Fuller Street, Essex in Braintree

The pub is lovely, ambience is nice. The starters were lovely, 2 of the mains were good, the 3rd was awful, it was bland and 90% of it left on the plate. I did express my dissatisfaction. The desert was ok for all 3 of us. We asked for coffee but coffee machine was turned off so no coffee! (At 10.10pm) On receipt of bill I questioned why they hadn’t taken the main off the waitress said she hadn’t taken it up with anybody! Won’t be going back !

The Square & Compasses is a truly lovely place - not in any way ruined by a modern makeover as so many pubs have been. It's atmospheric and homely with great food and old-fashioned good service. Most importantly, the floor is carpeted, which means that you can have a nice conversation without talking loudly. Other features also contribute to brilliant acoustics that so few places now have. There is no piercingly bright LED lighting that you can see in your peripheral vision. And no grey paint to be seen anywhere.

We have been to this pub for meals countless times and always had good food and service. Today, Sunday, was different. I must say we have never been on a Sunday lunchtime before and will not go again. It was extremely busy with the two waitresses doing a sterling job. It seemed that the kitchen could not keep up with the necessary meals. We waited at least half an hour for the starters to arrive. Then another half an hour for the main meals which, in my case, was very mediocre. I hardly ate any of it. The desserts were slightly better but I asked for a glass of desert wine to be told that they were out of it! This is a pub for goodness sake. We were very disappointed with our meal and will probably think twice before we go again. We were charged £72 for this third-rate meal for two.

This has to be the best pub food for miles around here. Cosy atmosphere , quiet to talk and great food and excellent service. We return again and again, so many good things to choose in the menu.

Visited today for lunch, we had booked a table and glad we had as the place was very busy. We got a warm welcome and fantastic service. The menu, especially the specials board, was varied and a great selection. So great to see a pub/restaurant serving local game. The food was delicious and all freshly produced. Great wine choice and cask ale went down well too. Will definitely be back. Well worth a visit, so glad we got the recommendation.

Friday 16th June I belong to a small dining club & 5 of us came along. We all had a lovely evening, the atmosphere in the 18th century pub was pleasant & the food was very tasty! Friendly service.

Fantastic place, Sue and Victor have been running this lovely gastro pub for some time. I run a local hotel, from time to time I take customers here for a thank you for their custom and to get away from it all. Sue, Victor and the staff always look after us, the food and atmosphere are great. Victor is knowledgable about his wine, and stocks some real delicious ones. Fantastic gastro pub which is reasonably priced, I will be back very soon. PS if the bubble and squeak risotto is on the menu order it.

After being away for a year and returning to have a Sunday roast here was truly outstanding I adore this place

Worst meal out we’ve had in a long time. Waited half an hour for our pre-booked 7.30 table. Shown to a cold and dingy table. Waited ages for our order to be taken. Both had chicken pie. Pie ok but new potatoes rock hard so struggled to cut them. Not buttered - tasteless and bland. Asked to see dessert menu but it never came so we paid the bill and left. Horrible evening. Waste of £70 and won’t be returning.

Visited mid April after an absence of a few months and I’m soo pleased to see that it’s as good as it’s ever been. Starter, Ale du jour. may have been Essex Gold, and it hit the spot. Main: we both had the Hake with a glass of their house wine, a white wine from Murcia, both delicious. The main came with a side of perfectly cooked season vegetables. Desert: Shared a Poached pear on a biscuit base, scrum-diddly-umptious. Service: great Atmosphere: friendly, welcoming with the reassuring soft background hum of people eating, drinking and enjoying themselves. The odd dog in the bar area is a reassuring sign that this is a welcoming place for all.

From the minute we walked through the door, albeit a little early, we were very warmly welcomed. The pub was warm and inviting, menu had a lot of wonderful homemade choices and the staff were attentive and amazing. The food was delicious, plates were piled high and there was no chance we would be leaving still hungry. I will be back and would highly recommend this gem of a place that is perfect in every sense.

