Great gastro pub. Fab food, atmosphere and really friendly service. Strongly recommended.read more

The Bear has become a good quality gastro pub recently with a nice atmosphere and a good menu and…read moresome great specials. The ambiance is relaxed country pub and the staff are very helpful. There is a reasonable ca park as it gets quite hard to park in the summer. I have visited for lunch and dinner and both were very nicely presented and well cooked. The skate is very tasty and the scampi and Jenga chips are good. The costs can be a little bit higher for lunch but the menu is very similar and therefore for dinner, I thought it was quite reasonable. Peter who used to be at another Billericay restaurant is the restaurant manager and as normal makes sure we get well looked after.

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.

Cool little stop with great coffee and great service. I recommend you stop in if in the area. I may…read moretry the food here on my way back from the coast.

Me and my partner managed to discover this gem of a pub by randomly choosing somewhere close on the…read moresat nav whilst we were away for my 30th birthday. The pub is beautiful and cosy, the landlady was kind and cheerful and the food.....oh god, the food! We both had a starter of pigeon, not something you usually see on a pub menu and it was superbly cooked and tasted amazing. For my main I chose the steak burger with chips and onion rings, the burger was big, flavoursome and juicy and the touch I like is that the tomato ketchup on table was all homemade, not from a bottle! We will certainly come back to this awesome place if we are ever near the area again because it was outstanding!!

I have passed this pub many times on the way into Braintree and have always meant to give it a…read morevisit. Friday, while we waited for a Chinese takeaway to be cooked we made a visit. Entering we were greeted by the landlord with a cheery welcome. The bar had about eight real ales on offer, my heaven. Above the bar was a sign showing that other guest beers would be arriving in the future. Not knowing any of the ales on offer the landlady offered to give me a sample before buying. I believe that you need a full pint to gain the full flavours so I declined and had a pint, then another of a different ale followed by another LOL. The pub has a mixture of ages and characters in it's clientele. On leaving a friendly 'bye' was given by the landlady and landlord. Be sure, I will be returning to this haven in Braintree. It's nice to see that there still is the hospitality in some pubs, an art many have lost.

This is fast becoming a very good local pub,with friendly staff . I is on the village green, with…read moreparking at rear The management appear to be making great efforts to create a good atmosphere,with great food (at reasonable prices ) . I think they are doing a great job Steve B 18/10/2009

"the royal oak" a 5 min walk from ockendon station. my first impression on looking at this "ye…read moreolde" pub was well presented and clean, upon going inside initially it was dark. a very clean refurbished pub with a marble bar and exceptionally clean and pleasant surroundings. the bar staff were very welcoming and greeted me with a smile, they were attentive and made me feel as though they had known me for years. the beer garden has a relaxed tone about it with parasols and seating for over 100, the grass and border flowers are immaculate, whilst i was there, there was a wedding party in the other side (the restaurant) the food i hear is superb and well worth a visit on a sunday.. my overall impression is this is a place you can bring your wife/ partner to and will both be impressed at the attention to detail and warm friendly atmosphere... terry h (an impressed member of the public) 08/october/2013

Outstanding food, convivial ambience and excellent service contributed to a wonderful dining…read moreexperience at this quintessential English country pub. Definitely a place to revisit for a special occasion or a casual lunch in the adjoining "Bakehouse". Highly recommended.

Amazing food and service, always made to feel welcome great value for the quality and portions…read morehighly recommend the mixed roast! You won't be disappointed!

The Shepherd & Dog was just.a pub which was very popular but I never had the inclination to drink…read morethere. That was then but now it's been revamped into a restaurant that serves dishes that are of very high quality. Their Sunday roasts are good value with plenty if taste. The staff are friendly, polite and extremely efficient. Customers do like to dress up when they dine here and I don't blame them. As it does add to the ambience

The George is one of my favorite pubs anywhere. Beautiful drive through country roads in Kent to…read moreget here, full traditional pub with a beautiful garden with tables outside. Service is super friendly, food is amazing, beer is plentiful. I would have lunch here every weekend if I could.

Browsing the web we came across a beer festival in this pub. Not having visited before we decided…read moreto take a trip out and check it out. What a find! Lovely 'quaint' old pub, a traditional ale house with friendly service and, more to the point, a fantastic selection of real ales. My heaven. Marquees set up in the garden with barrels ready to be imbibed. Quiet during the day but, I am sure, extremely busy in the evening. Going to keep an eye out to visit next year with friends.

Eight old 'uns looking for somewhere to get together for lunch during the week. Checking around we…read moredecided to give The Green Man a try. They did a fantastic lunchtime deal for the over 55s, and as most of us just about remember that era this pub got our vote. We had a room to ourselves which gave us the thought that, maybe, our reputation had preceded us. Joking apart, a great welcome with really friendly service. The food, for its price was brilliant. Starters of crayfish in Marie Rose dressing was in enormous portions with nice chunky, warm, bread. My pate was delicious. The main courses were varied in choice but in every case the empty plates answered the question 'was that OK?' As I have said, lovely pub, great service, good food and, mainly, an extremely reasonable price. Hey, oldies.......check it out.

My favorite pub in the area. Great food, good beer and friendly staff. Good place to start off a…read morenice long walk, circle back and have a fine lunch. Well worth a visit.