Will be warmly welcomed here
treacle tart and even a vanilla ice cream cookie sandwich.
The menu may seem familiar — The Fox is owned by the same pub company as sister outlets, The White Horse at Shenley, The Arkley and St Albans’ Wicked Lady, all of which have that classy, country pub feel.
If you prefer an independent White Horse, then try the one in Chorleywood ( This White Horse is owned and run by brother-in-law team David Warren and Robert Beckley, who also preside over Bushey Village’s King Stag.
Although Warren describes the White Horse as a work in progress in terms of the décor, it has the same cosy feel as its sister pub: wooden and tiled floors and simple wooden furniture with quirky artwork on the walls, as well as an exhibition of a local photographer. Service is attentive and friendly.
The bowl of pumpkin-seed soup arrived on a wooden board with slices of bread. Fish of the day — pan-fried sea bass — topped a stack of griddled veg, while a side of creamed spinach was rustic in style. We bypassed glazed lemon tart, crumble of the day and dark chocolate ganache with roasted figs and honeycomb ice cream and chose peppermint tea, in a vintage china pot. The pub attracts more diners than drinkers and is already becoming a local favourite since Warren and Beckley took over last year.
Also worth a visit are The Cricketers at Sarratt ( and The Alford Arms (
in Frithsden, just outside Hemel Hempstead.