The Huntsman and Hounds, Public House in Maldon

Absolutely amazing food. First time visiting after reading the reviews here and we wasn't disappointed. We will definitely be returning. Had the ham, egg and chips and is definitely up there with the best we've ever had. Highly recommend.

A hidden gem tucked away and hidden from view - a wonderful pub lunch in a lovely beamed bar with a roaring fire to one end. Friendly staff, great food and according to my husband a perfect pint

A wonderful pub with absolutely lovely food, reasonably priced and friendly staff. We visited family whilst on holiday from Devon

Just had lunch in this lovely little country pub. We received a very warm welcome and felt very comfortable. All the food is home cooked and is very tasty. It’s not that local to me but will definitely make the effort to return. Well worth a visit

I shouldn't really give away the secret of this truly amazing pub but I will! Idyllic thatched country pub with the most wonderful of beer gardens to enjoy their simply sensational real ale, its also beautiful inside and as for the Sunday Roast its excellent and reassuringly good value! Staff are amazing too. So glad we stumbled across this find, its now becoming a relatively regular haunt!

Just had the best ploughman's lunch at this lpretty little pub,lovely hot baguette with huge slab of chedder and thick hand carved ham,really generous with all the accments including apple and large picked onion,also had the prawn one so many prawns and delicious, will definitely be back and recommend to friends and family to sit in the lovely peaceful beer garden,thankyou

Stopped off here after visiting Burnham-On-Crouch. Lovely interior. Friendly staff and very good food. Had sausage & onion baguette that came with chips and salad (£6.95). Very good value. Definitely recommend.

Booked a table for 4 for Saturday evening. We had never been before. Upon arrival we were welcomed and the atmosphere was friendly and inviting. The staff were attentive and all drinks and food were served accurately. The food is very good value for money large portions and tasty. I would definitely go there again and would recommend the pub to anyone. They appear to be dog friendly too, which if I had realised I would have brought my Staffie. Well done Huntsman and Hound 10 out of 10

This lovely, well kept pub has a real passion for its food!! Today I’ve visited with my family for a roast, we are very fussy when it comes to our food!! It has to be better than we can cook at home!! Our roast did not disappoint, the beef was amazing and the roast potatoes were spot on, this put with a great variety of vegetables left us feeling very satisfied. I would honestly say the best roast to eat out around our area!! A massive thank you to James and we will see you again soon!!

Went as a family today for Lunch. The food was amazing. Love the home cooked feel of all of your dinner on one plate. I had pork which came with really crunchy crackling and yorskhire pudding. The portions are very generous and a reasonable price. A must visit. A gorgeous country pub with lovely welcoming staff.

Fantastic setting, beautiful garden. Good range of beers. Simple, top quality food. Ham and chips, steak pie and the Sunday roast are all excellent and firm favourites. Couldn’t get better staff, all amazing.

I am reading all these wonderful reviews and can only assume they have had to get rid of the chef. 90% of our food I recognised as pre cooked items bought from Asda. The burger and ribs the scampi, the nuggets were clearly from a packet in Asda. Packaged scampi is forgivable but The rest isn't restaurant worthy. The pie was a highlight we really enjoyed and i guess the oxo gravy went well with it. Really disapointing food mainly because the staff and setting is so nice. It's all very well serving cheap food but the prices reflect a good home made meal. Happy to drink here though in the future. The beer is great.

Always a warm welcome from Jim the landlord , yummy home cooked food lovely cosy pub with a big open fire in the winter. Always feel welcomed when we visit. highly recommended defiantly be back soon.

Had Sunday roast today absolutely lovely. Cooked to perfection. Dad tried the steak pie as an alternative could not fault it. Fantastic food a great prices lovely atmosphere. James

We went for Sunday Roast, lovely hot food, and good selection of vegetables. A very hearty roast. We took my Mum and Dad and they thoroughly enjoyed. We had no room for dessert.

we were camping in the nearby field and poped in for a few drinks. we did not eat but must say everyone there was friendly and welcomed us in which wass very kind. will be back.

