The Old Windmill in Chelmsford

Living in Suffolk, I’ve been to this pub a few times as it’s a good halfway point to meet friends and family in Surrey/Sussex. We recently enjoyed a Sunday lunch at the pub with friends, including a toddler. My roast pork was excellent, and being gluten intolerant I was intrigued to try my wife’s fish and chips, which the menu said was gluten free as standard. It was the best gluten free batter I’ve tried, so will definitely be having it on a future visit. The food certainly isn’t cheap, but the quality justifies the price. Service was very attentive and our friends’ little girl was well looked after.

Love visiting The Old Windmill. Lovely atmosphere and always enjoyable food. Can't go wrong

I always have a hard time going to new restaurants, but the moment I bit into the food here, I thought "I have to come back here". The food was absolutely heavenly, and the espresso martini I had was the best espresso martini I've ever tasted. Staff were very friendly as well, I absolutely love this place!

Great meal - good service with waitresses constantly (bit not obsessively) checking we were OK Food was good and overall a great night

The starter was ok Goan curry king prawns, flatbread. The Menu says Roast beef (served pink), with Yorkshire pudding. Roasts are served with roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and gravy. What I was served Roast beef (served well done not a tinge of pink), with Yorkshire pudding. Cabbage cooked two ways. boiled cabbage and overly sweet red cabbage. Potatoes cooked two ways. Under roasted potatoes and mashed potatoes. Thank goodness I found 4 small pieces of carrot. I am sorry, but a roast dinner with mash and badly roasted potatoes is just not a roast dinner. As for seasonal vegetables broccoli and parsnips would be good if I have mash, I will have it with the classic sausage and mash served wit homemade onion gravy and peas Pudding Damson sponge, ginger roast plums, vanilla custard. Which was a bland sponge with cold plums and average custard. Would I go back for Sunday lunch probably not

Had a lovely evening at this incredible pub. I have never had a bad meal here and the staff are all excellent.

Food was amazing and would go back

Not what it used to be. I’ve come to this pretty traditional pub on and off for well over 10 years. Recently I went for an evening meal and was very disappointed with the quality of food. You used to always be able to get a great meal, properly cooked from scratch and really tasty but that’s just no longer the case. It’s alright food, just pub grub, but restaurant prices. Won’t go back for a while.

Only came across this little gem a couple months ago. Been a few times now. Staff are wonderful. Food is another level. Delicious, fresh and tasty. Dog friendly. Highly recommend. And if all you want is a drink by the log burner, then this is just for you.

went there yesterday afternoon, my wife found the pub whilst looking for another in the area, superb choice , the old windmill is a beautiful big pub with superb service and lovely food

Met friends for lunch, 2 of us had the chicken ham & leek pie, it was awful, it looked insipid, and top of pie crust inedible, couldn't get knife into it, should have sent it back. Can't fault the staff but will think twice before going again. Have given 3 stars as staff very good.

Poor service. Disappointed. Our seat we booked were taken. we were left standing at the bar for 20 minutes. Only when I approached the staff were we finally taken to a seat. The main meal I ordered did not match the description o the menu.

Fantastic place for great food, good drinks and attentive, warm service. We often have our family Christmas meal here with upwards of 25 of us at a table. Food always exceptional!

Love this place, decent food for celiacs which is a novelty! And really nice staff.

We went the Thursday before Christmas. We had a great time the food was amazing.

Great atmosphere and the service was fabulous. However half the party were vegan/vegetarian and their experience was that main courses were medicore

So disappointed - have been here before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not today! Starters were good. Steak and ale pie was good. 2 mixed roasts were mediocre. Then the desserts came - all nice except mine which had a black, curly hair on it! Pointed this out to waitress. She took dessert away. She came back with a fresh dessert. I asked if she’d made her manger aware of this. She said yes she had. She was very dismissive. No manager came over to apologise - and there was certainly no kind of re compensation or gesture to make amends. I am very cross that the manager thought that having a big black hair on your dessert didn’t warrant an apology of any kind - terrible customer service! I actually wish I had refused to pay for it now! We certainly will not be returning!

