Pig and Whistle in Chelmsford

Once again at the P&W for another of their great events this time Taste of Essex. Seven Beautiful dishes cooked to perfection (particularly the meat cookery which was sublime!). A blooming good Rum Baba for desert as well! The evening was paired with exceptional wine served by the enthusiastic Lucy and Ollie from the New Hall Vineyard who quite rightly so are very proud of their excellent produce. (If you have never tried New Hall you really should. We always have a bottle when visiting the P&W). The restaurant was beautifully decorated for Christmas and a lovely cosy place to be on a winter's night. Remains a solid favourite of ours.

Had a fabulous time at the 7 course Taste of Essex event. Superb selection of oysters, salmon, pork, beef, venison, rum baba, and cheese with chutney. Small plate of each to give the quintessential taste without being too much. Each course paired with New Hall Vineyard wines. Had to double check the bill as all wines were included in the menu price. Small plates, perfectly formed, great value. Goes without saying that the welcome and ambience were top notch.

Visited last night for a 7 course tasting menu - the taste of Essex. I'd booked this event as an early Xmas present for my friend, and it did not disappoint, the setting is magical at the beat of times but decorated for Xmas with soft lighting was lovely. Seated swiftly and quickly offered drinks, this then followed by 7 courses of delicious food from suppliers across Essex, each paired with wine from a local winery, as it was poured fully explained as to the detail behind the bottle. Staff were attentive, but not intrusive. Whilst I could have eaten more of every course based on the taste alone! We left full and satisfied. Would certainly return for future events, for the price to 'taste' so much was perfect ! We both agreed the rib of beef was a highlight!

Had a lovely time at the taste of essex menu last night the 7 courses were excellent and the wine complemented the courses well The dessert was to die for. Staff were rushed off there feed they all did really great. Can not wait for next one.

My husband and two very close friends visited this restaurant last night for a ‘7 Course Food and Wine Tasting Experience’. Lovely cosy place with intimate dining areas and very tasteful Christmas decorations added to the ambience. We were really looking forward to this. We have all been to restaurants before for tasting menus. However this experience is one none of us would want to repeat. If this was their first outing at this type of dining then maybe they can be forgiven for the disjointed service and micro portions served. If not, they should be ashamed of charging so much for what amounted to 7 tablespoons of food in total. Nothing wrong with the food, but you really cannot ‘taste’ anything in a tablespoon of food. It consisted of 1 small oyster, a teaspoon of smoked salmon, an inch square sized cube of pork with a cube of Pom Anna potato and a basil leaf sized leaf of green of some sort, and a teaspoon of sauce, ( which was served on a stone cold plate so the food was cold. Hot food = hot plate? We did request that future hot courses be served on hot plates, which they did but made us feel uncomfortable by mentioning it every time they placed the next course in front of us within earshot of other diners), the same sized portion of rib of beef and 5 pea sized onions, followed by the tiniest slice of venison that would fit in the palm of a child’s hand, a small lump of rum baba and a teaspoon of cream and 2 ultra thin wedges of cheese, 3 celery sticks (for 4 people), a grape each, and 4 crackers for 4 of us plus 6 oat crackers for our friend who is gluten intolerant. She also was not catered for re a jus for some of the courses, although a gluten free brownie was provided instead of rum baba. Sounds a lot doesn’t it? You could have fitted it all on a tea plate with room to spare. We have never left a restaurant so hungry before. As for the English vineyard wine tasting, it would have been nice if the paired wines were served with the correct meals. It was chaotic. Every wine was served to us after we had eaten our spoon of food. We decided to order a bottle Malbec wine by this time. That in itself posed a problem for the young lady who served us who stated she always had trouble opening wine and struggled so much she had to go and get help. Felt sorry for her as clearly her training is lacking. Generally, though, the staff were very pleasant and did their best given the chaos. Our bill came to over £360. We feel ripped off for this amount of money for 7 spoons of food and still hungry. To cap it all, the evening ran well over time. It stated quite clearly that dining would start at 7.15pm and finish at 10.15pm, so if you were getting a taxi, arrange it for this time. We were glad we didn’t. It was almost 11.15 when we left having just downed our coffee swiftly as they were clearing other tables around us. This establishment is out in the country down a long lane. Had we been unable to secure a cab I don’t know what we would have done.

