Saturday 6 July 2013

The John Barleycorn PH, Thresher’s Bush


This is a favourite pub in my house, a stalwart that can be relied upon 99% of the time to offer great seasonal food in a friendly atmosphere. Also great for a lunch, sitting outside in the sun next to the big pond. I visited last weekend for the first time in a few months and I almost didn’t bother reviewing this place as it is on the ‘usual’ list and has been mentioned in my blog before. Except the starter just had to be shared…


There is always an extensive specials board here; in fact I’m not sure I have ever ordered much off the 'normal' menu. One of the options on this visit was a black pudding and sausage meat croquette with a homemade piccalilli. This was an AMAZING starter, one of the best I have had for a long time. The black pudding was full of flavour and the sausage meat was great too, subtly spiced and wrapped in a light breadcrumb crust. The piccalilli was every bit as good as the dish it was accompanying. I could have eaten this three times over for a main course. SUPER-DISH.


The rest of the meal was liver and bacon (beautifully pink) with garlic potatoes, with Eton mess to follow. Both were great (as expected) but this review is all about the starter so I’ll leave it there.

If you live near Harlow, Sawbridgeworth, Hertford or (at a push) Chelmsford then a trip to Thresher’s Bush is a very rewarding one. It’s just a shame that the ever-changing specials menu (the best thing about the pub) is also the very reason why you will have to be very lucky to find the croquette described above! A frustrating catch-22 in a way, but something that is worth living with; a great starter I might never have again!


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