Blackbirds Inn, Newmarket

The Three Blackbirds in the East Cambridgeshire village of Woodditton is a very attractive low-ceilinged thatched pub that has been well restored and reopened in 2010 after 18 months of closure. Like a lot of these village pubs it has had to move more towards dry sales to survive and most of the pub now functions as a restaurant. But if that is what it takes for village pubs like this one to survive so be it. When entering from the front door, to the left is the low beamed Farmyard Bar with tiled floor, two brick fireplaces and a brick built bar counter with tiled "roof", and this space still functions as a traditional bar space for drinking. And for this The Three Blackbirds is a Free House and has three / four regular ales available with Adnams Southwold Bitter and Woodforde's Wherry usually available. But, as was evident by the range of different empty barrels stacked up at the back by the car park, there is a regular turnover of guest ales from local and regional brewers, and for our visit Buntingford Highwayman and Polar Star were on and well kept. To the right through the door is the restaurant section in the Stable yard bar, which has bare board floors and a more contemporary feel to it and is arranged in different sections going behind the bar area. There is also a private room known as the Gun Room available on a mezzanine floor above the main dining space. We had come here to eat and the Sunday lunches were very good, as was the service levels from the several staff working the restaurant section. Although the majority of this pub is now functioning more as a restaurant, the Farmyard bar is still a great spot for the locals to just drink in and the Three Blackbirds seems to be making a decent fist of functioning as a pub / restaurant, and long may it do so.