Carpenter's Arms in South Cambridgeshire

Nice place, like the décor.... friendly staff. Was pleased to see they had on the menu the symbols for gluten and dairy free options which can always be a challenge. However they are pretty expensive for what it is.

22 of us came for a baby shower afternoon tea, We waited ages to be asked what drink we wanted, then ages fit it to arrive one by one, No one asked if there were any allergies. The girl didn’t know what she was serving. There wasn’t room on the table for everything, the sandwiches looked like they had been chucked on a wooden platter. The cake stands were cute but the cakes looked shop bought. At no point was tea or coffee bought round despite cups on the table, when we asked for a coffee we were told we’d have to pay for them, we didn’t . She never came back to check everything was ok, we had to ask for clean plates and get knives ourselves. Then when the we went to pay the bill we were told we couldn’t use the deposit already paid, we had to pay the full price and the deposit would be refunded back which ch could take 5 days. Illegal I think, Such a shame as it’s a lovely venue and the food was good. Won’t be back

What can I say but 'FANTASTIC!!!' The place is well kept and smartly presented, the dining area is light and airy with the huge patio set up. All the staff were friendly and helpful Now the best bit.....The food....My god, it was so nice to go somewhere that everything was cooked perfectly and tasted superb The staff don't fuss or rush you but if you need anything like drinks etc then they are there when needed. Just a shame it's a little far for us to be a local but we will be back!!!

Oh dear… Pot-holed water filled car park (as last visit months ago) and the garden looking like a continental cemetery with pots of sun bleached plastic flowers. A v pleasant waitress but uninspiring menu. Tagliatelle dish was a bowl of rather musty tasting pasta with large bits of sundried tomato and little else at £17. No chance we’ll be meeting there again until we hear better things about it; what a wasted opportunity, could/should be tons better.

We had a great experience, visiting for Sunday lunch over the weekend. The restaurant is nicely decorated, with huge glass doors overlooking the outside greenery. Our starters were delicious and I particularly enjoyed my mackerel, which paired beautifully with the beetroot. The roast beef was nicely cooked and served with roast vegetables and a good Yorkshire pudding with tasty gravy. This was all washed down with a silky Pinot Noir. Dessert was delicious and my choc ice was served perfectly. A really pleasant lunch and I'd happily return.

Love this place, always a happy welcome and delicious food. Staff always has a smile on there faces the rooms are well equipped for all occasions.

This is a lovely renovated restaurant with accommodation upstairs. My friend and I stayed for 2 nights. Dinner was fine and the staff are friendly. There are very steep stairs up to the rooms, which made lugging baggage around difficult- staff did offer to help though (we should have accepted!). Room was lovely, bathroom was a wet room. After dinner my friend went to have a shower and realised beforehand that the carpet around the door was very wet. We mentioned it to staff, but as they were fully booked, not much could be done. They put extra towels down on the floor and by the morning these were pretty sodden too. When we went down for breakfast (which had burnt toast that we had to send back to the kitchen), we asked the staff member about the wet floor and he didn't know anything about it. It was a bit disappointing to have to explain it all again. They were able to move us into different rooms the next night and in the morning we were able to talk further about the issue with the manager to a very satisfactory conclusion. This is a wonderful place and I hope the bathroom leak gets fixed as I loved the genuine "English country" feel of the place.

Absolutely brilliant two night stay at this lovely pub near Newmarket. Ash and the team were fantastic throughout our stay and continually went over and above to help us, finding us local cab companies and recommending food and wine. We had dinner and drinks during our stay and everyone was impressed - menu was varied and great vegan options. Quality of food was fantastic and breakfast service was excellent, every staff member was friendly and professional. Rooms were of a really high standard, with quirky design and great decoration. Overall a faultless stay.

Visited here for lunch while travelling down the A14, and what a lovely place! Food was great, kids food particularly nice and homemade (not often the case at pubs!). The charcuterie platter was amazing and lovely main courses as well. The place is quirkily decorated, and the service very attentive and friendly. I’ve bookmarked this place for our next pub stop on the A14!

We do like the Chestnut group of Pubs and today we went to the Carpenters Arms for lunch where we received excellent food and service. Without going into to much details the food and service was Exceptional

Still well below par. We had booked for Easter Sunday lunch. We were a party of four, including two elderly pensioners. One of whom has dementia. Initially the (young and inexperienced) waiter was told to seat us on a high table, which was wholly unsuitable for two of our party. He could see that the seating was inappropriate, went to consult his manager who told the waiter that we could not sit elsewhere. After a further complaint we were relocated to a table near a fire exit. This was very cramped and there was barely enough room for the staff to squeeze through to serve other tables. We were also told that we had to vacate the table after one and a half hours because another booking was scheduled. The waiter was struggling and the restaurant manager was rude and pretty inflexible until the situation was explained to him several times. A bad start to the afternoon compounded by mediocre and expensive food - the roast dinners spent too long on the pass and were lukewarm when they arrived. My advice - avoid!

Great atmosphere with friendly staff and delicious food. My pork loin was heavenly, and we even had a chance to catch up on the 6 nations rugby after we had eaten.