Just enjoyed a lovely meal with 4 of us at the Square and Compass. We arrived a little early but no problem to the welcoming staff. The place itself is a picture of homeliness and the interior harks back to a time when country pubs really were different from each other. The majority of the menu begins with ‘homemade’ and our choices reflected same. Starters and mains were simply excellent; as good a Sunday lunch meal as we’ve had in a long time. In summary; excellent service delicious food in superb surroundings, fully recommended.

Exceptional country pub. Friendly staff, excellent beer - from the barrel. Good selection of both traditional and “fancy” food. Plus dog friendly. Can thoroughly recommend.

We have been going to this pub for some considerable years now, but this visit was very disappointing. The menu has changed from having delicious specials like calves liver, pork belly or skate to being a little banal, I see nothing special about sausage and mash. We ordered our drinks after a 15 minute wait, then after another 15 minutes our food which was homemade pie and a burger. We then waited half an hour for our food to arrive which was fair enough because it stated that it took that long for the pie to cook. We saw the waitress emerge from the kitchen with our food but she walked straight past our table and mistakenly gave it to another customer who proceeded to start to eat it only to discover it was wrong. That was the last straw, we couldn’t wait another half an hour and decided to leave. One more criticism is that £33.50 for a bottle of Prosecco in a pub is expensive to say the least. We felt very let down and sadly will not be returning.

Come here regularly and cannot rate the Square and Compasses highly enough. Food is excellent and locally sourced. Passionate owners and friendly staff. What more can you ask for!?

I have tried several times to enjoy dining out at this pub/restaurant but sadly no more. The food is outstanding, with mouthwatering specials, local produce and hearty portions. Some of the specials have inspired me to give them a go at home.However, and it is a big however, the attitude of the staff (certainly of the older generation there) is disgraceful. Heaven help you if you ask for something to eat at 1:45pm when the kitchen is due to close at 2pm. You might as well have implied that you’d just killed the family pet! And please, please never ever go there and expect a warm welcome if you haven’t booked. You get a warmer response at the North Pole just wearing a pair of Speedos.The manager/owner is so up his own rear end that it actually becomes hilarious. Not content with plastering the pub with rules that you have to obey while you’re in ‘their living room’, it’s almost as if you have to thank him for just looking at you, let alone serving you with anything but contempt. Sighing, raising eyebrows, tutting and ignoring clients appears to be the rule for all ‘mature’ staff on shift.So please go there for the food, make sure you book, not near end of serving time, pray you get a younger member of staff whose soul hasn’t been ripped out of them to serve you, never offer an opinion, obey the rules and you will have a stunning meal in a truly beautiful setting. Maybe it’s best to find out when the management go on holiday and plan accordingly.

This pub ticks every box for us, you go in find your table order your food from the board written on the wall, get a nice glass of wine and enjoy it, no waiters keep coming over asking you if your ready or bugging you to hurry up and leave it’s just a great pub, lovely atmosphere the food is incredible (esp the curry) and it’s so reasonably priced! We travel 30 mins to this pub because it’s much better than any on the door step.

Visited with husband and friends on Sunday, 3 of us chose roast beef Sunday lunch and 1 had steak pie. None of us could fault the meals.The puddings were equally good, the custard was made with vanilla pods, not out of a carton here lol.To sum it up, great food, service just right and the price good value for quality food.Would certainly return if in area again.

The location was relatively easy to find and parking was ample when we arrived. The way in was clearly sign posted and welcoming (i enjoyed seeing all the awards the establishment has achieved on the outside of the entrance). The first area is the pub. It was warm, cosy and everything you’d expect a pub to be! We were promptly greeted ( we happened to be early for our reservations) and shown to the seating area (through the sliding oak door). The seating was comfortable and clean with plenty of pillows for back support. The decor and surrounding were perfect for the pub itself and made you feel almost at home. Relaxed and comfortable. There was a sign boasting the "best port you’ll ever taste" in the pub and i have to say ... it was the best red port i have ever had the pleasure of trying and congratulate them on this. It was hearty and warming with a spicy aftertaste. I would recommend you come to this pub for the port but stay for the atmosphere and food. The food was second to none. Quick to be served, all fresh and expertly cooked to perfection. The presentation and items used in the menu were akin to fine dining. I don’t have a single negative note in regards to our visit to this quaint and well worth the price pub. Many thanks!!

