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A warm, relaxed and cosy welcome is guaranteed at this traditional 19th century rural village public house and restaurant in Chignal Smealey, in the Chelmsford countryside. Providing good home cooked food available 6 days a week, a generous Sunday carvery and Irish inspired menu, the Pig & Whistle is ideal for a snack, a meal or just a drink and fine conversation.
Really enjoyable experience, first time I have been back in 6 years, when it was a gastro pub. It is now a restaurant only. Food was very good, my pork tenderloin was perfectly cooked. My three fellow diners all thoroughly enjoyed their food as well. Staff are very friendly and helpful, did not rush us to order. The decor is lovely, very eclectic. Would have no hesitation in recommending.
This place came highly recommended and we were very disappointed. The menu is very good, there are lots of interesting options, including some game. The execution sadly missed the spot though. I opted for the Camembert starter which was fine. For main course I had the pork belly. The black pudding and chorizo cubes lacked a bit of finesse but again, it was fine. My wife’s meal was cold, though and the Brussels were badly overcooked. The desert looked okay but was a bit too sickly. The cheese selection was pretty poor. The service wasn’t good either. We had to ask for our wine to be poured and eventually gave up and opted for self service. Upon opening the red i was advised the i could see its not corked but was asked if I want to try it anyway. I didn’t bother challenging but… how can you see that wine isn’t corked? The plates were cleared but glasses ant bottles weren’t. We ended up with three empty wine bottles on our table. Two of us shared the cheese for desert and were given one knife. The building is lovely, and there is a wonderful traditional feel when you walk in. Unfortunately there were only three tables occupied (including ours) all night so there wasn’t any atmosphere. Because it came so highly recommended we will probably give it another chance. Maybe the fact that it was so empty impacted on the experience.
*Final opinion with no more editing/adding comments* Interestingly the owner cannot take constructive criticism of the restaurant, only because I named the dish differently. Anyway, if people cannot take constructive criticism for any improvement of their restaurant, I think us as customers have the right to lower the rating but guess not, Hey-Ho! EDIT 2: owner removed original comments which claimed this was the wrong restaurant, with no reply, due to this attitude have knocked down to 3 stars as it was a very dismissive response to a fair review. Pros: the food was lovely and reasonably priced, I had a sunday roast which was delicious - I also recommend the pork scratchings for starters. The building is lovely with lovely decor. Cons: Although the staff were all lovely, the service was quite slow, due to the set up of the restaurant (some tables can't obviously be seen from the bar/kitchen area) we had to wait a long time for service. The wait for food was fine, but after the meal we were left waiting until I decided to go to the bar. There was another table near us that had been there over 3 hours. My only other minor recommendation would be for the staff to have a smarter uniform, the younger staff were dressed quite casually for the overall feel of the place. The cocktails were also a bit dissapointing.
Absolutely gorgeous restaurant, stunning building and views. The food is amazing, so well cooked, lovely flavours and beautifully presented. Staff are very welcoming. Wonderful experience.
Went there for the first time. Nice quaint Cottage. Consummate front of house. Very welcoming . Starters were good but a bit lacking ...the salt beet and prawns. My wife had the fish which was very good. I had the pork which was also very good. The black pudding and chorizo, I thought was too strong a combination but nevertheless it was tasty. A bit pricey . But we had a good time. Thank you.
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