Black Horse, The

Plum in the middle of pretty Woburn village sits The Black Horse. Its eighteenth century terraced frontage belies a Tardis-like interior in which the cosy bar, lined with old leather-upholstered settles, leads on to a smart restaurant beyond. Through the carriage arch to the side, meanwhile, lies a secluded courtyard garden - a secret well worth discovering as The Independent on Sunday said when they popped in recently!

The Black Horse is a sister pub to The Swan at Salford. It is a tribute to the success of both pubs that Andrew Coath, the manager, was voted Licensee of the Year in 2007 by the British Institute of Innkeepers (out of 8,000 nominees!).

It would be possible to enlarge upon all this indefinitely, but our purpose here is to tell you about The Black Horse and how they put into practice their strongly held principles. First the property, a genuine Georgian building in the middle of an estate town which draws heavily on visitors to Woburn Abbey nearby, home to the Russell family for nearly 400 years and one of the starting points for the surge in stately home interest some fifty years ago.

The pub is open all day from 11 a.m. for coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, drinks and dinner. Whether you pop in for a pint, a business lunch or a special dinner, you are guaranteed a friendly welcome. For dinner a deli board opens up a menu that explores the possibilities of antipasti, charcuterie, fish and cheese, leaving you to make up your own selection or, if the chatter's compelling leave it to the staff who will choose a board for you including the bread and chutney. This is the perfect start in trying some of the fantastic ingredients that they take such pride in sourcing, and a splendid way to chill out after a hard day before getting down to the main meal.

On their menu, you will find the very best quality fresh ingredients - fantastic sausages; free range chicken and eggs; simple, pan-fried fish and seafood; 28 day dry-aged Aberdeenshire steaks - sourced from producers who take pride in their products and an ethical stance in their production.

The Black Horses menu always makes the most of seasonal ingredients, (this ensures they avoid air-freighting and keeps us in touch with the cycle of the year) while combining the best of great British cooking and influences from around the world that are now part of our culture.
 
When the menu emerges can the wine list be far behind - in this case, no, thankfully since tucker like this deserves a sympathetic and timely response from the cellar which, whilst drawing quite heavily on France by no means neglects the exciting new outlets for quality wine. Greene King IPA, Black Sheep and Old Speckled Hen is well kept and endlessly popular.

The à la carte menu plus a selection of great Sunday roasts is also served noon - 4pm and 6.30 - 9.30pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. The all day menu is not available on a Sunday.

Click on their Website for latest news, reservations, private room hire and nice comments from happy diners. Do have a look also at The Swan, Salford, the sister pub to The Black Horse, and not far away.