The British say pubs are so much more than a restaurant and so much more than a bar and I completely agree.
I prefer pubs outside London though, in the English countryside – beautifully old fashion but with nice modern food, hidden somewhere in the middle of nowhere, no rash, no stress, just long Saturday mornings reading your papers and sipping cappuccinos and bloody marys… Pubs are great British institutions and I can bet no real Briton can be truly happy without their local pubs.
I am not British but I like to spend a nice time in a good pub and coincidently, two I like most belong to the same person – they must have found a winning formula for me.
The Old Mill in Berkhamstead I have already recommended as the best place for Pimms and lemonade on this blog. Nice and quirky with beautiful little garden at the canal it offers really good food the whole day. It’s perfect for just a drink at a bar, to share few nibbles with your friends or for a romantic dinner. I used to take there all my European guests to show them something truly British, traditional with a modern twist.
Its sister pub, the White Horse in Harpenden, has the same charm and lazy, quite atmosphere. I love going there on a sunny Saturday afternoon to sit outside and play few rounds of rummy. It’s old, cosy, snobbish and friendly at the same, just a place you need where you are not sure what you are in a mood for. Harpenden is a pretty little town itself – I like strolling around it in early autumn.
If you are in a mood for a long autumn walk far from the city check our Grand Union Canal route from Apsley to Berkhamstead and you will be able to enjoy few more country pubs on the way.
Old Mill, London Road, Berkhamsted HP4 2NB, UK, +44 1442 879590
Open from 10:00am till midnight every day
White Horse, Redbourn Lane, Hatching Green, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JP, UK, +44 1582 469290
Food and the City 