First visit to this lovely pub for dinner with my two adult children on a sunny Thursday evening. Located in a beautiful out of the way spot, with ample parking, the Square & Compasses is delightful to look at inside and out, with much memorabilia on display. The menu is extensive and we each chose something different - none of the dishes disappointed. All were beautifully presented and prepared - really couldn't fault anything. The staff were attentive and the atmosphere just as you would hope from a country pub. We will be returning very soon and will have no hesitation in recommending to others.

Going to a pub for Sunday lunch is something we all like to do but most of the time I always leave disappointed. The Square and Compasses however are in a league of their own in the 'Sunday Roast' category. Set in idylic rural countryside with a cosy village pub ambience, it offers something a little bit different. Portion control was perfect with the ratio of meat to yorkshire to potatoes and vegetables were spot on. Oh and the desserts: A M A Z I N G! The atmosphere is very relaxed and their was no pressure from staff to leave. My friend and I stayed for 4 hours and was the perfect leisurely lunch. Have recommended to a number of friends. Highly recommend this perfect little place.

very nice place to meet and eat. made to feel welcome, food and drinks of high quality and price reasonable

Lovely pub and friendly stafg. Very nice ales. We had a three course meal and the food is superb. In particular the roast dinner, we had both the vegetarian and beef option. It was delicious. Easily the best roast I've eaten in years. Will definitely be back. Highly recommended.

Firstly let me say I have eaten at this pub/restaurant several times and never had a bad meal. Therefore it was an easy decision when thinking about where to go to celebrate Mothers Day. We could only get a table at 12 midday so were almost first customers to arrive. We had a disappointing welcome and basically stood at the bar being ignored by our female host for two or three minutes. When she did speak to us there was no hello, or welcome, but a curt ‘what name is the booking in’. Pity about this but it didn’t affect our enjoyment of the nicely cooked food. The pigeon breast starter with black pudding was delicious. My son had roast turkey, I had roast beef and my husband had the homemade pie. Each dish was very good, plenty of meat and the vegetables cooked perfectly. Only one of us had room for pudding and the cheesecake was fabulous. All in all a lovely mother’s Day lunch. The landlord is lovely - very friendly and we will definitely be back.

Lovely pub for eating and for good beer. Pub menu was good. This is an old building with different levels and areas with lots of tables and chairs. If I was in a wheelchair I might find it difficult. Also doors might be tricky too manoeuvre in and out.

This is a nice place the vibe is inviting, and the food whilst very nice we found overly intensive flavours, never thought in a million years I would use that term! My husband had the beef pie and though nice, the richness he found difficult as did our friend who had the same dish. I had the Chicken in Prosciutto It came in a creamed leek sauce with a potato croquette. The sauce was so rich it made me feel a little sickly. Felt like a cup full of butter and cream.The only thing it's made me do is think twice about going back to soon. This is a lovely place and it surprises me to say I'll hang back for a while. Taste is a personal thing so don't be put off, just see how you feel.

Charming little pub with great food and friendly staff. It's very popular so I would recommend booking. We will definately be going back. Highly recommended for a great night out.

Really enjoyed our first visit to Square and Compasses - very busy with only a couple of tables available as had not booked - basic main menu but excelent choice of specials - pigeon breast and black pudding starter, followed by skate wing/veal burger - all washed down with a pint of local bitter and a coke - staff friendly and helpful - good value at £52.00 for two courses. Well worth a visit and recommend booking.

A little gem hidden away in Great Leighs but known to locals. Staff very helpful and quick to serve ,very professional and knew their menus, excellent food choices and good quality also. Beer was good and the soup was tasty, steaks were really good and the steak and ale pie was to die for.Great place for families and friends to eat , buzzing atmosphere too.

