OK so this review is a little bit of a fix - as we have been to the Alford Arms, pre Hemel Food. We snuck in a visit in between lockdowns 2 and 3 - and despite nearly freezing to death in the December winds, loved our food. So we returned on day one of our new found freedom last week to the old haunt, hoping the quality hadn't dropped. It hadn't.
The Alford Arms is in Frithsden, towards Potten End. As a gastro-pub a big part of their offering is the food: the menu changes every week and the kitchen tries to source all the food from vendors as local as possible, using the mantra: “If we don’t know who grew it, or where they grew it, we just don’t use it…” which in our eyes is highly commendable.
The menus typically tend to feature traditional dishes with a twist. In fact it gets hard to decide what to order as there are so many dishes that excite. Dishes are hearty and British but with wonderful seasonality and relevance that go beyond the usual 'pub grub'. Because of this there's certainly an element of "snooping" at other diners' dinners to see what to choose. Another notable aspect of the food offering is how dedicated the kitchen is to allergies. They have won serval prizes from the Free From Food Awards for their dedication to diners with dietary needs. In fact, that's how we heard about the Alford Arms in the first place as C worked for the awards some years ago.
We arrived for our (enforced) outdoor meal, with the Alford Arms trying to make the tables as cosy as possible, with big heaters and fur lined benches. I'm not going to lie, it was bloody freezing still, but short of serving their food with a side of a space heater, I don't see what could be done about this! So it was an opportunity to snuggle (with each other- not other punters!)
We started with crispy salt ’n pepper free-range pork belly bits & crackling with chilli, soy and honey sauce (£5) and local native beef shin bonbons with cauliflower and horseradish purée (£8). The pork belly bits were fab- like a really posh pork scratching. Crunchy, tasty, just to die for. The bonbons were soft and tender inside and crisp outside, but not very meaty. They could have had a bit more seasoning, but they were juicy enough and the dish worked perfectly with the garnishes and cauliflower horseradish puree.
Now if you have heard of the Alford Arms - you may well have heard of their infamous Bubble and Squeak. You can have it as a starter (£7.75) or as a main (£13.75). I had it as a main last time and I damn sure was going for it again this time. It comes with oak-smoked bacon, free-range poached egg and hollandaise sauce - serious breakfast for dinner for vibes. It was delicious, hearty and was absolutely as good as I remembered it. I suppose the only comment you might have, is that it felt like a posh Eggs Benedict, which might be a tad unadventurous. But I am of the mind this is no bad thing!
C had the pan-roast hake fillet with polenta chips, mushy peas and tartare dressing (£19.50). The hake was generously portioned, lean and crispy skinned, and cooked perfectly; presented on sweet mushy peas and topped with quite a coarse tangy, tart, zingy tartare 'dressing'. The polenta fries were tremendous- C let me have one bite! How generous.They were soft and creamy inside with a 'cracking', crisp coating. The only negative was that there wan't more of them! However the were huge.
To finish we shared (incredibly) a warm coconut rice pudding with Yorkshire rhubarb compôte (£7.50). It was a beautiful consistency with a light sweetness that the coconut milk gave it - usually rice pudding is a bit stodgy, but this was light and gorgeous. To quote C: "I could eat a lot of this... Every day".
Overall, The Alford Arms was just as good as we remembered. There's a really wonderful feeling you get pulling up to the beautiful country lane and coming to eat at the Alford Arms. The staff treat you like family and are incredibly friendly and attentive. It's telling that they are fully booked pretty much every night and that despite the chillier nights, people are relishing their reservation slots to eat here in the brisk night air! It's glorious to be able to go to places and eat again, and the Alford Arms welcomed us back with open arms and amazing food.
Service:
They were lovely, welcoming and friendly as ever and looked thrilled to have us back. You'll need to book in advance as there's a lot of pent up demand.
Quality:
The food is top quality, cooked exceptionally well. Great ingredients, sourced locally is evident in every course. A real treat.
Value & Price:
This is a pricier meal, with mains £17-19. The size of portions and the quality of the food makes it feel like a reasonably fair price - but with drinks this will not be a cheap date (thats for the treat C!)
Overall:
EXCELLENT- The Alford Arms is a real treat buried in the countryside. Their dedication to local suppliers and twists on English classics means that is definitely worth stopping by.
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