THE KINGS HEAD - The Square, Wickham

Today we continued our theme of revisiting pubs. We went for The Kings Head in Wickham, a five star pub which we had high expectations for. We remembered it as a proper pub selling top quality food, so were keen to see if that was still the case..

We were greeted in precisely the way you would wish to be greeted when entering a really good pub. Made to feel immediately welcome and offered drinks. After collecting said drinks, we were proffered menus and invited to take a table. After taking a seat we were both quite sure that we had ended up on the same table that we had occupied on our last visit. It was conveniently near the specials board, though there wasn't that much on there, perhaps a soup and two mains. The menu read pretty well, though if we were being picky there could have been a bit more choice and seasonality, some good old English comfort food as we head inexorably in to Winter. I chose fish and chips while Dad went for lamb and mint sausages with mash and onion rings.

As we've found with several pubs of late, the pricing was a touch on the steep side. Average mains came in at around £13 and sandwiches, although they were rather posh sandwiches, were between £8 and £9, with chips added for an extra £1. The other thing that struck us was a side order of vegetables at a whopping £3.50, I'd need them to be some pretty good vegetables.

When the food came to visit our table, it was indeed as good as we remembered it. My chips were homemade and delicious and the fish was perfect with crispy batter. The only thing I would change would be the peas. Firstly I would offer mushy peas and secondly, if I provided standard peas I wouldn't put them in a little dish, it makes it quite awkward to eat them. The sausages, mash and onion rings on Dad's plate were all of a high standard and were enjoyed mightily.  Curiously, as we discussed the merits of the pub and its food, we were asked to complete a survey about the pub and its food, that's a first.

This is without doubt a good pub. The pub itself has a good feel about it and also has a substantial garden complete with play area. It also has a separate building out the back with skittles, which is available to hire. As mentioned, the food is of a high standard, though I can't help but be irked by the overpricing. Even so, I would certainly recommend this pub which we also said in our survey. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Wickham and no doubt will someday return.

Atmosphere 8

Service        9

Food           9

Value          7

Verdict        5*

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