Good quality food in pleasant surroundings. A tasty spicy soup, croutons plus plenty of bread followed by steak and ale pie full of lean meat and plenty of gravy. This was my third visit, two very good, this one excellent

This is a great restaurant with varied selection of excellent food good wine and gravity fed beer from behind the counter

This really is a hidden treasure off the beaten track and well worth seeking out. The ambience is great, the service superb and the food really special. I had the local pigeons breasts as a starter - gorgeous. The mains are great too.

Have eaten here a couple of times both just hubby and myself and with friends, food always good and the atmosphere and staff are really friendly and helpful. Would highly recommend.

We wanted a home cooked Sunday lunch and wasn’t disappointed the beef was melt in the mouth. Great quality starters. Good selection of wines. Lovely country pub. My only critic would be l don’t like red wine gravy it made the meal too sweet. But overall a great experience

This pub never disappoints! The food is second to none - delicious and generous portions. The staff are attentive and cheerful and service is brilliant.

The building is 17th-century, beamed inn with antiques and a great smelling wood fire. They have real ales straight out of the cask which are excellent. The staff are friendly and efficient. We visited on Jan 26th for lunch We had Fish & Chips & Local Home-Cooked Hand Carved Ham, all locally sourced. Loved the sign "We do not have WiFi. Please talk to each other. Pretend it is 1995!"...

After being recommended by a friend, my husband & I popped in for lunch. The partridge was stunning, burger tasty & obviously homemade and desserts to die for!!!! The ambience & staff were welcoming with the fire being lit and lovely surroundings. Good selection of wines, ales & ports. Will definitely be returning, highly recommend dining here.

We visited for the first time for lunch. It’s a very cosy pub with traditional pub food. Our meal was excellent, especially the beef and ale pie, which was one of the nicest I’ve had. The staff were friendly and efficient. It’s a bit off the beaten track but it has a good sized car park and is well worth the journey. The pub was very busy and had a nice atmosphere. We’ll definitely go there again and hope to combine it with a local walk next time.

We visited on a sunday at 4pm, two of us. We pre-booked and it was quite busy so probably best to. Lovely old fashioned pub with a nice welcome from what I assume was the manager. No airs and graces but that is fine for us, our table was pointed out to us and we walked to it after we ordered a drink from the bar. There is a menu given with things like pie, gammon, burger but then a board is provided with starters and mains. My husband has the tomato soup and I had the tempura and it was delicious and big portions. For main I had the game stew and husband had the roast beef, which is served pink. My champ was lovely and so were the dumplings and the meat was plentiful - I couldnt even finish it. Unusual for my husband he even left something on his plate. We were SO full but managed to share a pudding of raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake which was very light and almost mousse like. It was nice to have cotton serviettes (im getting old!). Only downsides were car park is small so we parked on the road and my husband's full fat coke was poured from a large bottle (my diet coke was a small glass individual bottle). There is no wifi and no service is that bothers you. We will be back as was a great find.

Good wholesome tasty Food, The staff are amazing really look after you ,, Have been before will come back

Six of us descended on this lovely country pub on the Sunday before Christmas. A really warm welcome and a fine selection of real ales. The ambience is excellent and the decor really quirky. We had olives on the table and four of us had the roasts. The beef was scrumptious and the horseradish to die for. The turkey was succulent and the Yorkshire puds divine. Good wine list too.

My partner and I have visited this pub several times. It is slightly off the beaten track but definitely worth it. The building is old and has cosy low ceilings. They have real ales straight out of the cask which are excellent. The staff are friendly and efficient. We visited on 15th December for Sunday lunch. The roast rib of beef was sublime and the portions were extremely generous. The best roast I have had in many years. The selection of wines and cheeses was also very impressive. All in all, I just cannot fault this place and they fully deserve continuing success.

This is a lovely old building with fireplaces and low ceilings, a very cosy atmosphere and yet covering a pretty large area, with a substantial car park.

