The Cock - Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire

The journey from London to the East Midlands via the M11/A14 is not one that I would compare to Highway 1 down the west coast of America or even The Amalfi Coast in Italy. Its flat, boring and full of juggernauts cutting you up every 5 seconds. Alas, today I discovered a quintessential little English village with a beautiful pub to note, which is well worth paying a visit and only a mile off of the main road.

The village is basically one long street with a few little roads darting off. Towards one end is the Great Ouse River where one can walk the toe path. There's a gorgeous view of the church from this corner and the surrounding countryside. Anyway, to the pub. Apart from a dog being a man's best friend, The Good Pub Guide runs a very close second. Rarely does it fail me and today was no exception. This is the hostelry...
http://www.thecockhemingford.co.uk/

There were 4 real ales on, all from local breweries.The Autumn Gold by Oldershaw Brewery packed a hoppy punch whilst the Great Oakley's Wagtail was a more floral and fruity blend. We opted for the set lunch menu, 2 course @ £12, 3 @ £16 which is extremely good value. The Lamb hot pot was proper autumnal fayre. Tender meat, intensely flavoured with stock and veg and served with greens. The Butter Bean and Truffle Risotto was perfectly cooked, whereby the truffles in no way overpowered the delicate beans. Similarly, the Grand Marnier in the Orange creme brulee enhanced the dish in a beautifully subtle way. The Marmalade glazed bread and butter pudding unfortunately didn't live up to the standards of the other dishes. A tad stodgy and lacking in flavour. Nevertheless, for £30 including a couple of pints, a very pleasant lunch.