Great atmosphere and friendly service. Booked a table for today ( Sunday 1st March 2020 ). Recommend that you do, as they turned people away today. Good selection of real ales - which were served up very well. Friendly staff and very polite. I had the steak and ale pie, which came with mash and a good selection of vegetables. My wife had the roast beef. All homemade food and generous portions. Jim ( who is the owner ) is very friendly too and took the time to talk to us - even though he was really busy. Nice ambience and definitely return. Thanks for the lovely food and drink. Regards Brent and Karen

Visited on a Sunday for a family members birthday.Our table was booked for 3 o'clock and unfortunately they had run out of 2 of the 4 roasts that was on offer..so our choice was a bit limited..however the meals were generous and the chicken and beef were very tasty.

Having visited here a few years back and not been at all impressed, a friend and I decided that we’d give it another go. To say this place has improved is an understatement. I ordered the steak and ale pie with mash, and it was absolute divine. The pastry was crispy, and the filling in the pie was piping hot and seasoned to perfection. My friend ordered the hand carved ham, egg and chips. She said they were the most perfectly cooked eggs she’d ever had. I’m under the impression that the Huntsman must have employed a new head chef, because the food is now fantastic. Unfortunately, we had no room for desert, but I’ll definitely be heading back for a banana split, as I overheard a couple talking about how nice they were! To make our experience even more enjoyable, we were greeted by a beautiful little pub dog named Spotty. What a beautiful touch! Well done team Huntsman and Hounds!

We popped in for lunch as we are local and had a rare midweek lunchtime slot without the daughter. It is an oldie-wordly Pub with lots of charm and the obligatory resident bar pooch.We had a shortened menu, as the pub was just about to start a refit of their kitchen, but what we had, and what we saw come out of the kitchen, was really lovely. Fish and Chips was perfect, and my Wife loved the scampi and chips (even though I fancied the lasagne as it looked so lovely on the other tripavisor photos). But overall, a lovely meal, very welcoming staff, cute doggie and roaring log fire, what more could you ask for. Will def be going back again.

I stumbled upon this place once by accident and came back on purpose. This is a great, old fashioned styled pub, cozily small, real fire, mildly dodgy tables, family feeling staff & regulars banter, Really fabulous beers (I am trying to track down where I can buy some for home) and tasty generously portioned food. It's now a firm favorite and a planned stop whenever we are nearby.

We have been here a number of times now and it's always so nice, the staff are lovely and attentive without being too over the top. Food is always good and great value for money, often go on monday lunchtime when I'm off work and most dinners are only £7.95. Great pub , look forward to visiting

Been here a few times for lunch and every time the food and the staff are great, Traditional pub meals, generous portions, very good food. The staff are fantastci, and the whole atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. They even have a pub dog who is evr well behaved, wonders around but does not beg for food (although I suspect that it is well fed by the patrons).Traditional English "local", will definately be going back.

We have visited this foodie pub three times in the last few weeks and enjoyed every time there is always a specials board where all meals are 7.95 with a great variety from seafood salad to lamb shank every meal has come out fresh, hot and flavoursome I cannot recommend high enough

We were greeted by the loveliest pub dog who was loving the attention. And I was very amused by him. What a lovely little dog! Spot, I believe his name is.Anyway, down to the real review. Nice country pub with a good range of ales. Very dog friendly. We were here in a very large group of all ages, which did disappoint some. But to be honest, I don't think it was to the ideal pub to have a family "gathering". I enjoyed it here, would love to have been under different circumstances.It would be great for a dinner and a few liquid refreshments after a nice country walk. Clientele and staff were friendly.Cleanliness a little bit of a problem, with gum underneath the table and toilets not 100% clean 4*

very slow service for main course and sweet,we will not return we was a party of five,the two staff members better than the time we had to wait.

