The Windmill in Dacorum

under new management from October 2024 so ignore previous reviews it's a great village location we didn't eat here so can't comment good atmosphere

Now been sitting here for 1 hour still awaiting the lunch to turn up. Would understand if it was busy. The pub it self is nice. But the landlord seems to be the only one keeping the place working well. He was out today. And it showed!!!

We took some friends from abroad to this pub as they wanted to visit a typical old English pub and to eat a typical meal and a pint of beer. Unfortunately it was a very disappointing experience. We had to wait an hour for the food to be served, the garlic mushrooms were full of liquid, looked like they had been frozen and not thawed properly, the chips were flavourless and gave the impression they had been reheated. The beer Doombar quickly lost its flavour and became warm while we were waiting so long. My steak and kidney pie was inedible apart from the meat. It appears that day the pub was having an unannounced hygiene inspection which caused the delay. The lady serving us apologised and gave us a small deduction off the bill. Very disappointing introduction to English food and beer for our friends, especially as previous visits to this pub had been fine.

Good value Sunday lunch in a comfortable & old fashioned environment. Good food & service. A leisurely family lunch experience with a nice garden too.

We used to go to this pub many years ago on for a drive out before we were married . Now we live closer we decided to re visit for a bite to eat . Nothing has changed , it’s still the quaint village pub and the food is still proper pub grub and plenty of it . Dave is extremely friendly and we chatted about old times and the people that used to work there when we used to visit . So glad we have returned .

Nice quaint pub, away from the traffic of the common down the road. Service was really lovely and friendly - the man behind the bar was an absolute delight! Good prices - around £9 for a pint of Thatchers and a pint of Strongbow. Lovely beer garden area to enjoy the drinks in, as well as a gorgeous building to snoop around. Sadly, food seemed limited to certain time frames which meant we couldn't eat when we visited, which was a shame as would love to have tried their meals. Maybe next time!

Very cosy pub in a lovely area. Good for walkers. Friendly service and a nice atmosphere. The landlord is a great guy

This pub is perfectly situated for walking the ancient woods then stopping for a pint & some grub. They have a good working social distancing system. The food could not have been anymore perfect. The Ale selection varies and is well kept. They use the TRING brewery as a guest beer which is again is perfect. The Landlord & staff are accommodating & friendly.. A proper pub.

I visited this pub for a catch up with a friend over dinner and a glass of wine. I had not been for a long time but Dave was very welcoming. All staff were friendly and bent over backwards to help. The food was lovely and it was a very relaxed atmosphere. Dave came over to chat and check all was ok. We had a lovely evening and will certainly return soon. Thank you all.

Upon entering the Windmill on a Sunday evening, we were warmly welcomed the lovely landlord Dave, and enjoyed our drinks in the traditional atmosphere. There were some great tunes playing in the background and it was an overall pleasant experience. Thanks Dave!

Found this wonderful pub today at lunchtime for a family get together for my daughter's birthday. The staff were so helpful and friendly and the food was great. We had such a lovely time and would HIGHLY recommend it. Thank you Dave and team. The Pinder family :).

We have visited this pub a few times before the COVID lockdown and have always found the welcoming atmosphere, delicious food and setting a delight after a walk in the woods opposite. Now serving takeaways, the food is just a tasty and we’re really looking forward to when it can open officially again. Our favourite pub in the local area to visit.

Lovely roast lunch. Potatoes were crispy & fluffy and all food hot. Nice idea to offer larger or smaller plate although smaller plate was definitely not small! Offered sauces automatically that went with particular meat. Great service too, friendly & got introduced to the pub cat.

Often visit the windmill for Sunday lunch,great little country pub very charming,nice food and a good pint,garden at rear lovely in the summer,dogs welcome

It's quirky; it's cosy; it's friendly; it's unpretentious; it's a pub still in the 20th century. But do you know what ? It's lovely. The landlord is a workaholic & everything revolves around him, yet it still works fine. I went for a pre-booked lunch with a walking group of 23. Whilst we all sat in three different areas as there is no real dining room, it was still very pleasant. Service was a bit disjointed as the food came out in dribs & drabs, but it was service with a smile & nobody seemed to mind. Both main courses & desserts were very nice (and there was plenty of it) ! Together with coffee it was an exceptional value-for-money meal. Also, they had a choice of 3 draught bitters on tap & I found this most pleasing !

