The Fox & Duck, Royston

Initial impressions of this village pub overlooking a reasonably large village green were positive. You can park either on the lane next to the pub or in the car park to the side. We arrived to find many tables set up on the green and most were taken. The pub was clearly very popular. Entrance inside is restricted to those paying their bills and it is guarded by the enigmatic landlord, who was a friendly chap, who seemed to be keeping everything ticking over just nicely. After the usual hand sanitising and handover of details, you're taken to a table to await somebody to take your order. The process from arrival to getting drinks was almost 20 minutes, which is a real issue for pubs that won't allow access to the bar. The landlord had confirmed that the ale choice was limited to the regulars Greene King IPA & Abbot and a couple of guests, which were St Austell Tribute & Timothy Landlord. Whilst there were 4, I felt that all beers were a bit too generic for my liking and opted for a soft drink, as I was driving. I finally got to see the bar when going to settle the bill. There's an army of serving staff hanging around, along with one overworked woman dealing with the cash. On giving her our table number, she tried to pass on the bill for 4 IPAs from the previous occupants. After a little confusion, the landlord revealed that he had taken cash from the gents who had been there previously. So, our bill was just for a half of cider and 2 soft drinks. £8.55 seemed a bit steep. On request of a breakdown, the cider turned out to be £2.75, with the soft drinks were £2.90 each. That's extortionate for drinks served in plastic glasses, especially as half of one of the soft drinks had blown away in the wind! What seemed like a nice village pub turned into a bit of a let down. They are clearly trying to pass on the cost of some rather over the top Covid-19 precautions to unwitting customers. I'm really surprised that this pub makes the Good Beer Guide.

Official site of the Fox & Duck - www.thefoxandduck.co.uk

Official site of the Fox & Duck - www.thefoxandduck.co.uk

The Fox and Duck is a decent Hertfordshire country pub utilised by locals, walkers and dog owners alike. Internally it is one open-plan space with the front section with the bar area being mainly for drinking, being a plain wooden floor area encompassing two bow-windowed sections with chairs and largish stripped-top dark wood tables. And then the section at the back is carpeted and laid mainly to tables for dining. The pub benefits from a large garden which stretches back behind the pub and although it includes play equipment, it backs onto a new ‘Village Play area’ with even bigger and better swings and roundabouts. There is a decent pub grub menu but cannot pass comment on that as I have only ever utilised The Fox and Duck for a mid walk pint when doing one of the many decent village walks connecting to Therfield. It’s a Green King pub and the beers on offer are the usual GK brands and were GK IPA, Abbot and St Edmunds on my last visit just after new year. And although the St Edmunds was a very well kept pint the pub would certainly benefit if one of the three hand pumps was dispensing a true guest beer. Historically the pub has not opened on Sunday evenings, but the new landlord (of some 6 months) is a folk musician and there is now a small stage area on the right hand side of the main bar area and I believe the plan is to have music evenings on a Sunday. So in conclusion, a solid enough country pub, ideal for a stop when walking with or without a canine friend, ideal for summer with the large garden, and could just do with a better beer choice.