Pub review: The Green Man

Where I ate:

The Green Man, Cricketers Lane, Herongate

I love village life and I am so lucky to have three pubs (two within walking distance) so nearby. I recently booked a Friday off work to celebrate my mum’s birthday and I had promised I’d take her out for lunch. With dad having the family car and my car having its MOT and service, we only had the choice of two of the pubs in the village. We tried The Boars Head first, but with the torrential rain and storms, their kitchen had flooded, so we settled on The Green Man.

Back when I was at Sixth Form, I used to work behind the bar on a part time basis – there’s such a high staff turnaround and there’s always changes in hands, as well as chefs. The food is pretty hit and miss – it was excellent when I was working there and then went downhill, but the last couple of times I’ve ventured down, it’s been surprisingly good. There’s a new menu and apparently a new chef – and on the basis of this visit, I’ll definitely be returning, even if it’s for a light bite or sandwich.

We sat inside in the main dining area, which is a lot quieter than sitting around the bar – the snug is also very cosy and perfect for family/multi-generation meals. It’s a real village pub, with its low ceilings and beams – which make it really homely. The outside isn’t particularly scenic or pretty, so I’m glad we sat inside.

What I ate:

The Green Man ploughman’s board

I have a real thing for ploughman’s at the moment, or at least lunches that consist of a number of elements. My salads are often topped with Italian meats and light cheeses, while I’m also loving Ryvita crackerbreads and DIY lunches. I was really spoilt for choice but I definitely made the right decision. The last time I had ploughman’s, there wasn’t enough meat for my liking as the salad took up more than half the plate. This time round, all expectations were surpassed and the lunch was perfectly presented.

The board consisted of a small salad with pickles, a warm baked baguette, large slice of farmhouse cheddar, a wedge of ham hock terrine, some kind of beetroot slaw (which was strange but lovely), some apple slices, a pot of caramelised red onion chutney and some pickle. It only just fitted on the board and there was no way I could have managed anymore! I had one piece of bread with the cheese and pickle, while the other half had the terrine and chutney.

It was reasonably priced at £7.95 and the meal came in at just over £15, which isn’t too bad for lunch. There were a number of things that caught my eye, including a couple of summer specials and larger portioned meals. I’ll definitely have to return to sample those before September’s here!

Finally, it was lovely to spend some time with my mum as we don’t see that much of each other during the week and never do things together. We ended up having a girly afternoon at home before heading out for Alec’s. It was also really nice to be able to treat her for once and is something I’d love to do more often!