Axe & Compasses, Great Dunmow

A pleasant looking, part-thatched roadside pub, it consist of a couple of smallish gardens at either end and a somewhat quirky interior arranged across three rooms with a central bar counter. Décor wise it’s a good mix of old and new, with some very old timberwork in places but much more contemporary touches as well. The main bar area is in the middle of the pub with somewhat limited seating perhaps, predominantly a few stools at the bar counter with many of the other tables elsewhere being laid up for food. Sheepskin throws on the back of all the chairs were an unusual touch, but perhaps not best suited to the current very warm weather. Flooring was wood strip and there was some unusual and colourful wallpaper with various birds on, as well as white or pale blue wood panelling on the lower part of the walls. The low ceiling was a little wonky and had plenty of beams, some in the more traditional black and others that had been painted white. A free standing brick chimney breast separated two of the rooms, although the fire had been removed and a selection of flowers were in it’s place. A small TV was up on one wall which looked a little out of place perhaps, but fortunately this was not in use. The smaller room to the left had a lovely arched roof and a stuffed peacock sat up in the rafters. The menu offered a decent looking selection of pub grub dishes, and our prawn and crayfish sandwiches were pretty decent and good value. Served with crisps rather than the more usual chips, and a decent side salad that included grapes and radishes, they were just the job for our lunchtime pit stop. As is the vogue in many pubs these days, there were also a few muffins on the end of the bar. Beers on tap were Fat Sprat and Ghost Ship from Adnams along with London Pride. Ciders meanwhile were Symonds Founders Reserve and Old Rosie. All in all, well worth stopping by.