The Gate Pub in Chorleywood, England has done extremely well to revamp itself. Going from tired old pub – or the Jenny Wren as it used to be – to the comfy welcoming country inn with a bistro menu and good ales on tap.
We popped in for a late light lunch and a beer at around 3pm on a Monday. The service was welcoming and our table in the new pub dining area was well-positioned near to the bar.
We ordered the drinks at the bar before we sat down. My beer took quite a while to get to me (I panicked a bit) and our friend’s pot of tea only had hot water in it (I laughed quite a lot), but that was due to a new till causing havoc with orders.
Our waitress was very apologetic and sorted everything out as we ordered our food – besides, it wasn’t like we were dying of thirst! For our victuals, we ordered from the Bar Nibbles menu. We weren’t starving either, so the offer of any three items for £9.95 was perfect.
When they came, the homemade sausage rolls were the winner of the day. But the mozzarella risotto balls (aka arancini) were excellent too. The salt and pepper squid with aioli was perfectly cooked, which is essential as it can become the ocean’s answer to Bridgestone if overdone.
We sat back and chatted after our meal, and were left to relax and digest at our leisure. As we inspected our surroundings, we had a feeling it’d be as relaxing here any time of the year. There’s a good beer garden here and the local cricket club across the road perfect for a summer’s beer in sight of the stumps.
In winter, I can imagine The Gate to be full of warm smells of food and the chatter of patrons. The crackle and woodsmoke of the open fire.
And the rolling hills of the Hertfordshire countryside look in through the pub windows at you – it’s a perfect retreat from the city.
I only wished we lived a bit closer. Sadly 20,000km is a long way to go for a beer and a cheese board, no matter how good it is!
The Gate Pub
Rickmansworth Road
Chorleywood
WD3 5SQ
Chorleywood is near the north-western end of the Metropolitan Underground line out of London.
www.thegatepub.co.uk
Twitter: @thegatepub
European Romance – Instagram Diary: London
[…] We meet my sister and go to a pub nearby for lunch before heading east to see Mum and Dad. This is a great pub that’s been taken over in the last few years. Here’s our review of The Gate you might like to read. […]