The food is fresh the service is friendly the atmosphere was great. What a lovely village pub/restaurant. A little bit expensive but when the food is that good it actually becomes quite cheap to dine here. Have been a couple of times and can really recommend this place.

Visited at the weekend for lunch with a friend. It was not overly busy but there was a steady flow of customers. The pub is in a very nice location and it very old with wood beams etc. Menu choice is everyday pub food but they do have daily specials. Service was good. They need an area where you can just relax and have a drink at the end of the meal especially if you are asked to vacate the table as we were.

I have been going to this pub 3/4 times per year for the last 4 years and it never disappoints us. Great Food ,FrendlyStaff,Good Value, And a Great atmosphere .

This is an authentic pub in the middle of beautiful countryside near Great Leighs. The menu is extensive. We ate on a Sunday and the roast was one of the best. The welcome was warm and the staff were friendly and efficient. The inside of this pub is just how you would want it to be. There’s parking too. I would definitely recommend to friends.

Amazing food, amazing staff and great welcome when we arrived. Game terrine to start was beautiful as was the duck breast for my main. My fiancé had prawn cocktail to start and game stew (venison and pheasant) for main. We couldn’t fault the food or the service and have booked this for my mother in laws 80th birthday

It’s not often that after less than 10 minutes we feel disenfranchised.

Very disappointed on our visit after reading the good reviews. Maybe we went on a bad night. There were 8 of us and a few of us said nothing really grabbed them from the basic pub food menu or the specials. I opted for scampi and chips. Well the scampi was obviously from a packet and I would guess a cheap supplier. Some of the breadcrumbs has no scampi in! And they were hard and deep fried. The chips looked and tasted like they were from a packet but advertised as proper chips. I had the scrappings from the bottom of the fryer and could only eat half of them. It was like a meal from a cheap seafront cafe. My husband had the fish and chips. The batter was burnt and when we got home he said it had made him feel sick. He has never said this after a meal. One of our group had a steak at £23.95 without a side dish. She couldn’t get her knife through it and it was sent back. Hopping the desserts would be better we had apple and seasonal fruit crumble. I had 2 mashed raspberries in mine. It was mushy and the worst tasteless crumble we have ever eaten. The staff were very attentive in keep asking if we wanted drinks from the bar and at one point I said we would rather some food. We had a jug of water but it was never refilled. We had to ask twice. Sadly I cannot find anything good to say.

Today we were upstairs in private room as we had a family birthday gathering.

With a group of friends we went to The Square & Compasses and all had a good meal although the servings were rather large. The wine was excellent. It is so popular that it is necessary to make a booking for dinner to be sure of a seat. We noticed one rather negative aspect that has been a problem for some time, the car park at the rear of the pub smells dreadfully of a malfunctioning septic tank which is noticeable upon arrival and departure. Such a shame for such a good dining location!

All courses were good without being outstanding, reasonable value for money, service a bit slow, no complaint about quantity, best point was the small pub rural atmosphere, overall, a very pleasant evening

Four of us went here on the recommendation of friends who eat there regularly. It was a Friday lunchtime with a few people eating. We all had a great meal, I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken ceasar salad and our friend had the skate wing which he said was wonderful. My husband had the fish and chips and said they were really nice.

A friend had booked a table for four of us for lunch. The first sight of barrels at the bar was encouraging and the beer that flowed was perfectly kept and full of flavour. The pub has a lovely atmosphere, so often missing in country pubs today- it’s not a “Gastro Pub” it is not trying to be anything other than a well kept pub serving good quality, well cooked food. It succeeds perfectly. Service was good, attentive and well paced. The two Skate that we had were pronounced very good as was the sausage and mash that Mrs Felltiger had. My Steak Pie was delicious- mashed potatoes and Savoy cabbage perfect. My only niggle with my dish was “carrot envy” seeing them served with the skate- a few with the pie would have made the dish 100% perfect. When the bill was presented it seemed rather pricy, close examination showed four desserts that we had neither ordered or been served. It was quickly resolved, but if it had been for only a couple of deserts, I probably wouldn’t have spotted it.......... We will return to explore the menu (and the local walking routes) further.

