The Queens Head, Chelmsford

15 years on from the last review, I too visited the Queen's Head on an afternoon whilst some locals were playing darts. The pub is an inverted l-shape with a carpeted dining room to the left as you enter and the bar to the right with a tiled floor, the dartboard being on the far wall. 3 cask ales were on - Mauldon's Queen's Best, Wibbler's OT (Orange Tree) XPA & Rooster's Stars & Stripes. I assume the Orange Tree in Chelmsford is under the same ownership. I chose the XPA, which was quite refreshing. There was also a spare handpull at the end of the bar. Whilst there was no real cider, keg versions were all from Thatcher's - Haze, Cloudy Lemon, Blood Orange & Apple & Blackcurrant. It was a little too early for dinner. So, the dining room was in darkness. However, I did notice that Christmas lunches were already being advertised outside. A nice village local.

Official site of The Queens Head - www.grayandsons.co.uk

Official site of The Queens Head - www.grayandsons.co.uk

This is a small locals'pub tucked away behind the church. When I was in there on Saturday afternoon there was a group of what appeared to be locals getting stuck into a serious darts match. I didn't interact with them much, but they seemed a friendly and polite bunch to me. There's also a smallish garden at the back, with a shelter for smokers. The ales on offer were Adnam's Bitter, GKIPA and Mighty Oak Brewery's Maldon IPA. I had the latter, which was well kept and absolutely superb, and is a good session beer at only 3.6%. You are unlikely to stumble on this pub by accident, but it is worth seeking out if you are in the area – if you like small country pubs with decent ale.