The Kings Arms, Tickford End, Newport Pagnell

A good sized pub in it’s own grounds on the outskirts of Newport Pagnell, it’s a single room pub, U-shaped pub with a garden at the front and a car park and some decking at the rear. It seems to be something of a local’s pub with the friendly landlord addressing most punters by name, but as a visitor I didn’t feel at all uncomfortable. The pub has something of a dated feel to it with red patterned carpet on the floor, a high ceiling with an intricate cornice, and large windows at either end with red patterned curtains. Paintwork is a mixture of a very neutral shade and chocolate brown elsewhere. Otherwise there is little of any note. A darts board was on the wall as well as a plasma stuck up in the corner, although this was not in use on my visit. Unusually there was a small freezer cabinet at the end of the bar containing a selection of ice cream cones. Food wise, the menu consisted of a decent selection of “pub grub” dishes such as Fish & Chips, Ham Egg & Chips, Pie of the day, Sausage & Mash, Chilli Con Carne, etc., and these were mostly priced in the £8 - £10 range. In addition to this there was a snack menu with a few options such as sandwiches, jacket potatoes, cheesy chips and such like, and a specials board with another half a dozen options. These were similarly priced and included choices such as Sweet and Sour Pork and Cottage Pie. I chose the Chicken Tikka Masala from the specials board, and it was really very good. Homemade, very tasty and a generous portion. If I were being very critical I’d say that the overly greasy poppadum let it down somewhat, but that’s a minor quibble. Going on the ambience and feel of the pub, I had expected a ready meal out of the micro-wave, so it really was much better than I had expected. Beers on tap were Eagle IPA, Courage Directors and Arkell’s Moonlight. Ciders were Strongbow and Scrumpy Jack.