Worst pub food I have ever had , food served on just warm plate so cold whilst eating . Fondant potato described as saffron flavoured bland & unedible, baby leeks & celeriac cooked aldenti which does not work for this type of vegetable the portion of halibut was tiny for the price being g charged .Should have sent the dish back & asked for it to be detected without bothering to reorder as it would have been too disruptive for the rest of the party. This is really one of the worst pub foods on offer in this part of Essex a total rip off for tge money being asked for badly cooked food .

The atmosphere was wonderful and very Christmassy. The staff were extremely friendly but also courteous. We have been before on a few occasions and have never been disappointed with anything. I cannot praise you enough. Thank you.

We will definitely go back in the new year.

We recently had a group Xmas meal at the Windmill. The food and its presentation was excellent. Great atmosphere and delightful staff make this one of our favourite places to eat. Thank you to all the staff and management for giving us such a good experience. We can thoroughly recommend the Windmill and shall be returning again soon.

Nice meal in pleasant surroundings with lovely staff.

Always perfect service at the Old Windmill

A beautiful pub with log burner and comfortable chairs. I had fish and chips which was amazing and tasted fresh. Majority of meals are gluten free. Plenty of parking. Staff were lovely. Looking forward to to going again. I'd say fair pricing.

VISIT DATE: SUN 24/10/2024 VISIT TIME: 12:30-14:00 Attended as part of a large group for a birthday celebration. Wasn't familiar with the place before, but was a bit worried that it might be too fancy for me based on the menu and prices, but was very pleased to find that the prices were justified as the food was to a very high standard and portions were not small. Being a Sunday, a lot of the party had roasts, which all looked amazing, whilst I opted for fish and chips and my daughter had a cheeseburger. My meal was great and the staff were really helpful when I realised I'd forgotten to ask for normal peas, rather than mushy peas. Lots of vegetarian options too, which also looked really tasty and they have a good range of drinks, including real ales. The building is delightful; full of nooks and crannies and lots of character, but, unfortunately, due to its age, it has a lot of uneven floors and steps which make it fairly inaccessible to those with mobility issues or wheelchair users. A bit more expensive than I'd usually pay, but I would definitely go again if I'm in the area as this is somewhere that you will definitely be getting your monies worth.

VISIT DATE: SUN 24/10/2024 VISIT TIME: 12:30-14:00 Attended as part of a large group for a birthday celebration. Wasn't familiar with the place before, but was a bit worried that it might be too fancy for me based on the menu and prices, but was very pleased to find that the prices were justified as the food was to a very high standard and portions were not small. Being a Sunday, a lot of the party had roasts, which all looked amazing, whilst I opted for fish and chips and my daughter had a cheeseburger. My meal was great and the staff were really helpful when I realised I'd forgotten to ask for normal peas, rather than mushy peas. Lots of vegetarian options too, which also looked really tasty and they have a good range of drinks, including real ales. The building is delightful; full of nooks and crannies and lots of character, but, unfortunately, due to its age, it has a lot of uneven floors and steps which make it fairly inaccessible to those with mobility issues or wheelchair users. A bit more expensive than I'd usually pay, but I would definitely go again if I'm in the area as this is somewhere that you will definitely be getting your monies worth.

Nice place good lunch time choice

Called in today on the off chance for lunch. Despite being very busy the staff provided first class friendly service. The food was excellent.

Sunday lunch was cooked lovely. Staff were very nice and atmosphere was very relaxed.

We went for lunch with some friends, food was exceptional as was the service. A lovely old pub with a lovely ambience. It was really busy so probably best to book.

Always a good meal and good service at The Old Windmill.

