The Woodbine, Domewood, Waltham Abbey

I hadn’t visited the Woodbine for a few seasons, so when traversing the M25 on the way home and looking for a place that provides early evening food and good ale we diverted off the motorway to here. Unchanged from PubSignMans review below, the main bar is still the more cosy of the available indoor spaces and although the conservatory area to the left is still echoey it must be a god send to the pub in these table service only Covid times. We visited not long after evening opening so were able to sit in the main bar area and enjoy very good pub grub, with my beer battered fish and chips hitting the spot, and a couple of excellent pints. Four ales were available with Adnams Ghostship complemented by three from Mighty Oak in the form of Captain Bob Bitter, Jake the Snake Golden Ale and the Oscar Wilde. The Oscar Wilde was as reliable as ever and the Jake the Snake was served from a cask in the cellar and was also very good. This remains a top notch pub and I really hope it survives this current pandemic and comes out the other side unscathed.

Official site of The Woodbine - www.thewoodbine.co.uk

Official site of The Woodbine - www.thewoodbine.co.uk

Located close to Junction 26 of the M25, on the fringes of Epping Forest, the Woodbine is a simple local's boozer which has transformed itself in recent years into a bit of a real ale destination pub. The pub has a decent sized car park and a small roadside front patio area which didn't seem that appealing given the traffic thundering past along the fairly busy A road outside. You enter to the main bar area with the servery down the right hand wall, screened partly by a section of partitioning wall with a fireplace and large pub mirror on the opposite side. The room has been filled with some comfy looking high backed chairs serving tables of various sizes, with the front left corner the exception, having been filled with a pool table. There are a few nice decorative touches around the room and I noted a collection of pump clips on a rail along one wall, with plenty of breweriana elsewhere including a nice old Bass mirror. To the left there is a new, slightly echoey conservatory with pre-set tables and standard chairs in two rows along a tiled floor under dark wood beams. This dining space was a little devoid of the ambience and comfort afforded by the main bar area, but was a reasonable enough space to enjoy a spot of food. Disco and rock music played at a sensible enough volume throughout our visit but I didn't notice any other distractions such as slot machines or TV screens. I think there might be another room to the right of the entrance, but I forgot to have a look on my way out. We stopped off here for a bite to eat after a morning walking through the forest and I enjoyed a good Sunday roast at reasonable prices. The partitioning wall opposite the bar has a huge board on it listing all of the various beer and cider options, as well as a set of newspaper clippings telling the story of the pub's successful conversion to a proper ale house and the various awards they've since won from CAMRA and the like. The hand pumps were offering Crouch Vale Santa's Revenge, Adnams Ghost Ship and Tally Ho, Dominion Woodbine Racer, Mighty Oak Captain Bob and Elfin Safety and something called Heaven 17 from an unknown brewer, whilst Crouch Vale Amarillo was also being poured straight from the cask in the cellar. I liked the sound of that, so ordered a pint and the friendly barmaid prompted me for a CAMRA card which ensured a good discount. It was a beautiful pint, made all the better for being served straight from the barrel. On our way out, the landlord stopped us and offered me a sample of their Woodbine Racer house beer and gave my other half a taster of one of the 30 ciders they had listed, whilst taking time out to chat about the pub, the beers and various events they put on. It all sounded very enterprising and he also mentioned that plans were afoot to try and set up a micro brewery out the back. The pub seems fairly basic on first impressions, but after a couple of hours here I felt right at home and had we not needed to get the tube home before they went on strike that evening, I'd almost certainly have stayed longer. There is a lot here for those looking for good beer or cider and the food was good hearty fayre for walkers of cyclists passing by. I'd be delighted to have a pub like this near me and hope the place continues to be a great success.

When I first saw this pub I thought it odd that it should be named after a strong cigarette but apparently it's a term for honeysuckle or a similar plant. It's a pub that I had definitely not visited before and is only a short distance from the McMullen's pub the Volunteer which is where the bus from Loughton drops you off. On the face of it the pub is set in the heart of Epping Forest but is in fact quite near the Northern edge. The M25 is alarmingly close although you would never guess it while standing in the tranquil location. Inside it's a lot smaller than the exterior would suggest consisting of a single room with a pool table taking up more room than it deserves and a separate conservatory style room for dining. Outside there is a patio that is a bit too close to the busy main road. I noticed just one TV screen here which was turned off. On the bar there is a bank of five handpumps and a sixth single one on the right with Doom Bore on. The other beers were Dominion Woodbine Racer, GK Abbot, Fuller's Seafarers, Buntingford 92 Squadron and Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold. The Dominion is a genuine House beer brewed in Moreton the other side of Epping. I tried it and found a very enjoyable pint, another pale New World hop bomb. The 92 Squadron was also in good nick but not as good a brew as the Racer. Cider is a big concern here, the list of ciders was one of the longest I've seen in a pub and always includes at least one of the locally brewed London Glider ciders. I tried their dry which was excellent and followed it up with a Double Vision medium by which time it was starting to do what it says on the tin. They do a decent CAMRA discount, my beers were discounted by 40p to £3.00 a pint and the cider by 50p to £4.00 a pint. They are open until late on Friday and Saturday with music which may not suit everyone. There is a 20 minute daytime bus service between Waltham Cross and Debden via Loughton that passes the door. I enjoyed my visit here and can see another one happening in the future.