Had not been to this place for a few years, so it was a very pleasant surprise when we decided to to celebrate my mother in laws birthday there, the food was excellent, it was hot and delicious we all received out food at the same time and we didn’t have to wait to long to be served, I had the lamb shank with minted mashed potatoes, the meat just fell off the bone it was so tender to eat it was just delicious everyone was well satisfied with there food it was all very tasty, we will not leave it so long before our next visit, the lady who served us was very pleasant and very helpful unfortunately I didn’t get her name but our visit was on Friday 3rd May so who ever it was on that night thank you very much for making our visit a very pleasant and special one

Visited with friends Saturday night and very much enjoyed the food - good sized portions and good value too. We all said that we will definitely go back and will recommend to others.

After a quick search my colleague and I decided on this place as it looked so pretty! When we got there we were told that there was non tables and it looked very busy ☹️ stight away a couple of locals stood up and said take out table and stood drinking at the bar! So kind...

Warm welcome and good food, real ales available, and a good red wine, desserts are lovely too Recommend the fish and chips meal

First visit after a disappointing Sunday lunch some while ago. A very "pubby" atmosphere on the night with somewhat "rustic" service, but none the worse for that....very much as expected and in keeping with the venue. The quality of food was excellent - freshly cooked with huge portions (a vast improvement on previous visit). Would recommend for a casual mid-week meal with great food, a decent selection of ales and a friendly, old fashioned country pub atmosphere.

Decided to try the Sunday lunch here on the 4th and apart from the small portions of veg and being asked to leave amour table after 1 hour and 15 mins it wasn't too bad. Enjoyed the pub generally but felt rushed compared to another local pub we used to eat regularly in. Will definately give it another go before qe right off Sunday lunches there.

A beautiful idyllic looking country pub with a picturesque garden

Went to this place for lunch with friends. It's a very pretty place. Our order was taken by a very friendly waitress. The food was delicious and the portions generous. Very impressed. Definitely recommend and will be going again.

This is a charming 16th Century pub with thatched roof and oak beams inside. The garden area is very pleasant to sit in. The reason I am giving it 4 stars and not 5 is because the experience was slightly spoilt for me by the piped music. I don’t really want to eat my lunch listening to “Electric Avenue” by Eddie Grant or “Can’t touch this” by M C Hammer - particularly not in such pleasant surroundings.

Visited this beautiful pub for the first time. Food was excellent and value for money. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Will definitely go back.

Saw the lovely exterior so couldn't resist stopping for lunch. Recommend the huge baguette with prawns, salad,coleslaw and chips, and the large jacket with salad. Really generous helping of prawns for both. Pretty garden with some shade. Pleasant staff.

We stayed in the campsite for one night. Access to toilets and showers was easy. The site and area are very scenic. We had a meal in the pub, the pork loin was very nice as were the ribs. Reasonable but not massive range of drinks. The food was very reasonably priced especially as it was very good quality. The drinks were about average. There is a lovely beer garden and the drive out to the pub was very nice on a sunny evening. Staffing was very laid back and friendly.

My husband and I rang and booked a table for between 2.00-2.30pm on arrival ordered some drinks told the gentleman who served us that we would like to order some food for him to tell us the kitchen was shut I wouldn’t mind but this is the second time this pub has done this to us I will never go bk here again as I traveled quite far for this trip I was told the pub up the road called the three horse shoes are serving food so of we went I can honestly say they were very very accommodating and what love polite staff so if you looking for a nice pub please visit the three horse shoes althorne

Cannot understand a restaurant that lets customers down. The Huntsman was booked for a funeral party to meet after a service so they would have been aware that at least they would have 25 to 30 extra people eating and drinking that day so we staggered ordering so as not to overwhelm the kitchen staff but by the time the final guest wanted to order we were told at 2pm to kitchen was closed so I would like to tell you the food was great but never got the chance to try it. Why not bring in extra staff so sorry unable to review this restaurant

Visited a few weeks ago and received a friendly warm welcome from locals at the bar and the staff too, excellent ploughmans lunch and huge lasagne , nice garden , will be back soon

Great food , very friendly and helpful staff and best of all dog friendly . Good selection of cask ales what more could you want !

Fantastic steak and kidney pudding smooth mash And vegetables . My wife had the best vegetarian meal too,what a tasty fresh reasonable priced food. Dave the no1 quality chef Would recommend this to everyone Thank you We will be returning

We always enjoy our lunches there. Lovely homely atmosphere with very friendly service.

