The Duke's Head, Hatfield Broad Oak

THE residents of Hatfield Broad Oak are a lucky bunch! At one end of the High Street lies the Cock Inn and now The Duke’s Head has new proprietors who have turned an ordinary village pub into a delight. One could describe these village eateries as near gastronomic book-ends to the village high street but maybe that’s stretching things a bit! Suffice to say The Duke’s Head is worth the trip to this lovely Essex village.

New proprietors Liz and Justin have revamped the pub into a warm, welcoming eatery serving both locals and those looking for fine pub food and wine. We gather Justin has trained with Marco Pierre White, and seemingly survived (!), and it is he who is responsible for the food. Liz runs front of house and is responsible for the welcoming feel to the pub. Both are South Africans but there’s not a trace of billtong on the menu!

The pub has an attractive bar area, is clearly newly refurbished and has attractive, comfortable seating areas together with a more formal, air conditioned dining room. We visited during lunchtime and the pub was doing comfortable trade which we imagine would increase markedly during the evening. Outside there is ample parking and some attractive seating areas on the patio, and an enclosed grassed, garden area with a ‘wendy house’ for the children.

They clearly cater for families and while we were there a group of young mothers and their babies were enjoying lunch also exemplifying the welcoming nature of the pub.

A pub should be noted for its beers and the Duke’s has a fair selection with a commendable Timothy Taylor’s Landlordbitter, together with other recognised ales and lagers. The wine list is varied with quality to suit most palates and pockets and with a good selection of both ‘new world’ and European wines served by the bottle, and small and large glasses.

They also offered a locally produced Three Squirrels 2007 Brut sparkling wine from the Hazel End vineyard produced by traditional method. Each wine is accompanied by a helpful description regarding taste and aroma. We sampled a fair cross section by the glass and were pleased with our selections.

Food is described as British Colonial, makes use of good local produce including ‘Sweetlands’ sausages and ‘Barston’ rib-eye steak, and is listed on a formal menu with a selection of specials listed on a blackboard above the bar.

All food selections are fairly priced and competitive at around £5 for starters, £10/£12 for main courses and £5 for desserts, with a good selection of hot drinks and dessert wines and digestifs to follow the meal.

We tried the corned beef hash, the chicken leek and mushroom pie and the king prawn spaghetti and all received a strong ‘thumbs up’ both for presentation and flavour. Interestingly there is also a small plates part to the menu for those looking for a light meal, and a menu for the ‘small people’. Thus families are ably catered for, as alluded to in the above.

The proprietors deserve to succeed with this establishment. It has much to offer those looking for a local pub with a warm welcome and good food all served in attractive surroundings by attentive staff.

We are pleased to recommend The Duke’s Head, Hatfield Broad Oak, and award this pub our «««« rating.