We had the pleasure of staying at the Carpenters Arms, Kenny and his team couldn’t have been better hosts - enjoyed watching the Rugby and then had a fab meal!! Great menu and ambience! Thanks again

Home away from home rooms. Service you would expect from the best 5* restaurants/hotels. Food you would expect from a Michelin star restaurant!

We visited the restaurant about a year ago and it was excellent , We visited on a Sunday eveing in February and extremely disappoint, service poor and food not a standard I would expect for the expensive price, paid £5 for a small amount of bread and touch of oil an absolute disgrace, as they had run out of what we had ordered, the Sunday lunch was the worst I have ever tasted. I live in Liverpool and this restaurant does not come up to the standard of the amazing restaurant were I live and we are used to at the price. You need to take note of review you have received and it is not surprising there were only three framilies eating.

The drinks are overpriced and I subsequently realised I was charged more than the prices shown on the website. The pub is very nice but it is charging more than London prices for ordinary bitter

Lovely meal great atmosphere and surroundings staff friendly and helpful Pork was cooked to perfection and flavours were superb Chocolate torte was delicious great experience will definitely be back Thank you Carpenters Arms

Lovely meal with a lovely atmosphere. Service ok. Desserts to die for. Would return again for an adults only couples’ dinner.

A large group of 18 of us had booked in for lunch at 14.00. We had agreed in advance how the room should be set up but when we arrived it wasn't as agreed. We were initially told it couldn't be done but after some negotiation it was. Only a few had ordered starters which came after about half an hour, the others all had to wait two hours for their main courses. Service over all was pretty poor but the place was very busy and the food when it arrived was quite good although only one carrot and one parsnip for Sunday roast was a little disappointing!

The finger food was excellent and very abundant, and the service attentive and helpful but not intrusive.

Absolutely perfect lunch. 10/10 for food, service, menu, location, decor and value. We loved it and will be back for sure.

Service was poor due to a lack of staff and a maitre’d who has no concept of how to run a front of house. When we arrived there were maybe 3 tables with guests. Maitre’d eventually came over to us but didn’t know the soup of the day, took the order down wrong and then we didn’t see him again until eventually we had to ask for him to come over. We gave up on desert after sitting at our table for 30 mins without any contact from any staff: my wife even put her coat and scarf on at one point. Singularly the worst service we’ve had from visits to many Chestnut Group restaurants … and at the prices charged just awful service for any hospitality venue. Food was poor and had a lack of cheffing. Obviously getting the wrong started wasn’t a great start … but in hindsight I wish I’d kept it (Scotch Egg) …’it would have saved us watching it congeal on the pass for the next hour! Main course was a flavourless cassoulet which was a weak attempt at a classic… mostly mushy and soft with chorizo that was just mush. The Cod which should have been the star was over cooked and under seasoned and if you’re going to leave the skin on then make it crispy do not leave it in the stew as a slimy bit of unappetising afterthought. On the positives the room was lovely and it would be a great venue in summer with the huge glass doors for some cocktails. Overall, it was a really awful experience and while I usually do not write reviews, the lack of comprehension from the manager was the tipping factor. If your guests ask to leave mid course because have completely ignored them for 40 mins you know youre not offering even a basic level of service. Hopefully it was just a bad night but guests are hospitality’s life blood. A little care goes a long way.

Lovely setting, and food not bad! But, what a shame about the service...we were a party of 10 and we'd pre-ordered... I don't mind time between courses, but it was nearly an hour between the starter and main, and worse still, one of our party had finished his main course before others got theirs! I sent my food back because it wasn't hot. We are reasonable people, and I wouldn't be writing this review if only someone had apologised. There was nothing - no sorry for the food not being hot and no sorry for the food coming out in dribs and drabs. Even when someone suggested to the manager that a little bit of communication might go along way, nothing! Pure arrogance.

We went to the carpenters arms today for Christmas lunch. We were so impressed. There were ten of us and we were given a huge table, with lots of space and the food was incredible . The staff were also fantastic and the service was brilliant. We would highly recommend Xmas lunch here.

Have been before and will - no doubt - go again. Went on a Sunday night for an anniversary and had a good meal. We are both vegetarians and there is always something "interesting" though often just one. We had the festive menu cauliflower which was fine although we had mash instead of the grain [I was delighted!]. The pudding was delicious, apparently home made and large! The staff were excellent. My only beef [oh dear] was that we ordered a bottle of white wine and you could see the amount of fooling around getting it ready at the bar. It appeared shortly before the food turned up! I would have liked it much earlier when I sat down waiting to be served! The place was not busy with few customers dining. This is a lovely place and I have been made welcome every time

The restricted (lunch) menu makes for an easy choice and the high quality food is clearly individually cooked utilising fresh produce. The welcome is warm and friendly in pleasant surroundings. Don't be fooled by the exterior as this building has ample room with its spacious restaurant and seating area to the rear. We have been lunching (group of 4) for the past 12 years, always at different pubs in the area, with The Carpenter's Arms highly rated by us all. Well worth a visit.