14 of us, in a private party, chose to eat dinner at the Square and Compasses. They put us in a separate room upstairs, all at one large table, and we had an excellent time. Good food, wine and excellent service. As a country pub they definitely win my vote as the best in our immediate vicinity and we will undoubtedly be back. Please note, as they are very popular it is always advisable to make a phone booking.

As usual we had a superb meal, service was good and the price was reasonable, as ex restauranters we are quite critical of eating places and this place has never let us down.

Heard good things about the Square and Compasses and embarked on a journey of visiting the top 20 pub/restaurants in Essex to discover if anyone does a great Sunday roast. Certainly the best so far. Setting and staff are very good. Good portions of food well cooked and presented. Desserts were very good but the highlight was the variety of cheeses which were very good indeed. Well worth a visit.

Went there today for lunch, good food and choices and very good service. Not the cheapest but good quality ingredients.

We have visited the Square and Compasses on many occasions over many years and always enjoyed it until now. On our most recent visit the food was terrible and the service even worse. The bread and butter pudding was the worst dessert I have ever seen or tasted. It was absolutely inedible. The waiter spilled red wine all over the table. We were promised that the manager would come to speak to us. She did not but instead hid in the kitchen. When we asked to speak to her she eventually appeared. We discovered she was the waitress who had been serving us. After listening to our list of complaints she uttered two words "I apologise". We filled in the customer feedback form (running out of space) which arrived with the bill, including our contact details. Since then, not a word. What a disgrace.

This is one of my very favourite pubs that do great food. It’s a really nice place where you can feel very comfortable. Went for Sunday roast and wasn’t disappointed. There’s a good menu with a ‘specials’ board which included roast beef and pork. I opted for the roast pork which was excellent. My husband went for a seafood stir fry and he said it was also excellent. It certainly looked good!! The puddings are also good and we both had spiced sticky toffee pudding, my husband had ice cream but I had the lovely custard. It was delicious. The bill for two courses plus two soft drinks was £45 which I think is reasonable. Definitely recommend.

We went for lunch on a Friday and although busy we were able to eat in the bar. Always a lovely friendly atmosphere and nothing was too much trouble. The food was excellent and the anchovies for a sharing starter succulent. We had a steak and crab cakes which were full of interesting flavours. Wines are not cheap but are reliably very good and by the glass was reasonable. When we were there we were lucky enough to see a couple of early 20th century cars parked outside while the drivers had lunch. A fascinating diversion. For us a very successful lunch but we knew it would be!

Was my 2nd visit - last one was on a game night some years ago. Food good, service good and lovely atmosphere. Would recommend to friends.

Third time at this pub/restaurant.

Have visited before for a small meal and really enjoyed it. However, after recommending to family and visiting for a family meal, I was thoroughly disappointed. The meal was filled with an array of errors: nibbles brought out with the starters (why would I want olives with my starter?), followed by the wrong starters being brought out, plates not being cleared, not being asked if we wanted more drinks, and the wrong dessert being brought out - twice. After waiting 20 minutes and having the wrong dessert brought out twice, we had decided to give up and ask for the bill, which again we had to wait a rather long time for. Having worked in pubs and restaurants before, these are fairly simple tasks to complete.

Just had a very disappointing experience at this pub/restaurant.

Had a great lunch as usual in this lovely pub with efficient friendly staff. Great selection of food

Cracking Sunday lunch. Tastiest roast out. Roast rib of beef and pork both brilliant with great gravy and yorky.

Overall a really nice experience, lovely country pub.

ate here recently, as always all good , took friends who hadn't visited before. They were impressed. Nothing fancy, but enough choices and very well cooked; for us I would say portions were a little bit on the large side, not a problem at all. Staff as ever friendly and efficient. Yes we will eat here again

If you return to a restaurant and are once again pleased then you know it must be a good place. The Square and Compasses is in a peaceful countryside location and provides excellent food and drink. What more could you ask for.

