The White Hart, Bedford

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Blackthorn _ left this review about The White Hart

An attractive village pub right next to the church, it consists of a couple of bars and a beer garden, although from what I could see much of this was taken up with a marquee which looks as though it may be a permanent fixture going on the photographs on their website. There is a strong emphasis on food here and there were a number of stickers on the window to reflect this, as well as copies of the Good Food Guide and Good Pub Guide for you to peruse.

The larger of the two rooms is very much a restaurant, and this was full to capacity on a recent Tuesday evening visit. This was quite an attractive room with a sanded wood floor, some exposed stone pillars and some contemporary furniture. The friendly landlord said there would be a 40 minute wait to eat here, although I was welcome to eat in the bar, which I duly opted for. This was much smaller than the restaurant with a terracotta tiled floor and pale green paintwork. There were a few leather sofa’s with low tables and a couple of high tables and stools as well – nothing at normal height! A couple of pot plants were dotted around and there were some illuminated twigs in the corner. A small TV was up on one wall which seemed a little out of place, but fortunately this was not in use. Service at the bar could be a little hit and miss with all the staff concentrating on the restaurant, although to be fair, there were only three other punters in the bar and they were all eating anyway.

Food wise the menu offered a decent enough selection of dishes which were a step or two up from your usual pub grub. The main courses consisted of “Fresh Fish” and “From the butcher”, so I’m not sure what the vegetarian options would have been, although I’m sure there must have been some. Most of the main courses were somewhere around the £15 mark, although some of the steaks were considerably more. You could choose from a selection of two side dishes to accompany your meal which made a pleasant change, and there was a decent selection of these two choose from. My Scottish Salmon with Flitton Asparagus (at this time of year??) and Hollandaise Sauce was a tasty enough dish and a very generous portion. A jug of tap water and complimentary bread were also provided.

The solitary beer on tap was Shefford Bitter from the local Banks and Taylor brewery, although there was also a second pump for their Golden Fox which appeared to have run out. The only cider was Aspall’s Suffolk. Overall I quite liked this, it’s a pleasant pub and all the staff were friendly and helpful, but on the other hand it’s not really that “pubby” so it depends what you’re after.

On 13^th August 2014 - rating: 7
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