The Carpenters Arms es un pub tradicional de pueblo que cuenta con mucha historia. El propietario y la dueña de la casa fueron muy acogedores y conversaron con autoridad sobre el fondo del pub y los servicios en el área local. Hay una buena selección de bebidas, y el bar tiene un ambiente acogedor y cómodo. El restaurante es engañoso, es mucho más grande de lo que parece al principio. La comida está recién preparada a pedido, por lo que se espera una pequeña espera. Sin embargo, la espera vale la pena, ya que nuestras comidas eran excelentes. Mi lubina fue cocinado a la perfección y estaba muy sabroso. El pastel de venado de mi hermano también fue excelente y solo fue derrotado por el tamaño de las porciones. En general, una visita más agradable y me encantaría volver.

We went for an evening meal here on saturday to escape a very disappointing stay at a nearby hotel.It was great ! quiet but really good food and friendly staff.Sup[er clean facilities I would definitely go again, shame they had no rooms it would be a great stop over

As the last review noted, this is no longer a French cuisine gastro pub. The menu on the website is out of date which is poor as we went there based on that.The menu is now a pie, fish and chips and hunters chicken. A second page with a burger and a vegy option that I can't remember. The pie was okay but exactly what you'd expect in say a Beefeater or Hungry Horse chain. The burger was a frozen jobby that looked a bit dry. It was all edible but not what we wanted.Unfortunately, it looks like business has fallen away so much that the menu has been cut back. The owner was lovely but we were also there on a Sat night and were the only people in until another couple turned up at 8:30. The website menu needs updating at the minimum but they're not going to win many new friends with the current one. Shame.

We were really attracted to the story about accomplished French cuisine chefs and French themed menu and booked a table for lunch. But when we arrived to a deserted pub at peak time on a Saturday we were only then informed that the French themed menu was no longer on offer and gave the impression that this hadn’t been available for some time. Disappointed, not as advertised.

We ate there Tonite for the first time and what an amazing find, the food was fantastic and the place is full of character, it is such a pleasure to have eaten in a place where it is good old fashioned home cooked foodTotally fabulous eveningThankyou

We had had Sunday lunch there before in the summer which wasn't too bad, hence the return visit. £67 for three adults and a child having one course and one drink each. I wouldn't mind if it tasted nice but we couldn't wait to get out of there, the food was terrible. We were too embarrassed to complain and just decided to never return.The roast dinner wasn't fresh and wasn't piping hot and my roast potatoes and parsnips were underdone on the inside and overdone on the outside. I think they had been cooked in the deep fat fryer. I left most of it. That £67 Would have been better spent elsewhere. I don't like to give negative feedback but I do feel rather swindled by the whole experience. Such a shame!

Como visitante a la zona, y no recibir el trapo local. Tres amigos y yo decidimos salir para una pinta o dos de Nochevieja. Probamos el club local que estaba cerrado, así que caminamos a los carpinteros de armas. Del lado podíamos ver una media docena de hombres en el bar, con un hombre joven que sirve, podíamos escuchar la música y charla desde el lado del restaurante. Fuimos al bar tranquilo, para conseguir nuestras cervezas, y una mujer muy brusco sólo dijeron "entradas". Ahora como digo yo no soy local, y uno de mis amigos que había manejado desde visitamos Carmarthen para celebrar el Año Nuevo juntos, no había conversación con esta mujer, sin compromiso a un rotundamente grosero bienvenido. . . . . Así que no se molesten de nuevo, lo único que quería era venir tomar una copa o dos, ponerse al día y descansar.

The decor is not much, but the food is superb and incredibly reasonably priced for what it is. It's gourmet food at pub prices.Their chestnut soup is some of the best soup I've ever tasted. The pork belly with cinnamon sauce fell apart, and the mincemeat and marzipan tart, with spiced cream, was sumptuous. And you won't go home hungry. The cassoulet was more than my wife could eat. We were able to speak to the chef for a while. She ran a restaurant in France, and so she speaks French fluently too, so this is a good choice for visitors from France.Will be returning again and again.

Another trip for lunch (our 6th) with another tick on the locality card. We sat in the main bar which was decked out for the Christmas celebrations, but is a typical village pub with dart board and bar billiards table. "Mine Host" lit the log burner which provided a nice glow and warmth to the bar. We went for the usual steak and Carpenters ale pie. - just delicious. For dessert an individual mini Christmas pudding, which had plenty of fruit and nuts served with brandy sauce and ice cream. They also offer locally brewed ale the aforementioned Carpenters Arms and Incognito, a flavoursome well kept ale. The owners are always pleasant and are happy to talk about the food, the pub or village. Can't wait to come back for another stamp on the card!

How this place gets 4.5 stars I really have no idea.

Pero provocaron una mesa no era necesario, ya que éramos las únicas personas con el restaurante. Servicio amable y atento, aunque cuando el Caballero logró dejar algunas verduras en la placa cuando se estaba sirviendo un plato principal que dejó en el piso y no ofrecen verduras de sustitución. La comida era buena y bien presentada. Ambiente agradable. El incidente de verduras no le restó mucho a la visita la V. CLASIFICACIÓN ergo g..

Had Sunday lunch here last week. Beautiful roasts on the menu and not expensive. The Dining Room in the extension is not very atmospheric but the it does have big windows looking out on to the garden. Look forward the dining here again.

I phoned the pub to enquire whether it was possible for 2 people to have supper at 6.30pm prior to a meeting that was being held actually in the pub at 7.30pm and was told a very firm "No - not possible. We don't start serving until 7pm".