Loved the food and the service, was even given a complimentary glass of prosecco when the waitress heard me say it was my birthday. However we was put off a little by the cat that was hovering on the seats and pestering you for food. The staff seemed a bit frightened of it saying it can turn nasty.

Just had the best meat pies ever, large pieces of steak in the Stilton pie and lovely pastry and veg, chicken pie with suet top was also great, will be back soon, friendly staff and entertaining resident dog and cat

J'adore ce pub. Le manager et les serveurs sont supers sympas. Il y a une cheminée, c'est un pub typique chaleureux, pour manger ou boire un verre (ou café), c'est top.

This pub was recommended to me by a friend. we went there for sunday dinner, the atmosphere takes you back in time, with the traditional pub smell and pub dogs...family run establishment. .beautiful grounds set in an idealistic site. additional beers too boot. but, the roast was beautiful. i had a lovely roast beef which was a generous amount, crisp roast potatoes and perfectly cooked veg....well worth the journey....so much im taking the kids back next sunday.........:)

Great field to park our motor home, with acres for our dogs to run with their new found friend Spot. No shower block but that was OK, as we are self sufficient but this was not mentioned when booking.{ New showers are a work in progress}. Beautiful pub with a very friendly landlord Jim. His son , James will be taking over and he provided us with a couple of lovely meals during our stay. We adore Essex and would recommend a stay at the Huntsman and hounds

No trouble from the chief and landlord Jim, ask and he delivers, top pub, top food and great friendly staff

Great venue! Meals well presented, plates full, great beer. All reasonably priced. Friendly staff. Nothing to dislike - will go again.

Love this pub the staff are so efficient the Sunday roasts are so lovely all home cooked food with meat that melts in your mouth always with lashings of tasty gravy . The atmosphere is always vibrant with gardens and beautiful flowers, always a roaring fire in the winter that makes it feel very welcoming, definitely my favourite place for lunch Suey sams

We had a really good Sunday lunch here. The beef I had was cooked perfectly, with the faintest hint of pink on the meat. The roast potatoes were slightly underdone but tasted ok. I liked the cauliflower cheese, as they had grated cheese onto cauliflower, rather than cheese sauce which is sometimes a bit sickly. I had sponge pudding for dessert, which was tasty.

me and my motorcycling mate rode down from London last Sunday . this was one of the best ever pub's we had visited in Essex and the home counties . the food and bar selection of drinks and choice was fantastic. staff here are friendly, sociable and the outside garden was exquisite. quiet,large tables in a massive garden where families kids and locals all relaxed without being bunched up together. the roast beef was delicious and the vegetables all perfectly cooked. other favourites is the lambshank.

Hi folkes you need to pop down the huntsman for the best mussels you will ever pass your lips 150 out of 100 sauce was fantastic and a full kg of mussels per serving top top place to visit

Lovely pub and friendly locals Unfortunately we didn't take note of the fact no-one was eating One meal was fine although salmon was overcooked, but my pie was a heat blasted slice of soggy base pastry, gristle, grey mashed potato, tasteless gravy and ex-frozen peas swimming in water

We have visited the 3 Horseshoes a few times as a family and always had a great meal, but as we pass the Huntsman every time I thought we should give it a try. The first thing that met our ears after parking up was some very loud, bad language coming from the table right in front of the entrance. We had to endure this for about 15 minutes until our 7pm booking time came round. The food was pretty standard fare, my moules weren't the biggest and my husband complained that I smelt very garlicky for tne next 24 hours. His pie was described as edible. No childrens menu so I asked for sausage and chips for my youngest which was produced just as ordered (ie no vegetables). Our experience seems to differ so much from others. Needless to say we will stick to the 3 Horseshoes in future.

Beautiful little pub, the best Sunday lunch just like homemade. It was so nice to have a real meat roast, the beef just melted in your mouth, mum had lamb shank that was so succulent and my husband said the the steak and ale pie was to die for everything was homemade. If you are passing give it a go you won't be disappointed.Staff fantastic, food amazing and clientele welcoming and great value for money.Can't wait for my next visit.

