The Tilbury, Datchworth, UK

We arrived dead on time for a 7.30pm sitting after a lovely drive through the winding country lanes around this small, scenic Hertfordshire village. We were shown into a tidy room replete with dark flock wallpaper, art, flowers and a wine 'cellar' set into one wall, and seated immediately. That was the only thing that happened immediately. Our room of 36 covers was full. The rest of the pub, with a further 20 covers and a bar, looked busy too. I only saw two waitresses. It took thirty minutes to the first food order. Starter - warm asparagus - was pretty reasonable following 15 minutes later. But then there was a further 30 minutes between starter and mains and a stunning further 30 minutes until dessert (made up of 25 minutes waiting to order but then only five until food). We left at 10 after I lost patience with the waitress ever returning and went into the bar to pay.

During the waits we saw nothing of the staff - no inquiries about whether we needed more drinks, no apologies for the slow service. Clearly both kitchen and serving staff were badly in the weeds tonight but, at the risk of sounding harsh, that's not the concern of diners who are forking up north of £100 for a meal for four, which is definitely on the 'gastro' end of pub prices.


The food at the Tilbury was pretty decent overall as one would expect from chef Paul Bloxham, who has a good rep locally. Not in my opinion however as good as at his other venture, St Albans' The Blue Anchor. Asparagus was well cooked and decently proportioned for a starter. Sausage and mash was very tasty and again, perfectly proportioned, perhaps since, like the asparagus, it was part of a very reasonably priced set menu deal.

Fish and chips was a huge serving with sides of mushy peas and tartar sauce. The fish was delicious and the batter very good. Chips were a thin, American style and a little disappointing that way. Most people could certainly eat this without a starter and consider themselves well fed.

Best of the dishes was a Plate of Pork - roast pork, belly, a single sample of the delicious sausage. This was described as the signature dish of the Tilbury and one can see why - very nicely presented, hearty, well cooked and with just enough creative touches to make it memorable. At this point I was starting to get a little forgiving of the unapologetically tardy service. Just enough to go from 'never again' to 'well, maybe'.

Creme brûlée was a touch over fired with a burnt taste but sticky toffee pudding was a paragon of its kind and well worthwhile (again, a large enough portion to share).

The food at the Tilbury is good there's no doubt, but not consistently so even across the course of one meal. I'd probably have had a second attempt at the creme brûlée before serving it. The service was, on this accounting, poor. A lack of polished touches - the pork dish should really have had some introduction when served - was forgivable in a gastro pub environment, the slow and inattentive service was not. Wisely we were never asked for our opinions on the meal. It will be another long wait before I consider going back.

The Tilbury Watton Road Datchworth, Hertfordshire SG3 6TB