Nos fue en un paseo en bicicleta y iba a reunirse con amigos para una comida y bebida. Y planeado sobre ellos aquí (gran error) que pensamos poner nuestras bicicletas por la mesa que iba a sentarse. Luego he oído esta voz desde el interior del pub "no toda la mesa" no soñando ella estaba tomando sobre nosotros pensando que debe ser personal del bar hablando entre ellos propia. Hasta que esta persona salga el pub y no nos hace muy buena. En su lugar nos dieron algo a lo largo de las líneas no debe dejar nuestras bicicletas está bien si vas a sentarse allí. (Pero es sentido uno no estaba contento) y se encaramó de entonces. Así que hizo lo que cualquier persona normal haría sonó a nuestros amigos y nos fuimos a otro pub en Fulbourn. Pronto fuimos fue completamente diferente. Encargado muy bien preguntando si teníamos un agradable paseo en bicicleta.

Cinco de los familiares para el pescado reservado y Chip jueves "especial" (Menú principal también disponible).

Magnífico familiar pub gran comida y cerveza y un excelente servicio muy acogedor sin duda desvío cuando cualquier parte de la zona

went there for lunch.Very basic, ordinary food,cetainly not a gastro pub.more like a 50's pub when the food was cooked by the landlady who thought she could and cant.entree,tiny and mostly lettuce that looked tired and recycled.Mains,boring and tasteless.Desserts were a little better.The photos are totally deceptive, we walked into the pub and thought we must have gone to the wrong place.i read the other reviews and think we must have gone to a different pub!

Looking for somewhere to have a spot of lunch on our way back from Norfolk and didn't want a service area. Find this quiet pub and had a wonderful lunch and dessert at reasonable prices and fantastic loos!

We found this pub on Trip and went along. It was quiet and not many people in. The food is fantastic quality and well presented. I recommend going along and trying well worth the trip.Good service lovely bright dining room not rushed.

We've been here several times for lunch; we have a loyalty card which we are filling up fast. The menu has good selections with a specials board in addition. On our first visit we had the steak and Carpenters arms ale pie - and we were hooked! So much so that's our staple choice - they're brilliant )but don't tell everyone otherwise you'll all want one!) Served with hand cut and cooked chips and seasonal vegetables. Another speciality is crumble for dessert - today was rhubarb which was freshly prepared and served with custard or cream. Service was pleasant and efficient.The Carpenters arms is a great village pub, just wish it was in our village!

We stopped for dinner on our way to Stansted for the fourth time. very quiet but it was early Thursday evening. My wife had the venison burger and I had the beef and carpenter ale pie. It wasnt just that both meals were excellent, the side dishes also were perfectly cooked with that bit of extra attention that distinguishes this pub from most of its competitors. What i really like is that you get restaruant standard food at pub prices in a traditional setting, accompanied by excellent real ale. On top of that, a friendly, interesting landlord who obviously genuinely cares about what he does and giving good service. A place like this is so worth visiting and supporting because there are increasingly few like it. Visit, support it, you won't be disspointed.

I visited The Carpenter's Arms for lunch on Mothering Sunday with my family. There was a set menu, 1/2/3 courses for £15/20/25, with a fair few choices. Both the roast turkey and roast beef were delicious, great accompianiments too (veg, Yorkshire pudding) - and the portions were very big! Run by a lovely family who are very accommodating and you can tell they put care into the service and food. The only reason that I rated the pub 4 not 5 stars, is due to the starters unfortunately. We tried the pate which came with toast - the pate was nice (not enough of it) but the toast was a dry piece of hovis - the bread rolls that came alongside were much nicer! Please just serve these instead! And the smoked salmon blini was very small. My advice - mains are enough!

Friendly welcome at this unspoiled but well modernised village pub. Good beer and excellent food with perfect vegetables and very interesting puddings. The landlord was a restaunter in France for several years and the toilets have even won awards! We will be back soon!

Was visiting friends and turned up with a large group. The staff were very accommodating, setting up the billiards table and dart board for us all.Food was good, drink prices reasonable and the toilets were the the cleanest pub toilets I've ever seen!

I booked for a Saturday night meal for myself and my partner by telephone. The gentleman who took my call could not have been nicer. He asked me if there were any special dietry requirements and said that he looked forward to seeing us on the day. We were warmly greeted on arrival, and shown to our table. We were informed of the various dishes on the menu, and served our drinks. The food was excellent. My partner had beer battered fish, of which she said that the batter was to die for. I had a cheese and mushroom pie, topped with a filo pastry that just melted in my mouth. The gentleman who served us was courteous and when we needed, attentive to us. The toilets were 5 star. It was our first visit to the Carpenters Arms, and it will not be the last.

Four of us had lunch on Friday . Looking for a place to have lunch after a visit to the snowdrops ar Anglesey Abbey. The outside was nothing special and we wondered what we would find inside and it was a very pleasant surprise. The menu was reasonably short but with a good range of dishes with a French twist. We all had three courses and every dish was perfect.The service was friendly and professional. The restaurant design and furniture were basic rather than luxurious but actually that did not matter.

Went with two friends on a Wednesday evening. Very relaxed, not rushed and delicious food. Dining room is very small but lovely and bar although very quiet was also great.

