The façade of this firmly established and popular 18th century coaching inn is adorned with a colourful profusion of hanging baskets and planters
The menu offers locally sourced ingredients such as Cumberland sausage with bubble and squeak and Gloucester Old Spot pork belly. A daily specials board recommends wild mushrooms on crostini with melting Brie, rabbit and orange marmalade soup and poached Wagu beef fillet in a prune and mustard sauce. A kids' menu is available too. A bargain lunch menu includes a free dessert with every main course ordered - and the desserts are to die for... zesty lemon tart with fresh raspberries, double chocolate brownie and treacle tart to name but three. The Pudding Club meets monthly to further test these culinary extravaganzas and a Luncheon Club for over 60s is also a popular inclusion.
On a Wednesday lunchtime the place is comfortably full at 12.30 with most diners opting to eat in the buzzy bar area. Here we find a mixture of regulars savouring the ales at the bar, a group of three 'Ladies who Lunch' enjoying colourful salads at a round table in the window and businessmen from Cambridge entertaining clients. If you really can't leave your work in the office you can always access the free WiFi. At the rear of the pub is a decked area with patio heaters for the more hardy amongst us.
Joel Palmer runs the Crown as a family business and interacts splendidly with his customers. He and his excellent staff are always friendly and the service is always first-class. If you feel the urge to sample a few more real ales you can always leave your car in the car-park and spend a night in one of the 5 delightful bedrooms. The Crown is a place to return to again and again as it caters for every taste and provides excellent well-presented food and extremely good value.
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