I love this little pub. Dave the landlord is lovely, always friendly and accommodating. The menu is limited but the food is always excellent quality. Drinks very reasonable and at this time of year Dave goes to town with the Christmas décor! You can enjoy an eclectic playlist - unless there is something sporty on the TV of course. And if you're lucky you'll get to meet Windy the cat. 100% recommend.

Out and about on Bank Holiday Monday came across windmill by chance so popped in for drink about 1pm very busy but ordered sandwiches they were slow but clearly landlord underextermated Volume of people sat outside in front will be back to try menue

Limited menu but delicious and plentiful. Service good. It’s a bit small for a restaurant but is worth the crack. Dave the landlord is nearly always on sight and is a real character.

Had great Sunday lunch here today, we booked as know it can be busy at times. Basic menu, but great food and good old fashioned pub. Love it here in the summer too, great for sitting out in the garden and lovely woods to stroll around after your meal.

A rather quaint olde worlde or old fashioned pub for locals. All the locals were male on our visit, and there was plenty of loud and friendly banter going round. The locals are very approachable and friendly, but the smokers by the door, the loud male camaraderie, the sport on the TV, and the cluttered state of the place is not for everyone. I expect the atmosphere could be different on a different visit, and in many ways I preferred this pub to the Two Brewers. If I was walking in the woods by myself or with male friends, I would 100% come here rather than the Brewers (better beer choice, and a feeling of authenticity), but if I was with my family or a female companion, I would use the Brewers (more sedate and relaxed atmosphere).

Always a very warm welcome and I've been coming here on occasions for well over 30 years and the whole pub including the outgoing atmosphere has not changed one little bit.You can come in and talk/crack a joke with the locals and landlord while you're quietly relaxing and listening to gently played music. This pub was in an episode of Midsomer Murders too. I look forward to quaffing a decent pint especially by the fireplace. The interior has not changed much eitherThere is a menu which has a reasonable choice to choose from along with well kept drinks. The cat - Windy. - is a beautiful tabby cat who is the jewel in the pub

Met up with a few friends for a couple of pints, and as we hadn't been in the Windmill for a good few years, we thought we'd give it a try - well it hasn't changed.

Lovely little pub ...greeted warmly from other locals...lovely Sunday lunch,great value...Will definatly come back

Have been here many times, great for meeting with friends on a sunny day, situated beside Chipperfield common. With sociable staff, good pub grub and cask beer (plus other drinks) we enjoyed it very much and very reasonably priced, hopefully we will go there again soon.

We went to The Windmill for lunch as part of a group and enjoyed it. Roast Turkey was good, although the stuffing was pretty dry and my wife had a piece of string that held the roast together in her Turkey. The delivery of meals to the group was a little uneven. Overall, it was fine but not spectacular.

The beer garden at the back is a very nice setting in and amongst the tress, flowers and shrubbery. A good place to stop for drinks after a thirst-inducing walk in the country.

The pub is truly lovely, there's a fair choice of beers and most other drinks are available. The dining area is very nice but for us, we felt very let down by the food even though it was a simple meal.

I think it's really important to support local businesses when you can. We have a 10 month old baby so the last couple of weeks we've been picnicking on Chipperfield common around 5/6 and then going for a long walk through the woods to the cart and horses then the windmill for a drink in each before heading home.

I ordered the recommended crab salad - Awful. The salad consisted of 1 chopped iceberg lettuce leaf - 1 segment of tomato- diced yellow and red pepper - onion slices. My son Chose ham and eggs with peas and chips - just one egg peas over cooked my husband had roast beef and didn't have any complaints. The best thing about the experience was the gorgeous weather we were able to eat in the garden - we will not return

We dropped in for a eveniong mean after watching the cricket on the green. Good selection, quick service.

Nice meal had here, over the weekend. Roast was nice and well done with all the trimmings. Good service and choice of food and drinks, Will come again.

So nice to find a real pub serving really good homemade food . A real old fashioned pup.i will go back .

Walked across fields on a lovely spring evening with the wife and popped into the windmill for a pint of Reverend James, cute little individual bottle of prosecco, glass of rioja, garlic mushrooms and a tasty steak and kidney pudding. Set me up for the trek home.

Good beer, good food, nice back room where they play the rugby. Classic coaching house style. What more can you ask for?