Lovely welcoming pub with real ale and great food. Beautiful beef roast dinner. Great service. Well worth the visit.

We arranged for a group of 24 to attend Heather and Rick's New Year's Eve event in the dining room. As usual Heather provided an enormous buffet for us with a whole salmon, her speciality game pie, hams, beef, salads, vegetables, desserts and cheese and much more. We enjoyed some good wine with the meal. It was an excellent evening and a great way to see in the New Year.

Let's make this clear - the food was good , very traditional and certainly worthy of making the Sawdays guides - but beyond that it was a very bizarre experience. The Carpenters is run by a husband and wife team , and with no other visible staff , it explains how everything regrading service , ordering and delivery of food was so laboured and structured , to the point that we arrived half an hour early for Sunday lunch and casually offered to go into the restaurant early , - to be prompted told we couldn't as it was full and the slot we had been booked could not be changed . Further more , when a group came into the bar after us and enquired about getting a table for five as walk-ins , they again were very abruptly told ' No ! - we are full ' ! However , in the two hours we were there , there were no more than 30 covers , and plenty of spare tables. Decor in the dining room was 1980's school dinners with pine furniture . In a cute village , this was a disappointment.

The Carpenter's Arms serves beer in great quality. The staff are very welcoming and friendly. The pub has a bar billiards table.

We received a warm welcome on arrival, and Richard (co-owner with wife Heather) was very pleasant and helpful throughout.Crab and asparagus tartine to start - excellent. Fish and chips and beef pie for mains - very good. Micro-brew beer, again very good. The bill seemed very fair. Everywhere was very clean. Would have given 9 out of 10 if that was the scoring mechanism.

From the moment we made the booking on the phone I thought this sounds like somewhere they care about the food - they even asked about any special dietary needs and few places do that.When we arrived we were warmly welcomed and told about the specials board before being shown to our seats in the smaller, cosy, front restaurant.What had attracted us was a reasonable sized menu, offering a range of interesting home cooked food - we weren't disappointed. We first were given bread with olive oil/balsamic vinegar without asking while we waited for our food to be cooked. The delicious food itself was obviously freshly cooked and not microwaved, with rustic chips and nice crisp vegetables and the whole well presented.We had to take our hosts up on the suggestion of Catalan Creme since they'd run a successful restaurant in that region of France and they were bringing the best of that experience to Cambridge.All this for a very reasonable price.

Unlike many places in Cambridge that are quite touristy or hole-in-the-wall for college students - Carpenter's Arms is the perfect place I'd bringing visiting family but also frequent with friends for a casual night out. The food, particularly, was an awesome surprise - as you're not expecting amazing gourmet from a relaxed pub atmosphere - but their pizzas, burgers, & appetizers were AMAZING! Give it a try - friendly staff and relaxed setting will make it an enjoyable visit.

We cycled down on a sunny and warm day to the Carpenter's Arms for our first visit. The owner was behind the bad, she was very friendly and talked us through their changing Sunday menu. We only wanted to get some chips, but since that wasn't an option, we went for a main dish each. Thank goodness we didn't get any starters! The portions were massive, packed with flavour and there was a variety of incredibly well-cooked and roasted veg on the side. We rolled out of the pub happy, and we'll definitely come back to try their other dishes as well!

Superbly cooked food and great atmosphere in this lovely and friendly pub, just a stone's throw from central Cambridge. Prices are very reasonable and their beer is excellent. We have been here a few times and over the last 2 years and standards have not diminished. I highly recommend Rick and Heather's gastro pub!

Had a lovely meal Saturday night with my partner. Lovely portion size, great food and fantastic service!Highly recommended. Will definitely return.

This simple looking pub from the outside has terrific ale, very friendly owner and superlative cooking by his wife, Heather! The best food I've had in the Cambridge area.

Very good food, all freshly prepared. Tartiflette made with reblochon cheese was just right, and the cassoulet was very good also. The food is not the cheapest, but it is certainly worth paying a few pounds extra for. The beer is OK also. The chief thing this pub lacks is a few more punters, so go and try it.

We recently ate lunch here with friends. The bar has a welcoming look, including a beautifully cared for aged bar billiards table and offers interesting beers. However, the restaurant is large and in the whole time we were there, only one other table was occupied, so there was no atmosphere whatsoever.I chose stuffed chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce. The chicken and sauce were tasty, however the green beans and sprouting broccoli had been well overcooked and were mushy. The chips were good, but when I asked for some tomato sauce for them, I was a little disappointed to be handed sachets.Our friends both chose Tartiflette, which was basically new potatoes cut in half, swimming in cheese sauce. Apparently the taste was good, but having eaten this before, it was not quite as they expected. At £14.50 I thought that was very expensive for what it was.For dessert I chose the Creme Catalan. I suspect it was meant to be similar to Creme Brulee, but it had a very unpleasant texture. It was more the texture of semolina than a smooth creamy custard, and was quite slippery in the dish.The toilets may have won two awards, but there is clearly a design fault in the sink. The tap is so close to the edge, it makes washing your hands incredibly difficult! Other than that the toilet was definitely better than most I have visited.Overall, the meal was expensive and the quality was not great. We had made a special trip to this pub/restaurant, given that it’s in the main section of The Good Pub Guide and the great reviews on Tripadvisor, but I won't be rushing back.