I haven't been to Hanningfield for years and The Old Windmill has certainly changed for the better. The food was always good but it was notoriously slow. There was a pub garden but it was just that, rather barren and sad. The garden has been planted and with numerous tables and seating undercover - a rather impressive canvas roof or out in the sun. It looks good. 2 mains. 2 drinks. 1 dessert. 1 coffee for £50. Pretty reasonable. I can recommend the steak burger, very tasty with a ton of chips. The service was friendly, fast and all were very attractive, almost as if it was company policy to employ exclusively attractive young women 🤔 Not that I'm complaining. Definitely impressed and will be returning soon.

A group of us took our dogs here after a walk. We sat in the beautiful garden for drinks. Staff were really friendly.

We where a very large party and the waiting staff could of not been more helpful and attentive the food was delicious and actually what we had ordered this made the whole afternoon go really well.Thank you.

I recently dined again at The Old Windmill with a group of five, and it was a fantastic experience all around. We tried the roast lamb, fish and chips, and a burger, and each dish was excellent—fresh, flavorful, and cooked to perfection. Even though the restaurant was bustling, the service was spot on. Our food came out quickly, and the staff was friendly and attentive, making us feel well taken care of. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, ideal for a meal with friends. We spent just over £100, including drinks, which felt like good value considering the quality of food and service. A tip for future diners: it’s definitely better to reserve a table, as it’s a popular spot. All in all, everyone left happy, and I’d gladly recommend The Old Windmill for anyone seeking a great meal in a charming setting.

What a lovely place! We are coming back there often! Food is very delicious and inside and outside pub is just super cosy! I really like this place! I couldn't be here without having crispy beef salad, complement to the chef !

First time here , excellent food and very quick service even though it was really busy on a Sunday lunchtime

Great ever changing menu, super service, massive carpark good outdoor space loved it

Attentive staff, gorgeous Tippee in the grounds , dog friendly, great food well priced , would recommend to anyone

Nice location and staff but food is average

Had a lovely lunch with friends. Place was lovely with a warm friendly atmosphere. Food was very good. Had crispy squid, pancake wraps and Black Forest profiteroles. Will definitely be back again.

Great place good food, friendly staff and customers

Definitely need to book for Sunday lunch . We wanted to sit inside as we felt it was too cold in October to eat outside We ate at 5.20 and it was packed . We were near a large table which was unfortunately quite noisy so not quite as easy for my dad to be able to hear all the time Good menu we all had lamb which excellent and lots of tasty veg

Over priced I thought, I wouldn't rush back

Beautiful large old pub. We went for lunch good service but found the food to be very mediocre and processed nothing seemed to be home made. Felt we paid restaurant prices for standard pub grub. Will not eat there again but would happily go in for drinks, has a nice pub garden for the summer months.

Had the pleasure of visiting this great pub again yesterday. The food is excellent and the staff are fantastic. I have a citrus allergy and despite it only being mild, the staff couldn't have been more keen to make sure I know which food contained it. First Class service as always!

Had a really lovely meal last night. Lovely atmosphere, staff were helpful and friendly, highly recommend.

We visited for Sunday lunch, Although it was bust the food an the service was brilliant and we didn't feel crowded. Highly recommended.

Still the best Sunday Roast in Essex

**Review for The Old Windmill, near Hanningfield Reservoir:** I recently had the pleasure of dining at **The Old Windmill**, located near the beautiful Hanningfield Reservoir, and I must say it was an outstanding experience from start to finish! Despite the restaurant being quite busy, the service was **exceptionally quick** and attentive. The staff were friendly, efficient, and made sure we had everything we needed without delay. As for the food, it was simply **excellent**. Every dish we ordered was perfectly cooked, full of flavor, and arrived at our table in no time, which was impressive given how packed the place was. The quality and presentation of the food easily exceeded expectations. Whether you're a local or just passing through, I highly recommend stopping by The Old Windmill for a meal. It's a great spot for anyone looking for a wonderful dining experience in a charming setting. I will definitely be returning!

