RestaurantsEssexDunmowCM6
HARDENS CLUB PARTNER

Restaurant Closed

This restaurant is closed.

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Breaking news

The restaurant has been rebranded.  See Pig & Truffle.

Harden's says

Now trading as Pig & Truffle (see also).

survey result

Summary

£92
 ££££
3
Good
3
Good
2
Average
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“You would pay double for this offering anywhere else”, say fans of this upscale former pub – under the same ownership as Midsummer House in Cambridge – where “chef-patron Paul Croasdale (ex-Alyn Williams at the Westbury in Mayfair) had a tough act to follow after Tim Allen’s departure”. “He now seems to have hit his stride and his emphasis and enthusiasm for local ingredients is excellent. Perhaps for a while he was trying too hard, but that’s no longer the case”. By ancient tradition (mentioned by Chaucer), a ‘flitch of bacon’ was awarded in Dunmow to couples who had no regrets after a year and a day of marriage.

Summary

£92
 ££££
2
Average
2
Average
2
Average
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Since it opened in 2015, this gentrified pub with 40-seat restaurant (which shares ownership with Cambridge’s Midsummer House) has had its ups and downs under a succession of chefs, and there’s a feeling it has never fully really hit its stride. Reports were uneven again in the latest survey: from “wonderful food on which they should regain their star” to “poorly cooked food at high prices”. Chef Paul Croasdale joined in February 2021 to succeed Tim Allen – perhaps he can finally unlock its full potential?

Summary

£67
  £££
4
Very Good
2
Average
2
Average
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“It was excellent when it was Daniel Clifford’s alone, but under Tim Allen… it is perhaps even better!” – The general view on this gentrified pub, where the latter’s “incredibly deft touch” results in “superb” cooking (“the signature maple bacon with scallops is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted!”). It would be rated higher if a couple of reporters had not found it “disappointing after the high hopes when it opened”. But a better overall summary of feedback? – “at last: somewhere to eat in Essex!”

For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at The Flitch of Bacon?

Restaurant details

2
No dress code
60

Prices

  Cost Availability Courses
Menu1 75.00 Dinner only 16
Menu2 70.00 Lunch only 12
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £20.00
Filter Coffee £3.00
Extras  
Service 10.00%
The St, Dunmow, CM6 3HT
Opening hours
MondayCLOSED
TuesdayCLOSED
Wednesday12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Thursday12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Friday12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Saturday12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Sunday11:30 am‑6 pm

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