I absolutely adore this little gem of a place. Its beautiful decor with gorgeous lighting and candles gives a stunning ambience. The staff are so welcoming and friendly. Food is gorgeous and no ‘lean cuisine’ here. Great portion sizes. Looked after on every level. I couldn’t think of anywhere better to spend my birthday.. thank you Pig and Whistle.. 💖

Sunday lunch celebration after two of us having major surgery. The meal and service was very good, but expensive in comparison with better establishments. We felt rushed as soon as finishing our deserts, bill put on the table. Then another male appeared and rudely told us to leave as they needed the table. The attitude ruined all the good service the previous staff had given us. We could have been told to please vacate and maybe have coffee/drinks in the bar to free up the table!?? If that was the owner I've read about in previous reviews, you really need to brush up on your customer service skills otherwise you won't have a business for much longer!

A spacious car park. A warm and friendly welcome into homely dining areas filled with interesting items of decor. A lovely, circular table for four which I enjoy for its' sociability but is rare. Such friendly and efficient staff who know the dishes and wines well. A hugely varied, seasonal menu including a very reasonably priced set menu (Thursday evening) . Two of us had the 2 course set menu and two had 'a la carte' and all dishes arrived in a well paced manner and were hot and fresh, generous but not overwhelming, very attractive and superbly cooked. The recommended wine was so good that we had a second bottle. When booking we had been told that they had a second sitting so we wondered whether to linger over desserts but our waitress was happy that our table wouldn't be required so invited us to stay as long as we wished, which we did! Oh and my G&T was made precisely as I had requested! Perfect! We will be back, repeatedly! This should be No.1 around Chelmsford.

Honestly this restaurant blew my mind. How is this not a Michelin Star?! The food was divine, service was attentive, humorous and helpful. The waiter didn't hover but was always there when needed. Couldn't recommend enough and will definitely be back.

A fantastic dining experience, for both my Wife & I. Beautiful decor, and attentive service. Thank you

Not my first visit here and certainly won’t be my last . Everything about this place is first class . The service the ambiance and the food are all amazing. Got to be my favourite place for dinner

Friendly and welcoming, lovely ambience. Charming decor, and delicious, fresh, excellent quality food. Quiet enough atmosphere, so we were able to hear the conversation around the table. Left feeling warm, cared for and well fed.

We had the lemon done , stunning . Freshly cooked . Raspberry and chocolate tart as amazing All food prepared from scratch . Christmas ready ,. Lemon sole delicious. Coming back x

We arrived at the pig and whistle in pouring rain to find that there was nowhere to park ! We went into the restaurant and we’re shown to our table. Our booking was for 8:15 at 8:35 a waiter came to our table and said that we were the end of service and consequently some meals were in unavailable, no Beef Wellington, no pork chops and no Skate wing I chose chicken which was fine 5 people out of a table if 10 chose Monkfish with mussels and curried lentils . When the waitress came to clear the table she asked if all was well with the food and one of the party told her that the monkfish was overcooked bland and generally not good! She said that she would pass it on where upon we were visited by one of the owners who demanded to know how we would cook it !! Overall the food was overpriced £39 for beef wellington with NO vegetables all veg were extra at nearly £5 a portion And apparently no one who knew how to pour a Hendricks Gin and Tonic no ice no cucumber and no lime! We will not be returning!!!

