The Hooden Bar & Grill

Sunday roast chicken is the best. Not only the portion is better than other pubs and restaurants but the taste is also good. Specially the vegetables in cheesey white sauce. The place is well maintained. Service upstairs takes a while but it's worth the wait.

Amazing value for money with Great future Potential! We stumbled upon this pub while searching for a place to eat on a rainy Sunday. Our usual method involves a quick online search, browsing through reviews. Although it didn't possess the quintessential countryside charm being in a town centre location, it turned out to be a great experience. The quantity and quality of the food surpassed our expectations and ranked among the best we've had in quite some time. While the menu may have been limited to Sunday roast options, the portion sizes offered great value for money, exceeding what we initially anticipated. The ambiance and atmosphere of the pub were a bit underwhelming, but given the exceptional kitchen, staff, and delectable food we enjoyed, adding some more décor and additional interior elements would truly elevate this place. All in all, we were thrilled to have discovered this gem and are already planning to return on a day when the menu offers a wider variety, perhaps during the week or on a Saturday. This place has a great future and we would love to see it succeed!

Update: We returned for a mid-afternoon Sunday lunch and to watch the Arsenal Tottenham match. Yet again the management and staff were most friendly, efficient and accommodating. Sundays is roast dinner day and we both decided on the lamb shank, this was an excellent choice. The meat was tender, moist and very tasty. It was served with assorted roast and steamed vegetables and topped with a Yorkshire pudding. A boat of piping hot gravy and mint sauce followed within a minute. Quality was excellent and great value. We had a bottle of the Australian Shiraz which was very good. The pub had added a third wall-mounted screen for World Cup which made viewing an even better experience. I'd point out that this is a family pub and only some of the guests were there to enjoy the match. The commentary was therefore not set loudly and this was absolutely fine. This pub had achieved a great balance between younger and older clients; sports fans and those just there for a drink and possibly a meal. Updated 18th Jan 23 What a great Friday-night experience! We'd not used this family friendly pub since it had been refurbished and rebranded as the New Fox Inn. We phoned on a Friday evening and booked a table for supper with Rachel who accommodated us, at short notice, in a most friendly and polite manner. We arrived at the busiest time, around 18:45 when both the bar and the garden were heaving. Our table was reserved for us and, despite the many folks present, we were able to quickly order our food and a bottle of the great value House wine 'The Guv'nor' which was served at our table. Our starters of whitebait and calamari arrived quickly and both were excellent, crisp and piping hot. There was a bit of a delay for our main course, but that was fine as we'd had a starter and were able to chat and enjoy our wine while watching the Arsenal game on the two HD wall-mounted screens. The main courses were also both excellent, with large portions. I had the steak and ale pie which was the best I've had in a restaurant with masses of exceptionally tender, fat-free beef and great pastry top and bottom; a proper pie! My wife had the Hunters chicken which was also great with plenty of chicken and bacon and with a delicious cheese sauce. Our chips too were ultra-crisp and piping hot. Well worth a bit of a wait for such a great, freshly prepared supper. Again, despite the busy Friday evening, staff checked in with us several times to ensure that we were happy with the meal. Great service, exceptional food and terrific value. Will definitely return.