Great pub with real food and excellent beer we have been using this pub for some years david mine host makes you very welcome

Hemos hecho una reserva para el domingo, que ha sido presentado con excelente comida y servicio. Siempre popular debido a la cocina casera y una excelente relación calidad-precio. Una buena selección de vinos y cervezas, y un bonito jardín con mesas de picnic para los días de verano.

I paid for our drinks at the bar only to find them added to our food bill again later which was a bit disconcerting l, i didn't pay twice.Same man was serving too.

Went on a Sunday in October 2016. Roast dinners were horrendous, over cooked veg, cold and congealed gravy and the meal had the overall taste of a school dinner from the 80's. When this was brought to the attention of the staff, the cook clearly didn't understand the first thing about customer service (or cooking) and even tried to argue, involving other members of the party I was with. Felt unwelcome from entering to leaving and wouldn't go back if you paid me.

This pub serves excellent pub food at a fair price and in a safe and warm environment, the pub is located on Chipperfield Common with excellent views over the common it has its own car park and further parking spaces are available near by

Couldn't ask for Better, great Pub, Landlord and Landlady very nice, food very tasty and good variety, if you want a quiet friendly pub the the windmill is for you can't fault it, service is quick, food served on hot plates,

Wow. So pleased we stumbled on this supurb country pub. The atmosphere was awesome. Superb food and beer. Very highly recommended.

If you want a proper pub this is where you need to go Had a fantastic evening on a quiet enough Sunday night - really relaxing lovely atmosphere and well kept beers.Will definitely return and try the food next time.

Must be instilled into regulars, not to acknowledge or make visitors to the area welcome, we needed a drink so just copied the regulars and ignored them

Fabulous selection of breakfast items, all cooked to order and traditionally served. We went for breakfast on a Sunday, great value. My daughter even had chicken nuggets for brekkie!,

So we planned to stop here while out on a long walk, after seeing the positive reviews on here. The windmill is a traditional country pub serving a good range of pub grub at reasonable prices. The landlord was very welcoming and chatty as were the other customers sitting at the bar. I had the pork pie salad and husband the hunters chicken. All good, generous portions, a tasty simple meal. Lovely location, the frontage could do with a tidy up but we'd go again and would recommend for an everyday lunch or dinner. Probably not for special occasions though.

Visited last week. Myself and a friend who are both CAMRA members like the pub as the beer is always very well kept. We particularly like rev James by Brains that is currently on tap . The landlord Dave is very friendly and the place has some eccentric charm. It hasn't changed for many years. Don't normally eat but this time we had a light lunch. Scampi and breaded mushrooms. It was simple but good. I did note the comment below but it is easy to check the hygiene standard of a place and no need to publicly guess. Normally clearly displayed at establishment or check food standards agency website. The Windmill has top rating of 5 stars at moment.

Sun was shining and it was time to visit somewhere new for a pub lunch. Looking at reviews the Windmill was chosen. This was our first visit and I'm afraid it will be our last. The landlord was a character and this was refreshing to see, he was the best thing about the Windmill, if only the food and the quality of the beer matched his level. Being very generous, the food was not even average, my steak and kidney pudding was hard from being kept in the oven too long, no soft suet pudding for me, nor any rich thick gravy just a bog standard instant type which was a pity as the veg was cooked well. My leader had the dressed crab with salad and new potatoes. Again nothing to sing about. It consisted of one of the most boring salads you could produce but the new potatoes where top class.The pub was generally grubby being in dire need of a good clean. What always concerns me because if the front of house is a tag suspect hygiene wise then generally the back of house i.e. the kitchen is normally worse.All in all a disappointment.

An attractive village pub with very friendly staff and good,wholesome pub food. Very reasonably priced and a reasonable menu, just right for a stopover after a ramble or country walk and perfect for a little drive out to Chipperfield Common for a relaxing meal. Always busy on a Sunday and advisable to book.

Came for lunch on Friday. Thai fish cakes and a dressed crab - Homemade, tasty and very fresh. Followed by blackberry & apple crumble with custard and a couple of luxurious ice cream creations. Very good, honest pub food.Washed down with some well kept Doom Bar. Really enjoyed ourselves.Were made to feel very welcome by the excellent Landlord - clearly takes real pride in his pub and it really shows.We will definitely be back.

Don't go here if you have time constraints ... but if you want a laid back, relaxed meal with slow service , this is the pub for you. The staff are really friendly and make you feel welcome. The beer garden looks lovely and the Real Ale was only £3 a pint . A traditional village pub that hasn't changed for years.