Booked here for a family birthday lunch . Great atmosphere, lovely decor, intimate and cosy . Attention to detail . Warmly greeted and shown to a round table at the window with countryside views . Drinks to start and my Pornstar cocktail was one of the best I’ve had . Starter was Moules and main was Lemon sole meunière with chunky chips . Impeccable service from Brendan and the team . Nothing too much trouble . Not been here for a few years and still excellent. We all enjoyed our meal and the pork belly and steak both looked delicious. Highly recommend this fine dining restaurant.

This was my first visit to The Pig & Whistle & it was just amazing. I read about this place online & thought it was worth a visit. The decor & staff was great but the food was FANTASTIC. I am a vegetarian & eating...

A very pleasant evening spent in the beautiful 16th century little gem of s place. Food was superb so tasty & well presented . Great wine selection too. Service excellent. We felt very comfortable & was not rushed at all. Ambience was so lovely, such...

The pig & whistle is my favourite restaurant . Always first class food, friendly staff & atmosphere. I had the sweet chilli starter, pork apple pie & sticky toffee pudding. Delicious. The Owners should be Proud of themselves as this is my go to place...

Wonderful lunch. Our first time here. Decor, greeting, service and food all exceptional. Looking forward to returning The Owners clearly have an eye for detail and the service level is exceptional. A lot of Restaurants could learn a great deal by coming here! Also, loved...

We have been here before. Many years ago. I forgot just how nice this place was. From the staff to the atmosphere and of course the food. Had the crab starter which was very good and my wife had the black pudding scotch egg which...

Reputation richly deserved. Excellent staff welcoming, service throughout, food presentation and quality superb. Overall excellent dining experience. Will not hesitate to recommend.

Very attentive service for my mums birthday. The waitress was amazing and completely made the evening. Her and the kitchen staffs attention to food intolerance was superb too. The Irish (I think!) waiter was lovely too and it all made a fantastic evening for all...

I'm not going to knock this restaurant as they are trying to get it right. We found the set menu to small and the main menu just two exspenive for lunch. Our food was ok from the main menu but couldn't say it was brilliant...

Could not Park , Parked in lay by about 200 mtrs away dropped off others and walked back in Heavy Rain. Sat down and waited. Disappointed that the Menu was not as indicated on internet, but of course things change, The waitresses were excellent ....

Nobody likes to complain but looking forward to celebrating 2 family birthdays, we were a party of10 including 2 children with a 4pm booking . Table not ready but completely understand that. The problem started when we were ushered into a small place not big...

We both had a most wonderful three course Sunday lunch. Every course was perfection. We started with the tiger prawns and crab maison. Both dishes were light and refreshing, just what you need before a chicken roast and roast beef lunches. Both the chicken and...

As always, we had a fabulous lunch at the P&W. The food was superb and the atmosphere was just perfect for a celebratory get together with family. Thank you Brendan and your wonderful team.

Front of house staff amazing!! Very friendly and welcoming. Food was also amazing, would definitely recommend.

I’m telling all my friends not to come here otherwise I will never be able to get a table ever again!! Myself and my partner were delayed by the weather but that was the only downside to a fabulous Sunday lunch experience. The pigeon breast...

This was our first visit to the restaurant . The staff were friendly, service was great, food was fantastic & the restaurant is gorgeous. We’ll definitely be back.

Excellent food in an amazing ambience. Personal favourite was the butternut squash bhaji starter. Staff were very welcoming and the fixed menu is good value. Will definitely be back

Always a lovely evening, can't fault the amazing service, food and atmosphere, we think it can't get any better after each visit but somehow it does

So excited for Christmas up and coming and when the clocks go Back, it’s always like going home being at the P&W for diner. Great food, cozy atmosphere with fabulous hosts and staff. Can’t wait for the decs to come out ! ❤️

Booked Saturday afternoon lunch, very good food, staff were excellent, can’t fault, thoroughly recommend

The atmosphere in this pretty country pub is lovely but the food was extremely disappointing! We were there to celebrate my husbands birthday and both ordered a Sunday roast. I had chicken, it was lukewarm and everything seemed like it had been sitting around for...