Lovely dog friendly pub with a gorgeous outdoor area and childrens playground. The food looked amazing but didn't tey it this time round. Will definitely be returning soon for dinner or lunch with the family. The perfect spot for any occasion, especially after a lovely dog walk. I've updated my review as we went back yesterday and attended the dog walk they do occasionally to raise money for dogs. Great cause and lovely to see so many people out walking their doggies. Well worth getting involved 👍 😉

The Sunday roast could have used a bit more flavor but the sticky toffee dessert fixed it all up! Perfect family cozy atmosphere, not too expensive not too cheap.

Great eating house been coming since1974 and coming on my birthday 22 September 2024 Thankyou

Food is tasty but not for the health conscious. Even the crispy beef salad was quite rich and glutenous. Although our waitress was friendly and attentive , we twice had to chase our drinks' orders and getting and paying for the bill was almost impossible ( strange, as the pub was pretty quiet at this point). We like the pub but disappointed on our last couple of visits.

Decidedly average on this occasion

Booked a table for 8 for a birthday celebration. The pub was extremely busy due to a car club meeting and the staff seemed rushed off their feet. When we sat at our table there was a small vase of flowers in the middle completely dead and dried up, not a good start, we quickly removed it to the windowsill. Some food was ok , some was very poor, the Goan chicken curry was very dry, overcooked with very little sauce. The crispy beef was also overcooked making it difficult to chew. Very long waits between courses due to being so busy.. Will not be returning anytime soon!

Great service & staff, very reasonable drinks prices and lovely atmosphere

Went for Sunday lunch,great pub , lovely garden,nice atmosphere very friendly staff .I like that you can sit in garden with dogs .

Amazing service and Great food,

Love this place, not eaten here yet. But love just popping in for a drink and chat with friends.

I ordered a pie and the crust was so hard I couldn't cut it.I complained and was offered another meal, but I refused because it would of meant eating on my own as the rest of my party already had their meals. I was given a 50% discount on my meal.

Become a regular venue to meet BFF with her beloved Connie - very dog friendly. We both had the Steak Sandwich - OMG! Divine! Chips perfect too! Highly recommend!

Beautiful food and great service again. Been many times and always get fantastic food. We are looking forward to the next time!

This is now our go to place for a good quality family lunch. The menu is always interesting with varied dishes regularly changing. It's not the cheapest place around but is still good value for money because they use the best quality ingredients. The beef salad is just fabulous! Highly recommended!

A great country pub. Good food and nearby walks.

Food was good shame about hospitality service was shocking order at the bar fetch your own knifes n forks and condiments next question is how much did I spend does it matter

Good food and good value. The old place is beautiful. Could do with more staff

Just price and menu choice let's it down

Booked for our 20th wedding anniversary. Disappointed with my steak dinner. At the price of £31, I expected better. Dinner wasn’t hot and steak was full of fat.

Lovely country pub. Attentive staff. Great good.

Really nice pub in a scenic location. Food is excellent, is dog friendly with free water and biscuits. Good parking and attentive staff

Good pub food, nice beer, prompt and friendly service.

This was my Grandads pub back in the day! Took my wife and 4-year-old son for a family meal and it was a great afternoon. Good for kids and the food and service was decent.

Lovely pub what is very popular. Had a nice meal with family. Staff were attentive without being in your face. I would absolutely book if you want to eat here at the weekend.

Beautiful old building and amazing food with good portions. We happened upon it while looking for somewhere to have a Sunday lunch and I'm glad we did. It's clearly a much-loved family friendly place. They are dog-friendly too which is a bonus. The food was delicious, the staff were friendly even they were incredibly busy and service was great.

Sat in the canopy area with our dog, comfy chairs and nice view into the garden. Food was great and the staff were really friendly and attentive despite it being busy

Great pub! Great Service and great atmosphere!

Had table booked for 3pm for x4 under shade in the garden. Food very nice and fresh. All had starters. X3 had chicken and mushroom pie, pastry top and bottom, with mash and greens and beautiful sauce, x1 had salmon, very filling. After suitable time and 2nd round of drinks we all had dessert. Stuffed to the hilt. Cost £200 for x4 + x2 drinks each. Would recommend, not cheap, but worth it.

Absolutely lovely food and very friendly staff.

