Hertfordshire, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

By the lake of the Brocket Hall estate, this former hunting lodge achieved fame in the early noughties but hasn’t since fully capitalised on its characterful style and beautiful location. Originally set to reopen after a major refurb in April 2022, it will now be 2023 before it is officially relaunched, although new chef John Barber will be organising pop-up events from October 2022 as an opportunity to try out some of his new dishes and entice diners to return once the Auberge re-opens.

“This lovely country pub” run by brothers Tom (a self-taught cook) and James Bainbridge (a former Fat Duck manager) wins consistent ratings for its high-quality cooking using “good-quality meat and fresh, tasty ingredients”. There’s a “lovely ambience and service to match”, all at “amazing value-for-money prices”.

Chef-patron Phil Thompson’s “lovely food continues to excite” at the restaurant he has owned for 10 years (formerly known as Darcy’s) – which makes an “excellent place for a leisurely romantic evening”. His classical style reflects his early years cooking for the Galvin brothers and Marco Pierre White.

With its inviting décor, this fast-expanding group has been a big “winner” since the pandemic, mushrooming to 18 sites, all of which have generally proved useful additions to their respective areas. But while “it certainly looks the part, and the staff look after you well enough”, the brunch-friendly fare can be hit ’n’ miss, with reports ranging from “surprisingly good” to “formulaic and really abysmal”. Top Tip – “always a top option for feeding the family”.

With its “tasty food” and “unusual setting” in a glass-roofed modern building next to the eleventh-century cathedral, this well-priced local bistro with an emphasis on sustainable cuisine makes “a good base for lunch or dinner”. It is part of Andrei Lussmann’s five-strong Hertfordshire-based group.

“Top grub, a cut above the local culinary landscape”, has earned a devoted following for this fifteenth-century pub in the St Albans cathedral quarter, named after a dog belonging to landlord Sean Hughes – who “continues to be the host with the most”. The menu changes monthly, but may include a smoked duck Caesar Scotch egg, or a spectacular prime rib of English dairy cow to share at £80.

“Great food” from “an imaginative menu” makes this “delightful traditional farmhouse hotel” a real “local favourite” – and a useful bolthole just 25 minutes from London. But service, particularly from junior staff, “can be hit and miss”, and some find the new conservatory (opened February 2022) to be “very noisy with sound bouncing off the hard surfaces”.

This village pub-with-rooms just off the A1 offers “attractively presented food” on a menu which is “a cut above standard gastropub fare” – best enjoyed in the “new outside dining area, which in summer evokes a lovely Mediterranean feel”.

This “lovely old gastropub with way above average cooking” “keeps up the standard year on year” – chef-patron James Wix and his wife Bianca have run it for almost 20 years. There’s a “lovely atmosphere and friendly staff”, and James’s “first-class cooking” has plenty of European influences.

An “absolute favourite pub” – this “lovely spot” in a wooded valley just north of London is a “good local standby” that “is very popular at weekends, when booking is advisable”. “We would go back, less for the food perhaps, but certainly for the location and ambience”.

“This stalwart carries on doing good food well” after 25 years in Bushey village, and is “an oasis in the culinary wilderness of West Herts”. “Under the benevolent guidance of Alfonso La Cava”, it “offers the best dining experience in the area. Lunches and early-evening table d’hôte meals are particularly good value”. Afternoon tea is served in its Betsy’s Tearoom.

It looks like a fairly typical roadside pub (with rooms), but this two-year-old venue beside Harpenden Common from local lads Matthew Reader (chef) and Michael Singleton is a distinct cut above. You get “very good cooking from a local team who are serious about delivering a quality experience in an area not known for the quality of its eateries”.

This “great gastropub” serves “consistently good food” with an Italian-influenced menu from chef James Harkin, whose parents owned the Alpine Restaurant in nearby Bushey for 48 years. His partner Magdalena, who runs the front of house, was previously at Locanda Locatelli in London.