Thoroughly enjoyed our lunch with an interesting choice of dishes on the menu. Good value, good service, we would definitely go again. Very nice little pub.

Booked at the last minute for Sunday lunchGreeted by really friendly staff who offered a choice of table Full choice of roasts available Was busy but didn't have to wait long for our dinner to arrive It was very well cooked with a good selection of seasonal vegetables Will definitely be going back soon and will recommend to my family and friends

We visited the windmill for mothers day. The service was great and so was the food. I had the vegetarian sausages and Yorkshires with veg. My family had the roast dinners and my brother had the fish. All dinners came up really nice and well presented and we all had great puddings too with yummy sticky toffee pudding and crumbles. Would go back:)

what a lovley little village pub with lots of beautiful flowers outside great real ale and good food

Great pub food served in a nice environment at a reasonable price, the windmill also serves a choice of cask ales which were all very well kept

Took my sister who is over from Tasmania to Chipperfield for a walk and dropped in for a coffee. Lovely place and very friendly service. Also the food going past looked very appetising - definitely worth a visit

We start here booked table was not ready until 30mins late, then we get 10 min later to ask if we need more drinks we then ordered food only to wait 45 mins for starters 5 prawns in a tea cup ! Then another 45 mins for main which was in my opinion worthless been under heat lamp for probably 40 of those mins did not bother with desert as by this time I was falling asleep over all below average food and on high price just to say we have been going here for years but will not be returing soon untill I here improvement has happened

Came here for dinner on Saturday night. I had fish cakes that were tasty. My husband had the mixed grill which was good quality meat with the exception of the sausage. Atmosphere is traditional pub and the other diners were all a bit older and obviously regulars. They also serve a good pint of real ale.

Dave runs the place. Been here years. Has been used as a Midsomer Murders location. All very laid back, and you might have a bit of a wait for your meal, but it's worth it for the home cooked food - and great value.

Visited this pub restaurant in February 2015. There were no staff to take orders it seems the landlord was doing this plus serving at the bar plus cooking the food . Not a comfortable experience and as the weather was cold we needed to keep our coats on. Landlord was rushed and trying to do everything was not good

This was a visit to remember- turned up as a large group- man behind bar pointed out we should have called ahead in the morning even though we didn't know we would be coming! Anyway we seated ourselves fine, food arrived quickly and was tasty. Michel behind the bar was a character - seemed flustered at our arrival but managed well! Talked highly of what the menu had to offer and was very friendly indeed!

great pub , fabulous food ( plenty of choices ) and its run by a very nice landlord ( dave ) definitely worth a visit

I went there a couple of weeks ago and it was just as it was the last time - 40 years ago when I was in my 20's. An original English pub in a delightful village, complete with cricket green, in SW Herts. The only change was that is sells food - not bad and a fair price. Friendly (same staff as last time as well) with good ales.

We live nearby and visit occasionally, if you're after a real country pub experience this is it, the manager is...er...a character.In summer they have a Morris men 'dance off'...say no more !

The windmill is an old fashioned pub hidden away in a lovely village. The landlord is very welcoming and looks like he is running around at a thousand miles per hour as he couldn't be more helpful to everyone who goes in there.He serves the most delicious Sunday roast and i cannot rate this pub highly enough.Very good value for money and nice to get a home cooked meal without it tasting like it came out of the freezer.The bonus is the beautiful countyside all around it

The Windmill is one of our local village pubs and my husband and myself recently enjoyed a good old down to earth lunch there. David, the landlord, is a very pleasant chap and serves you as fast as he can. There are not many old fashioned pubs left, but the Windmill is one of them and it is in a lovely location right opposite Chipperfield common.

Value for money, you get what you pay for, basic good old fashioned pub.Pub darts during the week, Sunday lunch always booked so make sure you book in advance. Well worth a visit.

We visited The Windmill for lunch with friends last Thursday having booked a table beforehand as we know this pub gets very busy. The barman (and I believe owner), Dave, was extremely welcoming and showed us to our table and went through the various options of specials and daily menu. We sat down at 12.30 p.m. and by 1 p.m. the inside area was full. We all had something different and thoroughly enjoyed our meals. We shall certainly be going back as this is a good old fashioned pub serving hearty, well priced food. Suggest you book to avoid disappointment.

If you want an overpriced, microwave meal served by a very rude land lady, this is the pub for you!!

