Dinner · Eating out · Sunday roast dinner

Black Horse Pub (Great Linford)

I have been to this pub many times over the years for dinner, and have found the food consistently good, sometimes outstanding, though the service used to be very slow. Service is definitely not slow any more; and they have expanded their outdoor eating areas and have decorated it beautifully inside.

A beautiful pub, large with a wide assortment of seating inside and out in a gorgeous location on the canal. I think the only reason we do not visit more is simply the price being too high for regular visits.

Our recent visit was for a sunday roast. We arrived at 3:30pm which is a perfect sunday roast time (in my book).

We all ordered roast dinners, except for my son. My roast dinner was lovely, the beef in particular was so flavourful (it mentions that it is 21 day aged beef, yum). I felt that it was a good portion size, and the yorkshire pudding was huge, crispy and delicious (£15.95). Just a few minor notes if one was to strive for perfection:

Firstly, I would have loved to have had mash as an option, as a side order; I simply love mash with my roast and really missed it. Secondly, I don’t think Kale is a good vegetable option on a roast dinner; its definitely an acquired taste; I would have preferred brocolli, cauliflower or courgettes, finally it mentions on the menu that the roast comes with bottomless gravy, but I wasn’t even provided with a gravy boat; I had to request more gravy, which I don’t think I should have needed to do. Just want to stress again that these are minor points; the meal was delicious.

They also offer a trio of meat roast selection, which I might try next time. This comes with pork, beef and chicken. Though this is a few pounds more than the one meat roast (Trio £17.95).

My husband, who has become fussier in his later years, absolutely loved his nut roast (£12.95); and I must say it did look good. Although he did wish to point out that it does not mention nuts on the menu. It actually said it was a fig and dolcelatte roast. Not mentioning nuts in the age of allergies is probably not the best idea, so again a small note.

My 5 year old daughter ordered the kids roast, which I was surprised and delighted by. She enjoyed it all except for the kale; again I don’t know any children who eat Kale; its hard enough getting them to eat brocolli! Although it was on the pricier side for a kids meal (£7.95) it was a large kids portion and the quality was extremely high.

My son enjoyed his cheeseburger sliders and ate every last morsel, so that is a good sign (£5.95).

For dessert my daughter had a scoop of strawberry icecream, my son had a cookie and icecream and my husband and I both ordered a mini dessert with a hot drink.

The prices are on the higher side for pub food, but you do get what you pay for; you get gorgeous surroundings and a delicious high-quality meal in a great location, so what more could you ask for.

Additional Information

Parking: They have a large on-site car park.

Address: Wolverton Road, Great Linford, MK14 5AJ (not to be confused with the Black Horse in Woburn).

Booking: Online

Dinner · Eating out

Mini Review: Greek Affaire (Stony Stratford)

We only stayed for one course so this will be a mini review to give a quick oversight on the Greek Affaire in Stony.

I have to say that on first impressions, even the outside of Green Affaire is welcoming. Odells Yard where the Affaire’s are located (French and Greek Affaire) is tastefully decorated and has an abundance of outdoor seating.

Inside it is even more beautiful, I love the teal-coloured suede chairs, very comfortable and we loved the golden cutlery, its a nice touch.

I would say, however, that the decor is somewhat incongruous because your expectations are that you will receive fine dining, and though the food was nice, it was not really in keeping with the beautiful decor. That being said I only tasted two dishes, so perhaps I am being slightly unfair here.

I took my 9 year old son, and therefore we were also able to try out the kids menu (though I use that term loosely as they only had main courses for children). They did not have starters for children so we both just ordered a main meal. My son ordered the Margerita Pitta Pizza, I thought that was a good idea that they tried to keep the kids menu greek, and kids love pizza. He loved it and said it was just as nice as a normal pizza.

I ordered the Moussaka and a side of fries, both were very nice. The Moussaka was cooked perfectly and was delightfully creamy, though the portion size (I believe) was a bit small, so I ordered some fries too. The side salad however looked a bit sad.

I would have liked to have ordered a dessert but they did not have a dessert menu for children. Therefore we had to leave after only a main course. I think if they could have provided even just icecream for children, then families will be more likely to stay for 2 or 3 courses.

If you have been to the French Affaire, you may be slightly disappointed coming here, unless you know what to expect, so I guess this is a review to manage your expectations.