The best restaurants serving British food in East of England

Lovely food, lovely people especially Danny behind the bar ....everything was spot on

Two groups from Watford & District U3A enjoyed lunch this week. We encountered a vast menu at very reasonable prices & enjoyed both the Festive & Value meals. Good sized portions that were well cooked. Andy was particularly attentive throughout. We especially liked sitting at a round table. Highly recommended for older people who want to meet up for lunch.

We are very fortunate to eat out quite frequently. This was my first visit to The Paper Mills, but we have found that the best pubs/restaurants are those where 1) the food is interesting (most places do good food these days, but a place that just does fish and chips and burgers is not as noteworthy as one where the chef has gone the extra mile - not knocking fish and chips - have it frequently - but like to have the choice) 2) the staff are interested (human beings who have personality and clearly enjoy their job and make you welcome) 3) the ambience makes it a fun place to visit Well, the Paper Mills excels in all three. A fab “manager” (?) who couldn’t have made us more welcome, a really interesting menu (with the best Roast Lamb I have had for a very long time), and a welcoming for our dog, our 2-year old Granddaughter and heavily pregnant daughter. And the pub itself is lovely - the football was on the TV (but not in an intrusive way), the log burner was roaring, and it was just a lively place, but still perfect for a family Mothers Day lunch. We will be back - top drawer in every department!

We come to the half moon for a meal with our 3 children regularly, the restaurant and pub itself has a lovely atmosphere, great food prices along with generously portioned plates. Lisha, Nina and Lisa was the girls serving today and they was all smiley and polite. All the the girls that work here should be praised for the 5* service, thank you all!

Lots of bad reviews for the evening but as I dont go there in the evening I cant comment. However I do go there for lunch on occasion. The food is good, ok it's not 5* Gourmet but it's good. The prices are excellent on both the food and drinks. Its warm and comfortable and the waitresses are friendly.

After last years fiasco with Christmas lunch where we sat down late received the wrong starters had to ask for our desserts and then being asked to have the coffee with dessert as they needed the table back , we thought we would try again because surely after going in and talking to the manager about what had happened and being reassured that would never happen again we said that everyone deserved a second chance!! So after going in to pay the balance in November to be told that our sit down time had changed from 3pm to 12 noon as there must of been a mistake and could not be changed we agreed and rearranged our plans then a week before Christmas had a phone call to say they had lost our menu order could we do it again which we did ! On Christmas Day we arrived at 11.50 with I should think another 200 people all at the same time taking our children into the play area to be told staff would be popping in and out !!! Sat down on time 👍 12 o clock nice table 👍 then waited 40 minutes for our pre booked food to then have to go up and ask for it finally it arrived. After the starters which were nice then had an hour wait in the queue for our carvery , both carvery’s open but only one poor chef serving both . Finally sat down with mains which again was very nice . Again after the main had to wait for dessert and coffee was brought with dessert and no mince as noted on menu . Coffee cold and people waiting for the next sitting 🫣 . Having worked in the industry surely a staggered seating would have avoided all the above. Goes without saying never again .

Visited The Crown last night for a Birthday Dinner celebration. This Country Pub, Restaurant is going from strength to strength since it was taken over by by Lucy and Darryl. From the minute you approach the Thatched building with its beamed interior, you feel as though you have walked into a country cottage living room. Comfortable chairs, relaxed ambience, well stocked bar and a changing menu including fish, steaks, veg, vegan, and a little from afar. It’s always nice to have something with a different twist! Plenty of spacious tables in both front bars and a long atmospheric restaurant behind the bar. If you haven’t visited yet, put it on your eating out list, I don't think you will be dissapointed with the welcome, the friendly staff or the good food.

Went to this pub this week. Worst food I've ever had anywhere, gammon, egg and chips, gammon was so overdone you could have used it to repair your shoe sole, egg was hard, chips were cheap frozen ones, if someone can't cook a simple meal like this they shouldn't be calling themselves a chef. Plus there was no heating on in the pub whatsoever, it was absolutely freezing like sitting in a freezer, so we gave the food back and left the pub to go elsewhere, just down the road, it was warm, festive and had a really good meal. Will never go again to Maids Head again!.

We booked a table for 14 people for a Sunday lunch. The meal was absolutely delicious, plenty of it so tasty. The staff were efficient and the service was excellent. The place was very busy and to caterer for 14 diners in one sitting is no mean feat. All the food was served quickly and hot . Thank you all the staff

Booked table for 4 for birthday dinner, after a recomendatio. no greeter to show us where our table was, tried to asked a waitress who was too busy to stop, bingo going on as well as loud music, not a great start, barman showed us table in the end, who was helpful throughout re allegies etc. I had the steak and venison pie which was good, the same couldn't be said of the veg, which appeared to have been left under a heat lamp too long and was rubbery, you could pick the mash up in one lump but what was really disappointing was dogs yapping and barking throughout. why are dogs allowed in restaurant. First visit, won't be returning.

Looking forward to warm friendly pub for a casual drink/meal. Walked into a morgue, no heating, all three fires unlit, radiators cold, empty apart from staff, obviously didn't stay for food. Sadly another pub about to bite the dust. Would give no stars if it was possible

On our way to a festival in little hadham. We booked table late but were accommodating. Had a roast dinner and our was so tasty. I had beef, my wife had lamb. The guy, I assume was the manager was attentive and polite. Very good at his job. Definitely will be back

I certainly don’t recommend this place if you’re looking for somewhere with a warm, welcoming atmosphere! A distinct lack of heating and a fire that resembled a candle, combined with the abrupt attitude of the lady behind the bar, resulted in a cold, atmosphere-less lunch. Fortunately the food was ok and the cheery male staff made it slightly better- she could take lessons from him in terms of customer service.

Jordan's mill used to be a lovely, friendly place to visit. Summer was a good time to go as the outside seating area is stunning and overlooks the stream. However, over the years, the service and atmosphere has steadily declined. We enjoy going out regularly for a coffee and a snack, and used to love visiting Jordan's café, but sadly, not any more. They change their seating plan with regularity, so you are never sure what the set up will look like the next time you visit. The vibe amongst the staff is not good and they give no sign that they actually enjoy their job. What has been most disappointing for us however, and has lead to us choosing to go elsewhere, is the coffee and the elderly member of staff that serves it. The coffee is often warm at best and you never receive a full cup. I have often been tempted to complain at what I perceived to be short measures, as the coffee level is always some distance away from the top of the cup. This particular member of staff can be very abrupt, surely and rude if you she takes a dislike to you. She also has an attitude that implies we should be grateful that she sees fit to serve us at all. A real shame.

We walked into Dereham on a Wednesday evening for a bite. No life in other pubs, so we decided on the Romany Rye for the first time. The place is very pleasant inside with friendly staff and a buzzing atmosphere. Yes, it is a Wetherspoon, so you know what you get, but the food and drinks were very good. The crowd is an interesting mix of older and younger people.