A warm welcome coupled with home brewed beer. You would be forgiven for thinking that is enough but not for Rich & Heathery who, having returned from 25 years in France, have woven some delightful Paysenn dishes in between the more normal dishes. Whilst it isn't a gastro-pub, the food is very high quality. Calories worth eating. Your first visit will not be your last.

Visited for my fathers birthday as a large group of 11. Food was delicious, the ale they brew themselves is amazing and the service was brilliant. Rick really looked after us. Highly recommend.

In 2013 and 2014 a group of us had booked a large table, for about 16, on New Year's Eve at The Carpenters Arms. We had a great time so this year we asked if we could take over the dining room for the evening with a larger group.Heather and Rick kindly agreed so about 30 of us, all chums from the village arrived at 7.30pm for drinks prior to our meal. It was rather busy as Heather's assistant was sick and unable to work but we all got our drinks in good time and sat down for our meal at about 8.30pm. Heather had prepared her usual excellent buffet with a large salmon and a great selection of sauces, salads and vegetables. This was followed by an enormous ham, beef, home made meat pies, more sauces, salads and vegetables. All delicious. A cheese course followed and this consisted of a variety of English cheeses, again all delicious and then a selection of the largest desserts possible. We also enjoyed some good wines during the meal. A fabulous evening. Thanks to Heather and Rick for making it a wonderful evening.

Great atmosphere, very welcoming !Food very well cooked and presented,Definitely go again !! Only one negative on our visit a little short of atmosphere as the restaurant was quite on our visit but on talking to the owner and chef is not the norm.

We met friends here for dinner and wished we had this pub in our village! Roaring fires and a warm welcome. My husband was especially impressed by the beer on tap that is brewed on site in their own microbrewery. Dinner was freshly cooked, piping hot, and we were assured locally sourced and everything made in the kitchen.We were all very happy with our choices. The loos deserved their award for cleanliness and facilities in the ladies! This Pub is definitely worth a visit reccomend booking a table to dine here.

Lovely pub with good atmosphere, high quality fittings, furniture, toilets and last but by no means least, food and drink! Recommended.

We came here for Sunday lunch and what a fabulous experience it was. We were a party of 10 and were seated comfortably with plenty of room in spite of there being another large party present. We ordered various dishes from the menu and all were cooked to perfection and highly delicious! The portions were very generous too. The service was excellent, warm and friendly with Rick, the host, making time to chat even though it was busy. He made us feel so welcome it was almost as if we were visiting his home for lunch rarher than a business. Lauren, who was our waitress, was lovely too, serving both parties calmly and efficiently with great good humour!I cannot recommend The Carpenters Arms highly enough, I just wish we lived close enough to be able to visit regularly and just want to thank everyone there for a really wonderful lunch. Thank you all.

This is our second visit to the Carpenter’s Arms and we absolutely loved it! We ate in the bar area, which was warm and homely with its wood burning fire. The food was excellent, I had the pork belly which is the best I’ve ever had. Service was great and attentive. We have eaten at many restaurants in Cambridge and surrounding area, and the Carpenter’s Arms is defiantly in our top 3.

Went in for a Sunday lunch service before visiting the Anglesley Abbey, and we were not left disappointed. Warm and cordial welcome was followed by some great local ales and food. The sea bass was very well cooked and tasted exactly how i wanted it to beOn the whole a very good lunch service and definitely recommend it if you are in the area.

Having not lived in the UK for about 25 years, when in the UK one great pleasure is to find a small country pub with good beer, good food and friendly people. This place had them all in plenty!Superb beer brewed on the premises (2 types) and a food menu with a wide rand of interesting dishes that meet the needs of everyone in a group. Excellent service, and very friendly people, almost everybody who came in had a friendly chat. An excellent evening, if near Cambridge I will certainly go back there. Unusually for a pub, they have prize-winning loos. One of the nicest pubs I have been in for ages!

Warm friendly atmosphere. Excellent customer service. Spotlessly clean and the food was excellent, great value for money

My boyfriend brought me here for Sunday lunch and we are definitely come back again for more! We were welcomed by the friendly but professional landlord as we walked in to the pub, which has a very relaxing atmosphere and traditional feel with nice fireplaces to sit around, cosy but spotlessly clean. The pub has a really homely feel which is really welcoming. When we said we'd like to eat, the landlord showed us to the dining room at the back of the pub which has a more modern, airy feel to it. It opens out onto the garden, with neatly laid tables, which brought to mind auberge inns you find in rural France (and sure enough when we spoke to the landlord a bit later he said he had run a restaurant in France for many years!).The menu was really varied but we chose to have the traditional Sunday lunch. My boyfriend had beef and I had turkey. I was very impressed with the quality of the food for the price we were paying - the turkey was in chunky slices (rather than the thin slices you can get in other pubs) and there was a very generous portion of vegetables and roast potatoes. I had cranberry sauce with my lunch and I felt as though I was having Christmas dinner - it was so good. The waitress was very attentive but not intrusive. We had a lovely lunch and the bill was very reasonable considering the quality of the food and the establishment. We had a nice chat with the landlord and he told us that he does a lot of French cuisine on his weekday menu. We're looking forward to coming back to try out other dishes!