Extremely rude owner, you’re made to feel like they’re doing you a favour. Food is average - we had the roast, extremely dry beef, hard potatoes and really thin gravy. The owner is the issue though - just so condescending if you suggest something isn’t...

I’ve eaten here a couple of times previously but not for a while. I’ve been back here a couple of times in recent weeks, and I think I have to say this is my favourite restaurant - the ambience, food and wonderful service are literally...

Another wonderful meal at the p&w.. thanks to the chaps and their team! Absolutely recommend: fresh and local ingredients, tasty and ample dishes with great service!

Was absolutely blown away by the service and the food. Staff were efficient and so friendly. The food was incredible Hands down the best roast dinner I have ever had !

Our 1st visit after being recommended It did not disappoint lovely ambience fantastic food and wonderful service will be back again

6 of us went for a 30th birthday, most of had the a la carte all the meals were fabulous. Compared to those the fixed price meals were rather disappointing but of course they were much cheaper. I'd advise to all order from one menu....

This was my first time visiting this absolutely wonderful restaurant today…. What a treat! From the moment we walked in, I fell in love. Exquisite decor, warm ambiance and amazing food. The owners and all of their staff were delightful, a special mention to our...

Great lunch. The scotch egg was amazing and the skate wing cooked to perfection! Come here regularly and never let down. Food great and perfect service.

This is a great place. Been a few times now. Really is lovely, from the staff down to the food. Another great night.

Had a lovely date night with hubby. Food excellent staff so lovely atmosphere fantastic. Can not wait to go again.

Just one word about this superb restaurant and that is "perfect" This is a very special restaurant from the moment you approach the lovely, we'll maintained building to the simply charming interior and lovely staff. The evening my partner and I arrived we were warmly...

We had a really lovely Sunday roast at this cosy and quirky restaurant. From the moment we arrived we felt very welcome. I find nowadays at some restaurants I'm disappointed with the staff's attitude towards customers. This was not the case at the Pig &...

Our table was booked for 7.15, lovely greeting and the waitress that took our order was very friendly and chatty. Unfortunately when our white wine was brought to the table, it wasn’t chilled. An apology was made and we were told that it was new...

Wonderful dinning experience, beautiful decor, fantastic menu, great service, will definitely be visiting again, and will highly recommend it to friends and family, spot on dinning experience

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this restaurant from beginning to end! The customer service and food is second to none! Thank you!

Another fantastic meal at this beautiful restaurant. You are made to feel so welcome as soon as you walk in the door. The atmosphere is wonderful and the attention to detail on the table settings are first class. Now the food is just divine, it...

This is our second visit to the Pig & Whistle, and hopefully we'll be back (very) soon. It's very beautifully decorated, and the tables are (reasonably) well spaced out, with a really nice atmosphere. Our lunch (all 3 courses) was 100% perfect, it's that simple....

Came for Sunday lunch and it did not disappoint, really enjoyable afternoon, felt very welcome and well looked after, atmosphere is lovely, staff very friendly and attentive, food was utterly delicious! Sticky toffee pudding was outstanding, I’d come back again just for that haha, but...

Second time we have been to the Pig & Whistle Restaurant. Food and service both times have been exceptional. We’ll definitely be back.

Always a pleasure to eat at P&W and this was no exception. Celebrating my birthday, we had a lovely lunch - the scallop & nduja starter is pretty high on my list of favourite starters ever - delicious, then a beautiful lemon sole main course....

After phoning to make a booking for 4 people for a Sunday birthday lunch ,I made sure I could order a half portion for my daughter who’s 9 , I was told over the phone that would be fine. We arrive on the Sunday 10...

Took my family here last night for my birthday. We’ve been before and always loved it. Food and service are a different class. Just fantastic.

We had a great time. Food was delicious and service was excellent (especially Grace who was outstanding and couldn't do enough for us). We had read the range of reviews before we went but we enjoyed every minute and Grace made it special.

