The Black Bull Inn Balsham

The Sunday roast was superb, with all the trimmings, and the ice cream afterwards was lovely. We hadn’t eaten here for a while, so booked lunch. We were given a warm welcome, and all the staff were friendly and attentive.

The staff were lovely and the Adnams lager was really good, but the food was mediocre at best. We came for Sunday lunch because of the place’s reputation and our past dining experience. I learned to check recent reviews before booking, although I only looked after we’d eaten and found a couple of negative ones from that month. I’m afraid I’ve added to them. My husband’s jerk chicken starter was unlike any jerk chicken I’ve had. It came in a sauce, and the meat was tough and dry. I had salt fish fritters with a Thai-style sauce and mousse. It looked good, but tasted bland and underseasoned. It seemed to me they may have been cooked before service and reheated, though I could be doing them an injustice. The sauce lacked zing or freshness, and the mousse didn’t work. We both had roasts for the main. My husband chose pork and I chose beef. They warned me there was very little beef left, and I said pork would be fine instead if there wasn’t enough. The small amount of beef I got was lovely, but rather than serving me pork as I’d offered, they put a piece of pork on top of my beef. My husband’s pork was collar, a cut I’ve only bought as gammon or boiling bacon. It didn’t work well as a roast, and I asked if it was slow-cooked. They said they’d ask, but no one came back to tell me. It seemed like a cheap cut, and not a good one for a roast dinner. The gravy was gloopy, the cauliflower cheese was buried under roast carrots and parsnips, and the Yorkshire pudding was dry. We left very unimpressed after paying almost £100 for the two of us.

We had a family meal for 14. The atmosphere was OK, but it was definitely a bit chilly inside.

Brilliant food, polite staff, and a lovely place. I’ve been here tons of times and never regretted it. Every meal’s been great. Best pub.