Visited here today for a spot of lunch, great menu if you're gluten free, several options available, food good, service good and good location..... Recommend it for gf or coealiacs...nice one

We was on the look for somewhere different and we come across this pub and we thought we give it a try we had a lovely waitress called Macy, who was so helpful with food and drinks suggestions her customer service was excellent we will be definitely coming back soon

Top food loved under cover outside dining

It was our first visit, the food and service was fabulous. We will definitely be going back, especially as dog friendly

**Terrible Experience - Beware!** I have dined at The Old Windmill in South Hanningfield several times with my family and always enjoyed the food and service. However, our recent visit was an absolute disaster. I ordered pie and chips and requested a pot of peppercorn sauce, which I noticed on the menu was available with the steak. Initially, the waitress accepted my request. However, she returned 10 minutes later to inform me that the chef refused to provide the sauce because it had been portioned out for the day. This made no sense to me – how could the chef predict exactly how many people would order steak and peppercorn sauce that day? I was absolutely willing to pay extra for the sauce. At this point, I no longer wanted the pie and chips and felt extremely frustrated. The restaurant claims everything is made fresh, yet they couldn't whip up a basic peppercorn sauce, which requires only a handful of ingredients. The manager then came over, apologised, and said he would speak to the chef and get the sauce. This led me to believe the chef was being difficult and simply didn't want to serve the sauce with anything other than the steak. When my food finally arrived, I was already anxious about the situation. Halfway through my chips, I found a small black hair. I immediately called for the manager, and upon inspection, we found several more black hairs in the bowl of chips. Absolutely disgusting! The manager refunded only that one meal, leaving us with a bill of over £200. We left feeling disgusted and extremely disappointed with the entire experience. If you value good service and cleanliness, I strongly advise you to avoid The Old Windmill in South Hanningfield. Our experience was appalling, and we will not be returning.

Very enjoyable lunchtime meal, excellent service and the food was of a high quality and presented very nicely, we would highly recommend The Old Windmill

Excellent food and drink well served.

We visited for lunch on a Friday afternoon. It was sunny and we chose to sit outside. There are plenty of options outside, with a covered area you can book, or picnic benches that are first come first served. The food was lovely and the bar has a great range.

Have a lovely Sunday lunch Food delicious Friendly staff Great atmosphere Would definitely recommend Thanks to the Old Windmill staff for a great experience

Was a Saturday afternoon. The place was buzzing g but the service was still very good. Food was delicious and not too expensive. We were tempted by the pimms and lemonade. Very well presented. This is a lovely pub with a fab garden, which we ate in. No hesitation I recommending.

Great service,great food, fitted us in even though we didn't book on father's day, really nice to accommodate us..

We ate outside and it was lovely. The food was very good. The service was friendly and quick.

Great place to go for a drink, or for a meal. Some portions are rather large!

A great gluten-free choice on the menu, served with care. The ingredients are evidently high quality and portions generous. Returned because of previous great gluten-free meal, this time bringing another person who is coeliac too. Keep it up!

Gorgeous food and exceptional service. Menu is a bit overpriced.

Amazing food, took nearly an hour just for our starters. Apart from that the place was packed and the staff were really friendly.

Over charged, portions of bread with starter poor although they know but no one cares. 5 spice wings in bowl too small again know but choose to ignore. Staff told us they know also no where to put cutlery on. Salmon with noodles was just salmon with a small side of greenery and 5 small strands of noodles. Not main dish. Burger dry and could not cut

Service was terrible food was bland with no taste waiting & waiting wanted a dessert but couldn’t be bothered to wait bbvvgghhbvcccccvcccccvbhbvcfvvccvbbhhg

Had a fab time here food and drink have always been great and reasonably priced. Also all staff were fab and very welcoming. Great place for food and drinks will definitely be coming back

Great selection of cask ales. Food us always delicious. There is plenty of parking and outside seats too. Idyllic location.

Going for food Sunday on my birthday staff are very welcoming got my favourite cider food looks amazing for what I've seen so very much looking forward