It was a sunny May bank holiday when a group of us decided to come here to spend the day. (We have a regular place we go, but the trains weren't running, so it was easier for us to try something new.) Someone recommended this place as they have a huge outdoor seating area. Done. They were also advertising that they were doing a barbeque on that day, and it was also part of the draw. In the past, they've also won some CAMRA awards, and since we love good real ale, this place was really ticking all the boxes.
So the outdoor area is gorgeous. That's why they get two stars. They have Greene King IPA on draught (which is a bit of a markdown to be honest, not my favorite) regularly with some guest ales. Unfortunately the guest ales weren't very nice and they all seemed to taste the same. We ended up moving onto PImm's due to the lack of decent beer.
The barbeque didn't start until 2:30. Which was also frustrating because we were hungry. And when it did start, you had two options: a hamburger (no cheese) or a hot dog (which was really a sausage). You get get either of them with onions and they were only £2.50 each. Well it's clear why it was so cheap. The burgers were basically pre-made patties and the bun disintegrated while I was trying to eat it. Not nice at all. The sausage was better, but they split the bun completely in half which made it really difficult to eat. So a disappointing BBQ as well.
We packed up early to try a different pub as the only other food they were serving were cold sandwiches which we weren't really in the mood for (although to be honest the sandwiches did look pretty good). Also we wanted to go someplace with better beer.
So unfortunately The Orange Tree was a huge disappointment. If you don't mind average beer on a hot day, the outdoor seating is pretty amazing (which is why they get two stars instead of one), but don't go out of your way to search for it. read more