Had dinner here and let's be clear - this is not "pub grub"...! The food (chosen both from the menu and the specials board) was top quality (over quantity - for example with the pigeon breast - one breast sliced into two is not substantial - but was an appetiser - very tasty and beautifully presented) - perfectly seasoned.

Recommended to us and didnt disappoint.friendly service good menu well priced.quality food well presented.could only manage a main course as servings fairly large.he beef and ale pie,she seafood pie.both very good.

Visited the Square and Compasses for the first time with my wife last week while visiting family in Essex. Great food and excellent service. Lovely restaurant overall and really looking forward to returning next time we are back. Well done Stephanie and team, thoroughly enjoyed visit!

Fish and chips was great quality and plenty of it as usual, everyone enjoyed their food, nice service and good evening out. Would recommend to anyone and most food is locally sourced which is also great.

With friends for Sunday lunch. Poor vegetarian selection (ie none on main menu) and when I asked the waitress what the vegetarian special was, was told to "go inside and look on the blackboard" (!) Food was good in general but at slightly overpriced and beer extortionate at nearly £5 a pint. Don't really understand the love for this pub - the slightly arrogant service feels that you are doing them a favour by dining there. The pub may have loyal clientele but IMO it has competition from at least two better local pubs - The Castle and The White Hart.

Came for dinner with my friends this week.

We re visited the Square and Compass 12/6/18 for the above dinner, we wish we had not, all our previous visits have been good, this night the organisation fell below what we expected, it took a long while to serve the food and even longer to clear the tables, when we asked if our table could be cleared we were told "not yet, they all have to be cleared together" my wife commented whatever the system was it was clearly not working. The food was in our opinion average and the service less than average.

Just had a superb evening with great food. The service was the best with friendly happy staff. Asked for wine recommendation and ended up with the best rioja I have ever tasted at the perfect temperature. The atmosphere was great for us on our date night (which we haven't done for ages) but also lots of larger parties there too. Thoroughly recommended.

This pub ticks all the right boxes. Lovely location, well maintained inside and outside, very friendly staff, good quality fresh ingredients in the food served, retains its feel of an old village country pub with not only diners but people propping up the bar just having a drink. Its in the Good Pub Guide and the Michelin Good Pub Guide and deserves to be there.

A perfect day at a wonderful Essex Pub. The meal was First Class (Specials Menu), service excellent, venue lovely (quiet, interesting, pleasant views), real ales real and we were lucky enough to be able to sit outside in glorious sunshine. Perfect.

Great food, ambience and lovely location. Great choice on menu, all homemade. Perfec5 little traditional pub

We have eaten in this pub regularly over the last couple of years and mostly have enjoyed our food. Today however, things were different! We ordered and were served our starters and things were going well, then we waited for our main courses to be served and we waited and we waited..... After being prompted, the waitress disappeared into the kitchen and came back at once with our four main courses. Our friend immediately said to the waitress, these are all burnt, but the plates were placed in front of us and she left us to get on with it, these four dishes should not have been served, they had obviously been waiting on the 'pass', a hot plate or in the oven far too long. I had a fish pie which had a burnt layer of fish and sauce on the bottom of the dish and my husbands venison pie was seriously over cooked. One of our friends had burnt lasagna and the other, dried up burnt skate. I complained again about my dish and the manager didn't charge us for that and gave us free coffee, however I again make the point that these dishes should never have left the kitchen. We will not be back.

heard good things about this pub from friends so gave it a whirl. was not disappointed. place was packed so glad we made a reservation. very friendly owner/manager and lovely wait staff. probably the best roast beef I have had in a pub restaurant and wife enjoyed the sea bass.good choice of wines by the glass and traditional beers.a small observation was a bit of a wait between courses, but well worth waiting for. will definitely return.