Another delicious meal, with excellent personal service, and a splendid local beer. We have eaten here regularly every month for two for two or three years now, and highly recommend it: one of the best places to eat in the Cambridge area. We simply fail to recognise some of the more negative reports below.

Having been billed successfully in the Good Pub Guide, I was disappointed with the Carpenter's Arms. Yes, it had the best loos to be found for miles around, but the food scored no more than a 2.5 to 3 out of 5. The chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce sounded great - especially the triple cooked chips. In reality, whilst the food was cooked to order (a plus point - it arrived piping hot) and the chicken was very moist, the sauce was thick and unappetising, simply poured on top of the chicken skin (which was thus soggy and inedible) and tasted slightly rancid. I suspect the chef had put white wine in the sauce: normally nice, this wine tasted as if it might have been opened a few days and was vinegary - thus the unpleasant taste. The fresh green beans had been over-cooked such that rather than a vibrant green colour one expects, especially at this time of the year, the beans were the same colour as if they had been frozen; and the triple cooked chips were greasy, not crisp, lacking seasoning - and tasted as if the oil they had been cooked in was due for a change. My guest had the pork - this was in a Marsala sauce with onions on top. The vegetables were carrots and asparagus and new potatoes. The asparagus had suffered the same treatment as my green beans: over-cooked and looking as if they had been frozen. The carrots were fine, an enormous supply of new potatoes which were also fine but were almost too large to be new, and then the main item, itself, the pork, which was nice but a bit tough apparently. The deserts were better. Lovely lemon posset and Catalan creme brullée thus allowing me to rate the food 3 stars and not 2. Service was friendly but I thought overall it was poor value: each of the mains was £16 + and they were over-priced in my judgement. It is a nice old pub with atmosphere. Perhaps we were unlucky. The place was, however, almost deserted.

Fresh tasty good quality food and wine. I took my mother for lunch and we were treated exceptionally well. Highly recommend - and I don't give reviews lightly.

Rick and Heather run a lovely pub, the food was superb and the level of hospitality truly exceptional. I can recommend the real ale brewed on site too it was very very nice. A thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing evening. Look forward to having a Sunday Lunch there in the near future.

Came across this cosy pub on route to a weekend away. A traditional pub with a lovely roaring fire and billiards table which was in use, a good touch. The owner was very friendly and welcoming. The ham and mustard baguettes were top notch.

Having tried many restaurants and hotels in the area over the years I wanted something a little more informal for a 21 person celebratory dinner. The Carpenter's Arms provided just the venue we wanted with excellent food and good beer. The owners were extremely helpful with the planning of the menu and on the evening. Overall it was a memorable evening enjoyed by the entire group and we would seriously consider returning in future. Given the quality of the food and the helpfulness of the staff the cost of the evening represented good value for money.

Having read great reviews we booked in for Sunday lunch as the midpoint of a 6 mile walk. A somewhat frosty reception although a nice bar area. We had to ask where the restaurant was and waited an age for menus. Radiator was on full blast on a sunny day so the room was very warm. we asked if the door next to us and the patio area could be opened nothing happened. Bread arrived with the starters. The onion soup was insipid although the other starters weren't bad. The Sunday roasts arrived with vegetables on the plate unfortunately covered in a very salty gravy . The broccoli was overcooked, limp and khaki . The mustard and butter were in sachets. On a hot day the pleasant bottle of Muscadet wasn't in a wine cooler.The sea trout was covered in a thick pesto with little flavour and a lot of pinenuts . Our farewell included the comment " you didn't eat all your vegetables". As a generalisation Sunday lunches can often be a poor reflection of a restaurant but we would still be reluctant to try the Carpenters Arms again..

Rick, the Landlord of the Carpenters Arms in Great Wilbraham is not only a wonderful host at the pub, but he leads a double life. He is also a demon drummer!We had a fantastic night on Sunday at the jamming session with Rick on his drums and a few other musicians who turned up for the evening. They had never played together before, but they were brilliant.Not only were we given a free night’s entertainment, Heather, the landlady treated us all to a chilli con carne to die for.We’ve been eating at the Carpenter’s Arms for a year now and have always been delighted with the food, but we’re looking forward to the next music night, which will hopefully be very soon. Don’t miss it!

We are visiting the area from Somerset with two relations who live in Cambridge. The Carpenters came highly recommended and it exceeded our expectations. The food was superb and cooked to perfection by Heather, and Rick attended to all our needs. Yes, it was quiet last night but that meant we enjoyed the attention. The interior is delightful. Oh and by the way they also have 2015 National Loo off the Year Award. We will definitely be visiting again next time we are in Cambridge. PS I forgot to mention the beer, brewed on site and also excellent.

We were having our kitchen replaced so just wanted somewhere to have a resonable hot meal. What we found is a really lovely hidden gem of a restaurant with a very pleasant ambience. The restaurant part of the pub has been built onto the back in the last 5 years or so and is tastefully decorated and feels good as soon as you walk in. The restaurant is run but a friendly husband and wife team who used to run a restaurant in France - this shows in the quality and style of the food. The menus are written on a blackboard with chalk because the chef changes the food regularly to reflect the best local produce that is available at the time. We enjoyed every dish that we ordered and will certainly revisit this restaurant when friends visit. The Gents were clean and new and reflected the attention to detail of this great restaurant/pub. It's well worth a visit in our view.