Visited the Huntsman and Hound this afternoon for Sunday lunch. Had a great welcome from all the staff. Lunch itself excellent, home made and freshly cook. Great value for money. Looking forward to our next visit.

We dined here as a large group (11 ravenous carnivores) half of our group ordered stakes (t-bone and Serlion) all of which were cooked to perfection for each individual request. The meat pie was delectable with juicy plentiful beef and a wonderful soft pasty that soaked up the gravy beautifully. The scampi was golden and crispy outside and succulent inside served with sweet peas and real home made chunky chips that were fluffy inside but with a wonderful crunch on the outside. The homemade Tatar sauce had a delightful range that cut through the tender scampi. I had the apple and rubarb crumbed which returned me to my childhood and I savoured every last bite. The service was homely and comfortable, this wonderful quirky out in the country pub is a true delight to the Essex country side and is a must to visit.

Good priced loved the homely feel food was good frendly staff quiet pub during day food came out quickly and was home made very good is a small outside area but went in winter so never used outside area.

Visited for Sunday lunch. This is a very pleasant pub with friendly, welcoming staff and good beer. Unfortunately on this occasion the food really let the side down. The traditional Sunday roast was very disappointing. The meat was just about acceptable but the roast potatoes were awful (barely cooked) and the veg was bland and watery. Prices were reasonable and the quality of the beer and friendliness of staff largely offset the poor food so we didn't complain. This pub has a lot going it....if they get the food offer up to scratch it will be well worth a visit.

Love this pub and the staff are so welcoming! Food is made with love! The best sunday roast for miles around. Takes us 45 minutes to get to this pub but it's so worth it! Would and have recommended to family and friends

A visiting cousin and wife from Telford stayed with us in Mayland and we had the most fantastic meal ever, all 4 agreed. 2 steak meals plus 2 fish meals cooked to perfection. Landlord Jim was pleased with our approval and we were made very welcome.

I had a lovely roast chicken lunch here, couldn't find anything wrong with the food apart from the lemon they put on the chicken, it didn't taste very good but other than that, all good and would definitely return and recommend :)

Sunny afternoon in the extensive garden our roasts, Aberdeen angus beef and sliced chicken breast arrived with the usual trimmings. Best beef for ages and well cooked potatoes and veg. Very friendly staff and Jim made us welcome. WE WILL BE BACK.

Following a family party, we were invited to Sunday lunch at this beautiful pub, driving into the car park and seeing the perfect 'chocolate box' thatched roofed building instantly made you feel welcome. The grounds to the pub, consisted of a barbecue area, outdoor seating and several pitches for caravans, the inside of the pub didn't disappoint either, with a beautiful traditional beamed ceiling, log fires for the winter months and a very warm welcome from Landlord Jim and his extremely attentive staff.With 10 of us to be seated to eat, we expected a little delay, however, tables were re arranged and our food was ordered, within 10 minutes the food was ready, brought to the table by staff so friendly you would have thought we had known them all of our life! The meal was piping hot, presented beautifully, nothing was too much trouble to them.We had travelled all the way from Yorkshire, and I have to say, we shall be doing it again very soon, to visit this lovey pub. Thank you very much to Jim and his amazing staff.

The Huntsman and Hounds, as ever, greets you with welcoming smiles, an excellent choice of beverages and the best homecooked food in Essex. This has been my regular pub/restaurant since 1994 and cannot fault every time l visit. Long may it continue.

Excellent country pub with food to match.7 people all ordered different meals and all were served at the same time in a very friendly atmosphere. Staff and Jim great hosts.

