A pub in the countryside...

Leafy Broughton, a wealthy hamlet north of Huntingdon, is a throwback to old England. Tucked away on a single-track road off the A141, the grand country houses are focused around a fine sixteenth century church and the inviting looking Crown Inn - a typical focal point-type pub first built in the seventeenth century and used as a saddlers shop. Indeed, it's so important to the locals that five years ago forty-four of them bought it when it was faced with closure.

More recently it has been passed back into private hands, the interior has been renovated to reflect the contemporary feel of the menu and the dining area has been transformed into a cool, clean, modern space for up to thirty-six. Tastefully, the bar area retains its rural charm with space to linger for a pint with the newspaper. The resulting atmosphere is relaxed, casual, family-friendly, and free from the faux affability of equivalent city centre establishments. Basing its dishes around seasonality and locality, the food reflects this modern approach to dining. Even the wine menu changes with the seasons - showing a real understanding of the importance in pairing drinks with food. For non-wine drinkers the Crown prides itself on its real ale selection and continental beers.

The menu has an unapologetically British emphasis, with French and Italian influences. Consisting of a good range of starters, main courses and desserts, plus a specials board, chef-patron David focuses on classic dishes like the perfectly cooked pigeon breast with puy lentils or coarse chicken liver pate and piquant red-onion jam we ate for our first courses.
A charming and attentive waitress, armed with freshly baked bread and full of smiles, had seated us next to some impressive French windows that led into an inviting beer garden, perfect for a summer family lunch. After our starters, a hearty roast Cornish leg of lamb with pancetta, mashed potato, baby onions and finished with a thyme jus was enjoyed, along with some super-fresh mackerel, zesty lemon-dill potatoes, earthy roasted beetroot and a watercress salad, perfectly dressed in a light salsa verde. The two dishes summed up the new Crown Inn - the modern, light touch of the mackerel, with the bucolic lamb doffing its cap to the past.

Although the emphasis was clearly on quantity as well as quality (no silly tiny portions here), we still managed to find space for pudding. Not desserts mind you, but pudding. One of the most pleasing elements of the Crown Inn's menu was the return of proper puddings, including a steamed treacle sponge with real egg custard, a selection of homemade ice creams, and a vanilla panna cotta with shortbread. We opted for a deep, luxurious, rich chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream. It was a perfect end to the meal that could be summarised as real food, done properly. It was one of those chocolate moments that see you scraping the plate for every last morsel of the dark gold.

The young, dynamic duo of chef-David and general manager-Paul have succeeded in creating a casual, brassiere-style pub that has no stuffy dress code or formality, just an emphasis on relaxation. You can bring your own bottle for a small corkage fee, you can park your car outside and leave it there all day, you can lollop around in the garden, you can eat a meal indoors and your dog can sit with you in the bar area. In short, you can do what you want. If you do want to eat, booking is advisable, especially at weekends. At a time when many rural pubs are closing, or being enveloped by bland brewery-backed chains, independent jewels like the Crown Inn offer real hope for the future of eating out in Britain - support it if you can.

NB: this is not in my usual 'style' . I haven't gone nuts, it's a copy of a review I wrote for www.localsecrets.com - a review website covering Cambridgeshire.