Had a nice meal here. They fitted us in at last minute and couldn't have been more frienldy and helpful. They have two sizes of roast normal and large but also offered to a smaller one for the children. Veg was just right for me, not mushy or too hard, roast potatoes were loevly and the new potatoes perfect. My treacle sponge and custard was spot on. Garden looked nice and not overcrowded even on a sunny Sunday. Handy for a walk to stroll of the dinner in the woods at Chipperfield. Will deifintely be back. You will not go home hungry and bloke that runs it was a decent chap.

Looking for somewhere nice to get the family together to celebrate my birthday I decided on going here for the what was reported to be a wonderful Sunday lunch.......oh no this was not the case, after waiting for all meals to be served taking at least 15 minuets from the first to the last of 8 to find string in the meat, the crackling on the pork not even a crackle on a few of them just rind and some of the vegetables still needing cooking. Needless to say we did not stay for a desert and then to top it all I had the embarrassment of having to ask my guest for money to help get the bill paid as they couldn't except card payment due to their machine not working. All in all ......I won't be going there again!!!!!

This pub offers traditional food served in a pub environment the beer is always well kept and the prrice offers good value for money

Haven't been here for years, but our recent visit reminded us of what a traditional British pub should be like. A great atmosphere, friendly landlord and great traditional pub grub. The menu offered the usual sandwiches, toasted, jacket potatoes, scampi, lasagne, ham,egg&chips etc. freshly cooked chips...then the usual puddings, filter coffee with refills, good beers.Great value and unpretentious. Didn't sit outside, but there is a garden in summer.

I've been to this pub many times over the years as I'm a local. It is a very popular place and serves a great Sunday roast lunch, as well as many lovely dinner items. It is a small pub run as a family operation, so that must be taken into account. Very good, nearly gourmet, food especially for a place this size. It's certainly worth a try for anyone local, and there are some really lovely walks to start from here to local villages and down the Chess river valley.

In need of a pub lunch near Watford (taking son, daughter and boyfriend out for Sunday lunch) and not being locals, we used the internet to find this delightful, proper, English pub. The food was traditional English fayre, plentiful, with fresh veg and well-cooked (pork crackling superb). The atmosphere in the pub was friendly; the other customers, seemingly locals, were enjoying their meals, too. The ales on offer were also good. We would happily recommend this to anyone seeking a wholesome meal in a traditional setting. Ian E

We are regular visitors and really enjoy the roast pork on a Sunday. The rhubarb crumble is great too!! The Doom Bar beer is also recommended. All the staff are friendly and even remember to treat our dog with a biscuit each visit! There is a very pretty garden to sit out in.

Took my father out for his birthday with my mother and friends after having read the reviews and I have to say that I was completely disappointed with everything, not only did I have to pretty much take my own wine order but also had to wait over an hour to be fed(with 3 kids under 6) and the roast beef was like eating my leather sandals!!!! I don't know if we were unlucky that day but I shall never be returning there again!!!!

I'm from Australia... was in the Uk in May and visited the Windmill. The food and service was brilliant. the owner / operator or maybe the waiter - I'm not sure... but he was very attentive. i was catching up with relatives and had left behind some old, valued photos.... and the owner had gone above and beyond to let me know before I left the country. So kind. I'd go back for a beer any day.... Loved the pub. Loved the atmosphere.

A friend treated my wife and I to a very nice lunch. As it was a Monday, it was not overly busy and we were able to eat in thee restaurant end. The land lord was very attentive and knew our hostess as she eat there fairly regularly. There was good choice of food for starters, main course and sweets.including a specials board. None of us had a starter and we all choose a different main course. Attention to detail was good as I requested "no onion" on my accompanying salad and it was duly served with extra peppers which I had been offered. We must recommend the bread and butter pudding with custard which just disappeared from the plates. If you like traditional food served in a traditional country pub the Windmill is a must for you. We will be back soon.

This restaurant is a nice quaint pub with lots of character and reminded us of how pubs used to be. Food was good and received consistently friendly service.I am surprised at previous quite personal reviews....looks like a vendetta to me.