Hadn't been here before so was a bit nervous when friends suggested an evening meal.However, needn't have worried, we were given a very warm welcome on arrival and were shown to our table by the bar lady.Menus were not extensive by any means but enough variety that we had all chosen starters and mains within minutes.Drinks served, we also ordered wine. At this stage, the waitress allowed us to try the ordered Shiraz which was acceptable, but also recommended a "good Malbec" and this was better and our eventual choice.The food arrived and was very good. My T Bone steak had all the usual sides and was perfectly cooked. The service was very friendly, and being a pub with food rather than a restaurant with drinks, was reasonably priced. Having been once, we would certainly go back as not many pubs serve food as good as this in our vicinity.Give it a try !

Me and my boyfriend love this pub. Friendly and welcoming staff who can't do enough to help. The food is always freshly made and the steak is the best I've had!. Really recommend this pub for a family meal or a quiet drink. The real fire is so cosy in the winter! I love that fact you can bring your dog also :) :)

Myself and two of my friends chose this pub as the destination for our cycle ride on a cold Saturday morning starting from Hockley.Not knowing the pub beforehand it was an excellent choice and a welcoming mid point of our ride.The Huntsman and Hounds is everything you would expect from an English country pub with a thatched roof, real log fire, oak beams, Real Ale and a friendly welcome.There was a good choice of food on the menu and two of us had sausage baguettes and the third a jacket potato which were all good.We look forward to another visit in the summer!

Had a meal out tonight with friends i am visiting in the local area. I found this pub to be one of the most friendliest i have ever visited. A warm atmosphere for all the family. The steak i had was cooked exactly how i like it. Generous proportions. Would recommend to anyone.

My two children and family took us out for a Sunday lunch on my birthday. Everybody agreed it was a great meal in a fantastic old pub.

found this pub off the beaten track , wonderful hospitality and great food ! cannot fault it really ! very friendly bar staff and landlord cannot do enough for you ! not many pubs left like this!!

We have known the owner for a very long time through our bike rallies and frequent visits to be watered and fed so we thought we should write a brief comment.We can only say that not only is the pub set in a beautiful setting and is well looked after the staff are exceptional good at their jobs. They are attentive but not intrusive, good food Yum Yum and friendly atmosphere. Well worth a visit. All are welcome and nothings too much trouble.Highly recommend you make a visit, we have taken many friends and family and all enjoyed.

This beautiful thatched pub is located in Althorne Essex. Chocolate box style building full of character with a fabulous garden for the kids to play in or to just sit and enjoy the mature and well kept gardens. They offer a range of great home cooked food which is always prepared to a high standard. Makes a great local pub or just somewhere to pop in and enjoy the banter from it's many regular visitors. A regular visitor myself, I can vouch for this little 'gem'.

After hearing good reviews about the Sunday lunch here we decided to visit with another couple....bar staff were always checking we were ok and asking if they could get us anything else...food was disgusting to the point where a friend took one bite of steak and then spat it back out as she said it was off!!!!never again

Our family was treated to a meal at the The Huntsman and Hounds to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary. We had already visited it three times before in the summer and had previously eaten in the lovely gardens. This time we had a reserved table inside right next to the huge picture of Hounds and Huntsmen. The atmosphere was great and the food was absolutely delicious. We thought the menu would just be for a Sunday roast, but we were pleasantly surprised to be able to order steak as well. My husband is usually very fussy about his food, but the T-bone steak he had was cooked to perfection and everyone had a clean plate. The desserts were traditional home-cooked food and went down a treat with everyone. Empty plates all round and rounded off with a nice coffee. Really had a great time in this pub and will definitely re-visit again very soon. Friendly staff and lovely local pub atmosphere. Best Anniversary ever! Thank you.

We saw the sign on the main drag guiding us to their door and what a Lovely looking Pub with good parking and nice garden.We ordered our drinks saying that we wished to eat and were given menus,went and sat down and had chosen our preferred items,just about to order when we were then told sorry kitchen closed,if we had known they were going to close the kitchen we not have had a drink and would have moved on.Not good customer service,I would have told the kitchen that two people had menu's and would be their last order. Lost custom as will not be returning

A pretty pub with lovely gardens,a good choice of home cooked meals and popular Sunday roast,and children are made most welcome.

