If you're looking for a good pub, it doesn't get much better than this…read more Lovingly called simply "The Axe" by locals, this pub is in a different league to most other rural pubs. I'll explain why and try to be concise. The cuisine is exceptional. There's a good selection of quality drinks. The service is excellent. The atmosphere is always friendly and welcoming -- the sort of place where complete strangers tend to strike-up conversation. The location is perfect, overlooking the Village Green, with a big beer garden behind, and a vast playing field behind that. It's a lovely village, nestled in the gently-undulating farming landscape of rural north-east Herts -- no wonder Braughing was recently awarded the prestigious "Village of the Year" accolade. The pub's menu always includes the best of local produce, from locally-reared beef to local pork sausages, alongside popular country pub dishes. (Braughing village is famous for, among other things, the delicious local sausages, and this is a good place to sample them.) Did I mention the pies? A different pie every day it seems, and you won't find better pies than these. I don't make a statement like that lightly.

Beautiful local pub. Lots of indoor and out door tables. Clean. Wonderful friendly waitress,…read moreRachel. Didn't eat there , but the specials looked delicious.

A great, but really quaint, old English pub in the middle of nowhere. Great service and extremely…read moregood food. Very nice in the summer as the gardens are vast and overlook the countryside. Lao, if you are in the area in November, they have a fantastic firework display (arrive early, it gets packed)

What an amazing traditional pub. Views to die for, massive garden space, ample parking and the…read moremost amazing pub brimming with character. The staff are always friendly, professional and helpful. The food is always amazing quality from rolls at lunch to the best chicken pie in the evening. We turned up without a booking just wanting a summer time drink but when we asked if we could possibly have a table they managed to fit us in. During lockdown we visited several times. Everything was really professional. We felt extremely safe but none of the enjoyable experience was compromised.

I was taken here for a birthday treat by my daughter. What a…read morefantastic pub/restaurant!!!!! The service is unbeatable. The food, so mouthwatering with an extremely varied menu. Unlike some restaurants they cater for veggies. A full veggie menu which pleased my daughter. Not the usual baked peppers or bean casserole but a varied menu. As you sit there waiting for the food there is so much to view. Full of old relics of a bygone age from scientific instruments, farm implements, cobblers tools etc etc. Like a museum. As I have said, the service is second to none. Professional yet very friendly. They do all they can to make the visit enjoyable. The 'landlady' obviously runs a tight ship and she is a 'character' (I'll say no more but hope that on your visit you will meet her). Thank you all for a great birthday treat. In the words of Arnie 'I will be back'.

Fabulous location!…read more Very good food. I had the ribs... huge, huge portion... x4 what you would expect. Had only managed to eat half; they kindly wrapped the rest in foil for me to take home. Excellent service. An excellent country pub and dining venue. Large gravel carpark, with overspill parking through gate into grassy enclosure. They have chalets too... So you can spend the night if you get too drunk or too full with all that wonderful food to drive home. ;-)

This is what I imagine when I think English pubs. Lots of locals chatting about their days. Dogs…read more English bar staff playing chess when quiet. I had the Friday night special- fish and chips- partner had vegetarian sausages and mash. Both simple but lovely. Great array of real ales on tap- my partner thinks he has found his new favourite stout. Excellent.

This is a cozy, friendly pub, with lots of space. We ordered lunch a bit past the peak rush and it…read morecame lightening fast. The haddock cakes and the ploughman's lunch were really tasty and reasonably priced (£7.50 and £6.50 respectively, May 2014). They have a steak night on Thurs for £11 (they suggest calling ahead) that includes a glass of wine, as well as a Trivia night on Tuesdays. If you're coming from Cambridge, it's a great bike ride on a sunny day alongside the Guided busway and then on the 10,000 strips genome trail.

A great pub with very friendly service and good beer. Nice, large, garden with kids amusements for…read morethose nice sunny summer days and evenings. Covered area for those, not so nice, days. Well worth a visit if in the area.

This was a difficult one to rate. Melbourn is a nice little place - very middle class set in prime…read morecommuter belt. This pub is situated in the more affluent area of the village and attracts a regular crowd. There are some good ales and they have Aspall cider on draught which is lovely! The food is good - pub grub with a hint of style and not too pricey. There is a snug area that has a fairly big TV but this only seems to be on for major sporting events and does not spoil the general atmosphere of the pub, which it has to be said is on the cosy side. Overall it is a nice village pub. The landlord operates a strictly no swearing policy which can get a little tiresome. As a father and a son I don't want my kids or my old mum exposed to excessive bad language BUT at 10pm when you are out with your pals having a few beers in your local pub some Anglo Saxon will be uttered... it is a pub, an English pub and the constant paranoia of saying the wrong thing and being barred does not lend itself to a good night out.

I stay there regularly I have always found the food to be good, the specials to be changed…read moreregularly and well thought out. The staff are freidnly and always make the stay pleasant. The room rates are reasonable, good facilities, ex-suite and sometimes Wi-Fi on request If ever you have reason to stay in the area this place is well worth a visit

So, since my last review, the pub has had a makeover, with a new, much larger and much brighter…read morerestaurant area added, the former restaurant turned into a bar with pool table, and a general freshening up of the decor. The menu has also had something of an upgrade, though it is a still one of the Greene King pub group standard menus. We visited with friends shortly after it opened, and thigs had clearly not settled down as the meal took ages to arrive, and my veggie sausages had been so overcooked they had disintegrated. So we decided to give it another go more recently, on a quieter night. I had the BBQ halloumi burger, served with onion rings and chips (£12.49) and my partner had the Hunter Chicken (with cheese and bacon), served with chips and a side salad (£12.99). With a couple of soft drinks and an alcohol free lager, the bill came to £37 before service. The food was a lot better, though still essentially pub grub. Service was friendly and informal but again a little slow, and our waitress disappeared at one point, reappearing later behind the bar. So service is 3/5, food 4/5, ambience 4/5. But it is good value for a meal out - portion sizes are generous. The car park has four electric car charging spaces, and there is a small beer garden with outdoor drinking area. Beware on special nights it can get quite a bit noisy, even in the restaurant area.

Not bad. One for the locals and big on sports. Saying that it is a good size, the beer is fine and…read morethe staff are efficient and polite. On a Friday and Saturday night it is probably more suited to a younger crowd but they do OAP specials during the week and it seems very popular with diners.

How do you like your soup? I like mine 36 years old…read more Yes you heard that right. I like soup that's older than me. Soup that was first cooked and served 5 years before my birth. Soup that has been boiled down at the end of every day for past a third of a century and then used the next morning as the stock for the following day. Eternal soup. Served in a mug. With fresh hand made bread. That's what I like. But what soup is it? Who really knows. The A4 print-out chart says if it's brown it probably had beef added recently, if it's green then probably peas. It all depends on what was thrown in that morning to top it up. Truth be told, it never disappoints. This is the best soup in the country. I mean it. The best. And while the soup may be 36 years old, the rest of the pub feels 10 times that age. It's a fully historic pub. Like a museum back to 1764 or sometime before. Bread and ham, soup in a mug, real ales, skittle balls, candelabras and more oak than the Spanish Armada. Unashamedly old school and unprentenious, and seemingly unchanged since Cook found Australia. I half expect Dick Turpin to drop in next time I'm there, and order the soup of course.

Quirky little pub with a unique style of soup and good roasts/sandwiches for lunch. Old and…read moreinteresting interior, plus friendly staff and real ales.