I am afraid I too must agree with the comments from 530Lub and myopinion83.my wife and I popped in for lunch recently hoping it would be a new and differant place for us to have lunch (as we are local)...The barman rather oddly, looked like he had just rolled out of bed, we ordered our food and waited ...and waited ...during this time we looked at the God awful decor and tacky paintings and it dawned on us that we had made a huge mistake. When the food eventually arrived by the same barman/owner? we noticed his blackened filthy fingernails...my wife felt sick...Note to this man... WASH YOUR HANDS MAN. YOU ARE SERVING FOOD. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT??? Anyway back to the food...My wife picked at her obviously not very fresh, flacid salad pitifully and I made an attempt to eat the mix grill. I could still taste the old cooking oil in my mouth hours after. In the end we gave up and left swiftly.The sad thing about this is that with so many pubs 'going under' by the week, this one continues undeservedly to operate.No way will we ever chance that place again, unless of course a clean new management has been put in place.

We visited the Windmill for Sunday lunch and had a lovely time. The pub is approx. 5 mins walk away from the Two Brewers near the common in Chipperfield and there is parking outside.We didn’t know what to expect, having read the mixed reviews, however a friend recommended it and I have to say, the service and food was great. The landlord is a little eccentric and the service certainly isn’t fast paced. However, if you want a relaxed lunch with traditional home cooked food (certainly not cordon bleu – go to the Bricklayers if you are a foodie!!), then the Windmill is great.The staff really try hard to make their customers welcome, there is lots of traditional beer to try (particularly popular with my husband!) and the atmosphere is friendly and buzzy.I would definitely return & it’s 100% better than my recent poor experience at the Two Brewers.

Uniquely, unpretentious pub in beautiful countryside. Retains old worlde charm and idiosyncracies with good basic food. No horrible distractions like fruit machines or tv. You have to make your own amusements by conversation. Not hard with a friendly landlord who strives to do all he can to make the visit/ meal enjoyable.For a glimpse of what we are sadly losing in terms of pubs becoming coporatised, not to mention any other pubs of course, do come here. It feels more like a local, a pub that is truely part of a community than others.The cuisine is down to earth but goodish.

I live within a short walk of the Windmill and visit from time to time and sometimes eat there. none of the reviews I have read greatly surprise me, it is a small local style pub and does not attract much passing trade due to position, you need to know it's there.it retains a healthy tradition in that a number of working locals drink there, unlike many food dominated pubs, so please respect that it is a place for beer where you can eat, and for sure the beer is kept well and is good. Currently they have Doom Bar (I think it is!) and it's 10/10.Yes, the whole place and owners are a bit eccentric, it's one of the joys. but they try 100% and really if you start ordering brie tarts on a this or that bed, probably you would be better off at the Grove or somewhere a £80 per head+.Stick to Englsh food in the English pub, a pie or fish, and if you order a steak it's big enough and always seems cooked right - I ask for 'pink' and it's been spot on.It's not haut cuisine but it's filling and sensible prices.I can't speak for those who said they got different vegetable sets on their roasts, except to say relax and it's all part if the fun!

Have tried most of the pubs for food in this area and would say is by far the best. What you receive is not comparable if not better food but a warm and personal service, the Bricklayers down the road is overpriced, pretentious and pretty awful, the Two Brewers is just plain rude and like a chain pub, only the Green Dragon stands out with its Thai cuisine. So of all the eating houses in this zone for English Food and service I give it 5 stars!!

What a find! I had been told by friends that this was a lovely place to go for Sunday lunch and they weren't wrong. There seem to be few such English country pubs like this left these days (it has a real fire and a few small rooms rather than one big one) so it was great to find the Windmill. The landlord and landlady and other staff were really friendly and welcoming, and the (huge!) traditional Sunday lunch - with rhubarb crumble for pudding - was one of the best I've had at a brilliant price (we had lunch and drinks and the bill was less than £20 each). Windmill - don't change a thing!

I'm afraid I must whole heartedly support the views of 530LuB having been part of the experience traumatically and accurately recalled in the previous review. Let me start by saying I in no way take pleasure from potentially driving custom away from any business, particularly one where the owner/landlord appeared very committed and passionate; that said you can't ignore the food, which is what I'm rating here. The food was.... genuinely, appalling - my roast was dry with some overcooked veg and to summarise, more disappointing than a car break down, in the middle of nowhere, in the rain, in Wales, without phone reception. Beyond that though was the fact that the roasts all came out with different types of veg/gravy, I fully appreciate that service in a small pub for a large group can cause timing issues which is why we ordered separately so at least a few people could eat together - sadly for The Windmill, I, and I suspect most other customers don't believe that the size of your pub should dictate the quality of your food, maybe your timing, but your ability to put the right stuff on the plate? – Negative. This is without even getting to the afore mentioned tart - disgusting doesn't even do it justice, two slices of brie over a clearly second hand left over monstrosity certainly will go down in culinary history as one of the worst things I have ever seen. In conclusion I can only suggest "HLEngland"'s review belongs to the owner, I need not point out the specific faux pas in their submission to justify this accusation I will leave it to you to decide whether you risk the food.... PS - On the plus side there is a bar....just don't expect to get served quickly, and not because it's busy....