We had a superb Sunday lunch in this pub ,The Sunday roast was absolutely delicious with generous portions of meat and vegetables served by very attentive staff, the atmosphere was great with banter from the locals having their Sunday pint finally to. Mine Host Jim for whom nothing was to much trouble.

We have been visiting The Huntsman & Hounds Pub for years now so I think it's about time I wrote a review. I am extremely picky when it comes to a Sunday roast as no one does it as good as my mum but I have to say Jims Roast Beef is the best & the steaks aren't bad either with a great price to match. If you like your Ales there is always a good selection including locally brewed beers. If you want to eat on a Sunday I would recommend booking so that you are not disappointed.

We were only diners midweek and new. The owner said my steak was larger than normal as we were new customers. We have been back since but only for a snack lunch which was great and very reasonable.

We've been using the pub for a while now, it's a lovley traditional pub that has really friendly staff and great traditional home cooked food. The food is always spot on which seems to be a rare thing to find in some pubs. We visit frequently and will continue to. If you've never visited then it's definitely worth it.

Everything you would expect from a good traditional English pub. Great welcoming atmosphere followed by great home cooked meals and excellent choice of ales/ciders. Food is always good and great value. Beer garden is great in the summer. The only downside to the pub is the lack of a child's highchair!

The Huntsman and Hounds is a traditional English pub with everything you'd expect of its type....good beer, good food, low beams, a roaring fire and friendly (albeit a tad disorganised) staff. Not really the place for a special occasion but certainly recommended for a casual lunch or midweek evening meal. Compares well with other pubs in the area...overall good value and well worth a visit.

We have been visiting this place on and off for about thirty years. It keeps some of the best beer in Essex, it's a great building, full of atmosphere and has wonderfully friendly and welcoming staff. The landlord has been in residence for as long as I can remember and that's a long time!The food is very traditional, tasty English food. Nothing fancy but deliciously large portions. Always top quality meat and veg. There is an attached campsite, so if fancy a decent beery bender and you've a tent of caravan this is the place.

We decided to round off the summer with a camping weekend with friends and found this place on the web, looked lovely so we booked a pitch with electric hook up.Only £10 for tent, £3.00 for electric and £1 per person per night, great price. When we arrived the mist had come up and it was getting dark so wanted to set up asap, great big field and found a great place, all very quiet and relaxing.Went to the pub which is a lovely atmosphere and cosy, had one of the best steak meals ever, cooked to perfection and good price. All staff were very friendly, we wanted to eat the following night but was told by Jim (nice guy) that he was cooking for private function there but if we went over for 5.30pm he would cook for us, super service we thought.However, the following day we went over at 5.30pm and was told that it wouldn't be possible now which was disappointing and slightly annoying but the staff gave us info on local take aways so we got a pizza instead and chilled in tent with a few beers. It's a shame no-one couldn't have let us know earlier in the day this was the case with food or put on the website that meals were not always available.The campsite was clean, quiet and great location for a peaceful chill out time. The toilets were the pub toilets which were left open at night, it was basic but ok, the bin in the ladies was not emptied in the time we was there so not sure about the cleaning standards. It has a shower somewhere but we don't know where it was so unable to comment on that.The pub was really nice, quaint old country pub and really welcoming and busy. Was looking forward to having a Sunday roast before we left but when we went over was told there was no lunch cooking that day so again disappointed as this was one of the attractions for us when we booked, having a nice meal every day.We would go again but we would check in advance about meals. This place has so much potential and a bit of thought to detail could make the whole experience 5 star.If you planning to visit whether camping or not I would suggest phoning ahead to check they are cooking that day to avoid disappointment. If they are cooking though you will enjoy a great home cooked fresh meal that will surpass many other places.

We dined at the Huntsman last night for the second time, the time before was Sunday lunch last week, the Quality of the food, especially the Steak they serve, was exceptional, as was the service and ambiance of this lovely old world pub in Althorne. I have lived in Essex for a year now, and have tried many pubs, mostly mediocre. Stumbling on the Huntsman and hounds was all we could wish for in one location, it also has an adjacent campsite, great for touring campers.Good food, good Ale, and Good company.A memorable pub to visit.