Visited on a Friday evening and so the place was fairly lively. The food was way beyond expectations, I throughly enjoyed my Lamb suet pie. The veg it came with was beautifully cooked and the gravy was super rich and deep with flavour. The rest of the tables food was just as good. Servers were very attentive and friendly.

We joined friends for lunch and were not disappointed.

This pub was a great find. It’s listed in the Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide and The Good Pub Guide etc.

We've never had a bad meal here, the food is always beautifully cooked and delicious. However this makes the Square and Compasses very popular so my advice is to book first.

What a lovely pub. Good beer, nice to have a brown ale, not just a golden beer. Hadn’t booked but a table was found. Lovely fire. Main menu with specials. I had the steak and ale pie. It was gorgeous. Friend had the ham egg and chips with chunky bread and butter! Great. Steamed pudding was very good, orange cheesecake was excellent. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Delightful country pub which had been recommended to us. Booking essential.

We always keep this restaurant for special occasions and always find it to be special

We stopped here on a circular walk from Terling with our 2 dogs. Lovely pub and although we only had a couple of sandwiches and chips it was all very nice. Dogs were welcome in the pub area.

Worth a 40 minute drive. Excellent food, we shared a game stew with dumplings (it was meant for 2!) served in casserole with a lid so it kept lovely and warm. Superb homemade cheesescake with Grand Marnier and coulis. Very reasonable indeed £45 for 2 including coffee and soft drinks. Second visit, look forward to returning.

We made a last minute decision to eat here on a snowy Sunday afternoon and we're so glad we did! This is a lovely, traditional country village pub with a roaring log fire which was exactly what we were looking for. All 3 of us struggled to decide on a starter as the specials all sounded so good. We plumped for pigeon breast with black pudding croquette (perfectly pink meat and tasty, crunchy croquette) and a leek and potato pithivier (golden, warming and delicious). We then ordered 3 portions of the game stew. It was packed full of venison and partridge bound in a sweet, rich gravy served with smooth mash and the best herby dumplings I have ever had (soft and light but lovely and crunchy on top). No room for pudding but the coffees were good.

We met friends at this pub for the first time based on their recommendation for its proximity to Stanstead (30 minutes away) and its dog friendly atmosphere. It is fairly out of the way off the highway, but worth the drive for its country pub fare. I ordered the fisherman’s pie, while my husband enjoyed a venison stew. I found there was too much mash and not enough fish in my pie, but my husband loved the heartiness of his stew. A nice traditional country pub, full stop.

We visited this lovely cosy pub today for the first time on our way back from Colchester art gallery. The landlord and staff were all friendly and made us feel very welcome. My husband and I both had starters from the great selection on the specials board and then shared the perfect winter main of a game casserole with dumplings and mash. Everything was great and it feels like a well loved and cared for pub. Lovely to find a pub with individuality and its own style. We will return to sample more excellent food.

A group of 8 of us had lunch. Our original booking was for 12 so we had the private dining area which is fantastic (but up a narrow staircase) it wasn't a problem for us but we were not told when booked. The room was lovely and comfortable, the food was fantastic, all fresh,y made, great portion sizes. The staff were all lovely and couldn't do enough for us even though we arrived late. All was really reasonably priced. Would definitely recommend & we'll be going back.

We recently visited the Square & Compasses with friends for lunch, various different starters and mains were ordered all of which were served freshly prepared and were excellent, along with linen napkins and first class service by Judy this lunch could not have been better.

First visit to The Square and Compasses. The game stew with partridge, venison and pheasant in a rich sauce with root vegetables, served with champ mash was absolutely delicious. It is for 2 to share and comes to the table in its own casserole. The portions are generous so there was plenty for us both. The third person in our party had the cod loin with bean cassoulet which got high praise also. The chef is to be congratulated for a great seasonal menu as well as using locally sourced ingredients. The staff were friendly and we had a great bottle of Viognier too. We will definitely be going back and will spread the word for others to experience it for themselves. No wonder it has received the awards it has.

We booked a Christmas meal on Friday 1st December for 8 people - We gave our deposit in way in advance and were told that we didn't have to pre-order.