I can only assume that the person whose review appears above must have got the wrong pub - or had expectations way beyond what a small country pub can offer. The Windmill serves one of the best Sunday lunches in the area, the service is always efficient and friendly and the beers well kept. I have eaten there several times and have never had a bad experience - however, I am sure that if a complaint were to be voiced, then the staff would deal with it at once. It seems somewhat unfair to me that 10 people should turn up at a small village pub, expect to be served within minutes, and then write a damning review (seemingly without even telling the staff that they were unhappy.)

I can only conclude that the previous glowing reviews were either posted by the owners of The Windmill or that this pub has changed hands since they were written. A group of us were in the village for a wedding and visited for Sunday lunch and had THE most disappointing meal I have ever had the misfortune of paying for.The staff were friendly but very eccentric and ditzy (one of the waiting staff asked my friend Ian to spell his name 6 times when he ordered his food and still spelt it wrong - not that they needed to take our names as we were the only ones in the restaurant), the whole ordering process for 10 people took about half an hour. I won't go into too much detail about how awful the food was, but I ordered a brie and caramelised onion tart which arrived and was clearly something quite different which had been fished out of the freezer containing a grey mush with a lot of sweetcorn and broccoli and a token slice of brie which looked like it had been added as an afterthought. It was completely inedible. I wish I had taken a picture as it looked just as disgusting as it sounds.I would have complained and asked for something else but unfortunately all the rest of the food coming out of the kitchen was equally as dire. Each person who ordered a roast got different things on their plate (some were missing potatoes, some missing veg etc) but whatever they got it wasn't good. The owner recommended the roast pork as they'd 'been up since 7am cooking it' - which goes a long way in explaining why it was so dry....Please please I beg you, don't ever go here. It really is awful - so terrible in fact that it was actually quite a comedy experience.

Am embarrassed to admit having lived less than 10 miles from this pub for 25 years, and never knew it even existed until last summer. As a rather feeble defence, shall point out there are three pubs strung out along the principle North-South road through the village (all of which have had my custom on odd occasions) and never struck me there might be another rather hidden on the fringes of Chipperfield along an obscure side road.It is quite an appealing white-washed hostelry, bedecked with masses of hanging baskets, a couple of tables out at the front by the road, a car park, and a very large pleasant beer garden at the rear.The first thing that struck was the greeting from landlord and landlady (Dave and Dawn if memory serves - apologies if incorrect), so friendly and welcoming. Although we were technically too late for food, and the kitchen was just closing down, they couldn't have been more helpful, saying we could select whatever we wanted and it would be sorted - which it was. And this for a couple of customers they had seen for the first time ever a few minutes previously. Food is wholesome, in the 'pub-grub' style.The pub is Greene King, but thankfully there's a guest ale offered.This is an old-fashioned establishment, with old-fashioned values of hospitality, and excellent for it.

If there were annual awards for ‘the most friendly pubs’ The Windmill would run out of wall space! Whilst looking for a local place in West Hertfordshire for a business lunch, my colleague and I found The Windmill tucked away near the Common at Chipperfield. Owner Dave was the perfect landlord and host, looking after everyone with friendly attention. Dave set us up on a double corner table to provide space for our business papers and luncheon to follow. As we were the first to arrive, this cosy traditional English village pub was quiet for a while and then filled with a mix of regulars and local passers-by over the lunchtime period. In addition to an impressive range of ales, the Windmill offers an excellent choice of traditional home cooked food from a chalk board menu – I particularly enjoyed (and strongly recommend) the steak & kidney pudding with fresh vegetables – delicious and great value for money.Externally there is seating outside the frontage together with a beer garden at the rear; the pub is only a short walk from the common where summer cricket takes place and enjoyable walks may be enjoyed on the common and surrounding woods.I have since returned with family and friends, all of whom thoroughly enjoyed their visit to The Windmill, as I did, the day I found this hidden treasure in Chipperfield!