The Three Horseshoes, Milton Keynes

A good size, prominent pub on the main road through this small village, first impressions were not great due to a number of yoofs loitering around outside. This seemed slightly at odds with the location and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I got inside. Besides the picnic benches out the front, there is also a small beer garden at the rear. The pub consists of two rooms with the larger bar area being to the left and a smaller room used more as a restaurant to the right. The bar runs along the front of the pub and has some attractive mottled tiling on the floor and plenty of beams on the ceiling. At the far end is a pool table, darts board and a brick fire-place as well as what looked like an old TV up on a shelf. Seating in the bar was limited with a few small circular tables around the perimeter and some stools in front of the bar where several locals were congregated. A plasma screen was perched somewhat incongruously in the corner leading out to the garden. A dual aspect brick chimney breast separates the bar from the restaurant area and this had a somewhat dated appearance with little atmosphere. There was carpet on the floor and some old linen tablecloths on the tables, cream paintwork on the upper part of the walls with contrasting deep pink below. An old piano was down at the far end. Food wise, the menu was chalked up on a board and consisted of a number of pub grub options such as lasagne, fish & chips, chilli con carne, fish cakes, etc., and these were mostly priced in the £8 - £10 range. My home-made chicken curry with rice and naan bread had some decent pieces of tender chicken in it, but there was absolutely no curry taste at all, and describing it as such must surely contravene the trade descriptions act. It had a bit of chilli, but other than that was more of an Italian chicken and tomato dish such as might normally be mixed with pasta and there was far too much rice in proportion to the chicken. For £7.95 this really wasn’t good enough, not that there was anything intrinsically wrong with it. Be aware that they stop serving food at 8:00pm, at least on the Tuesday night that I was there. Beers on tap were Vale SPS, Hobgoblin and Brakspear Bitter. Ciders were Strongbow and Thatcher’s Gold, the latter of which was served in good condition and makes a pleasant change from the usual dross around these parts.

Official site of the Three Horseshoes pub - www.threehorseshoes.com

Official site of the Three Horseshoes pub - www.threehorseshoes.com