turn off his taste buds when really hungry.

Staff? Pleasant enough and smiley, but took their time to take our order, didn't know everything on the menu when asked about particular dishes, and couldn't be bothered to ask us what we thought of the food, but I did hear one of the waitresses who also happened to be our waitress, ask a nearby table, so it is something they do.

Ambiance? it's ok. Large, lovely old building, big garden but it's not a garden, more like gravel and benches, not exactly plants and flowers in lovely pots to add some greenery to an otherwise dreary backyard.

Anyway, went straight to the nearest fish and chips shop in the next village up as I...

My overall grade for The Black Horse is: A

On our way to Deene Park for a shoot, it was midday when we realized that we should probably stop for lunch. We were on the "highway" (not sure what the British term is) and we found ourselves looking at Google Maps for a pub that served fish & chips, as we were trying to get the full British experience during our trip.

We pulled off the highway towards the pub and quickly found ourselves in what could be a movie filmed in England. Rolling green hills as far as the eye can see, sheep and cows grazing on the beautiful green hillsides with hedges separating lots.

After a small bit of driving, we found ourselves in a small English town with a church in the middle of town and the pub across the street. We made ourselves in and were greeted by a very friendly staff and were given a table quickly.

As we walked through the pub, we noticed that some of the seated customers had fish & chips in front of them and the portions looked quite substantial.

Our server greeted us and did confirm that a portion of fish & chips would be quite big, especially since it was 2:00 PM and a little late for lunch. So we decided to split the order between the two of us. I ordered a typical English Ale. It was very good, and yes, a touch warm for American beer-drinking standards. Yes, I know ale is not American beer.

The food came out and it was not only great looking, but they had actually plated 2 plates and split the order for us so that we didn't have to go cutting our food in half and trying to get it over to the other plate. Very considerate of them.

The fish was spot on - crispy, and light and flaky on the inside. The chips were delicious. The ketchup served with the chips was as expected, a bit different from the American diner ketchup, good - just a little different from "Heinz" ketchup.

Not only was The Black Horse a terrific hidden gem in the countryside of England, but the town as a whole was a great find. I wish we could have walked around a bit, but we had to get up north to our shoot.

If you ever find yourself driving north of London and seek out a terrific pub experience, please do yourself a favor and drop in to The Black Horse. You will be...

Been going here for many years but the food has never been better. All of the staff were friendly and polite on my last visit (Sunday 5.6.21) and the food was ridiculously good. i had Asparagus with poached egg to start. ALMOST perfect, as the spears were cooked to perfection, the Béarnaise was spot on, but the egg was just ever so slightly 'snotty', literally (i don't use that word often or willy-nilly) needing 10 more seconds 'in the bath'. A delight.

The Roast Pork Sunday roast with all the trimmings was... Exceptional. The pork juicy and tender, the roasties crispy outside but fluffy inside, the Cauliflower Cheese a triumph and the home-made pork stuffing patties possibly (probably) the finest i've ever eaten. Not being a regular meat eater (BUT i'M NOT A VEGETARIAN 😡 - that's for those who feel the obsessive need to label everyone/everything!!) i thought i'd treat myself today and i dont regret it for a moment. If only all meat were as locally sourced and of such high quality as this, i'm sure i'd be more inclined to eat it more regularly. The pork crackling was some of the best you will find anywhere with just enough crispiness balanced with a salty melt in the mouth flavour of the fat.. Just Wow.

The pudding was equally sensational, a chocolate fondant cake with melted middle and a dollop of honeycomb ice-cream (a recommendation by one of the lovely staff) finished it all off to perfection.

The meal was not cheap but everything was so good (including the drinks, the service etc.) that, as a special treat, it will be hard to beat.

Long may this continue.

Thoroughly recommended.

8/10

UPDATE 19.6.22 Almost a year since my initial review and just had to add that when the great CHARLOTTE is managing the pub it runs at it's best. Had a couple of underwhelming feeds in the time since my first review which i resisted updating because i felt it fair to give them a chance to improve - everyone has a bad day, or two, right?.. When Charlotte is running the show i feel the place runs as smoothly as it ever has. Made us feel extremely content and comfortable on a friends birthday today for which i wanted to...