Having read a complimentary article in a Cambridge Mag which gave The Carpenters an extremely high reccomendation we decided to visit for an evening meal. The food was good but the whole place lacked any kind of atmosphere and we did not find it welcoming in any way. Saturday evening and just three tables comprising 8 people in total. May be we are spoilt as we are surrounded by excellent Pubs/Eating Houses and on this occasion we were really disappointed and will not be returning.

This is one of the best restaurants we've eaten at in Cambridge! The flavors were fantastic, the attention to detail was exquisite and with its own micro brewery what's not to love. Excellent food, great service, perfect evening.

We have just visited this pub today, my daughter booked it for a Mother's Day lunch, I cannot recommend it highly enough. One of the best pub lunches I have ever had. Roast beef was cooked to perfection, vegetables were plentiful, Yorkshire pudding amazing and all served beautifully. The staff were friendly, efficient and very welcoming and the whole experience was very enjoyable. I will definitely be recommending this pub.

Having heard so much about this place my daughter booked a table last Saturday. She and her partner decided to arrive in the morning before the booking and park in the vast, empty car park with the intention of taking a walk prior to meeting up with myself and family.No sooner than they had parked when they were confronted by an aggressively rude lady clad in her pyjamas. She challenged their parking there and informed them the pub was not open. They explained the situation but were really upset by her manner and cancelled the booking.I never even got anywhere near the place after receiving a phone call relating events. Attitude problem clearly evident. If she is so bad tempered in the morning perhaps the lady (owner/land lady) needs to visit a doctor for anger management issues......alternatively she could always go back to bed...she was suitably attired and the neighbours would no doubt be curtain twitching when her state of undress was clocked. They were doing no harm and explained the situation. Will not be going near the place .....not even for an early morning pyjama party.

What a great pub and restaurant! Delightful interior and we received a very warm welcome. Food was an extremely high quality and, having been before with friends, wanted to treat my wife and it was perfect. Highly recommend!

Visited the pub to celebrate 2 birthdays. There were 6 of us. My friend phoned in advance to tell them of her food allergys so they created a whole menu just for her :-)Food was very tasty and the staff were friendly and efficient. They even put a candle in the deserts of the birthday people and we sang happy birthday :-)

Wow what a find ...!Lovely wood burning fire , comfy sofa and friendly landlord .We had a delicious homemade sausage roll.The loo's are amazing and have won awards ...!! Although we didn't have a meal the menu looked very appetising and if the lovely smells coming from the kitchen were anything to go by we missed out .

If you're looking for great food and wonderful beer, look no further. The Carpenters Arms is the perfect english country pub, with the added benefit of its own micro brewery. This has to be a must visit pub, if you love good beer, great food and a really friendly Landlord. Four of us went there today and thoroughly enjoyed it. Give it a try, I'm sure you'll be just happy as we were.

Our first visit was today, en route to Stansted, after reading a positive review in the good beer guide 2015. We booked a nice near the stove, in the bar. Both beers, brewed on site, was top quality and well kept. Three of us ordered the Roast Beef- this was the single best sunday roast i have ever had in apub or restaurant for that matter. The beef was cooked perfectly, sliced thin and just pink inside. The roast potatoes were spot on- looked like they were parboiled before roasting to get that ideal "Fluffy crunch" effect. Yorkshire puddings were obviously made from scratch, a world away from the frozen "aunt bessie" sort usually served up. The veg was also cooked well and just the right amount. i can't praise the meal we had highly enough- the cook put a lot of effort into this meal and at £13 it was worth every penny. The landlord confirmed everything was made on site from first principles and it showed.A gem of a pub that we will visit again- and with award winning loos to boot!

A group of us decided to celebrate New Year in the village. A table for 18 was booked at the Carpenters Arms, but due to illness, not unusual this time of year, only 15 were able to attend.Heather, Rick and Jack had prepared an excellent buffet for us, with a selection of fish, home made game pie, meats, salads and vegetables. This was followed with a choice of delicious desserts, and then a range of wonderful cheeses.The wine list was comprehensive and we enjoyed several bottles of good wine.It was a memorable evening with good company, fine food and wine, in very pleasant surroundings. Although we arrived at the restaurant at 20.00hrs, midnight came around very quickly. For me that is a good measure of how well the evening went.Thank you Heather, Rick and Jack for a great night.

what an amazing meal last night, top quality wonderful food prepared and presented by Heather. Made to feel very welcome and special by Rick, a precious gemstone that needs to be admired and tried x

We went to this restaurant to meet relatives recentlyWhat a hidden little gem, the food is very French, as advertised. The owners had lived in the southern part of France and run an award winning restaurant there.Having recently spent a week in Carcassonne where the cuisine was very similar, we were very impressed with the CarpentersIt is a quirky place with a very cosy restaurant. The menu consists of game as well as other dishes., with everything extremely well cooked and very nicely presented.We would definitely recommend and will certainly be back