The food was outstanding as usual. Accompanied by the top shelf service made for the perfect evening. Staff are welcoming and friendly and the foods perfect.

We tried the Pig & Whistle last night for the first time. Fantastic location and ambiance, service was friendly and attentive without being too much. Had the beef wellington which was simply superb. Thanks to all for such a lovely evening, will defo be back!

Atmosphere 10/10 Service 10/10 Food 10/10 Visited on 22nd September. Made to feel special the moment you walk through the door. Lovely meal out with the Wife, with wonderful food and service. Highly recommend for good food, good wine list and wife enjoyed several cocktails

Love this place. New menu so had to go!!! Had the Mussels, did not disappoint. I also had the sirloin steak which was cooked to perfection. Hubby had the scallops that he said were delicious, followed by the beef wellington. We have both had the...

Tricky one this, I don’t think I’ve been so indifferent over a venue. We attended in late July and I am not one to leave a bad review the second I walk out of a place, in fact I didn’t care, but it has bugged...

I’ve been to the Pig and Whistle many times but last night blew me away. From the moment we were greeted by Justin Chatting to Brendan and served the most incredible cuisine by the adorable Grace and her team. From the ambiance to choices of...

Lovely lunch in a nice setting, Wellington was bang on as was all of the other dishes we had, nice wines and decent beers, highly recommended

Gorgeous restaurant, located in a beautiful countryside spot, views over fields from a quaint courtyard garden. The food was delicious with a great vegetarian option. We were there for a Sunday lunch. The wine choices were excellent too. The owner Brendan took time to welcome...

We had a tasty Sunday lunch here recently. We shared a wonderful seafood platter followed by one pork roast and one beef roast, both cooked to perfection. The staff here are very attentive and friendly and clearly enjoy working at this little quirky restaurant. The...

I was a bridesmaid at my friend's wedding here recently and it was truly wonderful. The whole day was perfect and the owners and staff couldn't do enough to make sure the day went smoothly, looking after the bride and groom and their special guests...

High end experience at very reasonable price. Warm welcome, excellent service and top notch food. Well worth wvery accolade. Wouldn't hesitate to return

Such a great place to go. Beautiful setting, such thought, care and attention given to the whole place. The food is delicious, great quality ingredients, beautifully cooked. We loved our anniversary dinner there last night. The owner saw us exchanging cards and bought over an...

Had a lovely visit yesterday can’t fault anything .. we had steaks which were cooked to perfection the staff and owners were so helpful and friendly will defo go back again 😁

From arriving to leaving we had friendly and efficient service. Food was really good - London prices. The cote de boeuf was excellent and I would really recommend the chicken dish and the squash bhajis were amazing. Would definitely recommend it and will be back....

Great atmosphere and a warm welcome. Very quaint and great food.friendly staff. Only Sunday roast but we will be back for the a la carte. Highly recommend.

Fantastic service . Staff go above and beyond. Owners were fantastic . Lemon sole solicitous . Decor stunning . Posh restaurant in the countryside.

Having been a regular and up until now happy/ loyal customer at the Pig & Whistle I will no longer be setting foot here again and will be telling everyone to avoid this place having been publicly humiliated by one of the owners in front...

Had a fantastic dinner here for our Anniversary. The staff are very friendly and attentive, food was gorgeous and the lighting romantic. Would highly recommend

Outstanding service. Came for lunch with my elderly mother who uses a walker. The owner couldn't have been more helpful setting up a new table for us (she wanted to sit outside). Bringing a candle to ward off the countryside bugs! Food was delicious too

We really enjoyed the food and the service in the Pig & Whistle Restaurant. It is a charming restaurant, with very friendly and helpful staff. We couldn't ask for more for a Sunday lunch.

A very nice Sunday lunch, the service was very impressive. The food was very good and nice to read and then eat produce that's come from the local farm (Great Garnets Farm). Looking forward to a return one evening to taste the a la carte...

Was really looking forward to our visit as it came recommended. It was our anniversary and we had searched for a restaurant with outsude space for pre dinner drinks. I called and was told, yes there was outside space. However, when we arrived we were...

We had a fantastic Sunday afternoon, the food and staff were fantastic and didn’t rush us at all and checked on us regularly without being intrusive. Will 100% book again.

Somehow P&W keeps getting better and better each time we visit! The exceptional food is only topped by the excellent service! Thank you for looking after us as always

We had a fabulous meal for our Wedding Anniversary. The service could not be faulted. We were made to feel very special. Lovely food as always and very good value on the set menu. This is our favourite restaurant for any occasion.

We came for 2 course Sunday roast, which is really reasonable for the portion size and excellent quality of the food. Everything was cooked perfectly, no complaints from any of our table of 4. The service was really friendly and professional, we were made to...

Absolutely excellent food, excellent service, staff so friendly, highly recommend this restaurant, amazing

Booked for our 22nd anniversary, we wanted something a little special and as we have been here before we knew we wouldn't be disappointed. The restaurant is beautiful, twinkly lights and candles make it so pretty. The food was excellent with lovely staff, nothing too...

We had a very lovely Sunday afternoon lunch here. It was very busy when we arrived, there is limited parking within the Car Park, but we waited around and managed to take the space of people that were leaving. The food was brilliant - each...

This was our second visit. We were celebrating our Silver wedding and chose to come here as we had a wonderful experience the first time. We didn't think it was possible to improve on our first visit - but the food was absolutely fantastic even...

I’ve been to the Pig & Whistle so often. I fail to find fault. And I mean that 100% Warm welcome. Attentive service at all times. Warm ambience. Food to die for! Prawn and Crayfish Cocktail served in a large gin glass. Capers, a nice...

Had a very lovely Sunday roast. I had the beef and the wife had pork. Both very tasty and perfectly cooked. The only thing left on our plates was the courgette and that's only because neither of us like that. The sticky toffee pudding for...

It was very nice however nothing about the visit blew us away. It was very cramped inside. Staff were very polite and welcoming. Food was nice. It’s quite a drive from us so I wouldn’t hurry back for it.

Everything was fantastic, from the food to the service and atmosphere. Beef wellington was exceptional. The only negative was the inside temperature. Appreciate the weather has been muggy of late and out of the staffs control, however there was windows that was shut. Looking back...

Wow! What a lovely way to celebrate Pride Month with a 7-course tasting menu based on the colours of the pride flag. 1st course was Beef Carpaccio, delectable and scrumptious, Second Course - Eggs Royale, always a winner with gorgeous smoked salmon and egg was...

A totally enjoyable evening at the Pig and Whistle. Food, drink, service were excellent as was the welcome. The quaint and quirky feel to the decor and furniture were a welcome change from the stainless steel and glass in many other restaurants.

One of the best meals I can ever remember. Really delicious and excellent friendly service. Will definitely visit again soon

Beautiful presented food that was cooked to perfection. Subtle background music. Amazing decor. Attentive staff. Warm and cosy atmosphere. Perfect restaurant to celebrate my husband's birthday

We arrived slightly before our booking (hoping for a drink outside) to find the outside area roped off with pretentious red rope! like we had just turned up to Cannes film festival (unfortunalty it was just a small pub in Chelmsford) Anyway we scurried through...

Walked out owner bordering on the verge of arrogance place was empty. Asked to sit in the garden. No that was shut we asked to move to another table because ours was unsteady and wobbly he basically implied. If you don’t put your elbows on...

We have never not had excellent service and a great dining experience at the P&W which is why we continually return. We tried the 'steak saturday' menu for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it. A bonus was the 241 cocktails between 4 and 6pm...

We were made to feel very welcome and were looked after throughout our meal. The food and service was excellent.