Chequers at Crowle dinner review

Chequers at Crowle Dinner Review

Countryside pub serving excellent food.

Crowle Green, Crowle, Worcester, WR7 4AA

the pub

Set back from the road, I approached the Chequers to find a characterful building, a busy, well-lit car park, and a warm orange glow from the windows. It was very enticing. I was looking forward to the hard slog of my Chequers at Crowle dinner review!

Through the front door you walk into the bar area where a long bar is flanked on both sides by seating areas. The bar area has lots of wood, a good mix of light and shade, and an informal style. Couple this with the vibrant chatter of the diners, and this created a great, lively atmosphere. I was shown to my table for one in the restaurant area. I had to choose where to eat when booking – restaurant or bar. I chose the restaurant, although there is little difference. Both are decorated in a similar way and, although the restaurant was very slightly quieter, both areas felt good and I would be happy to eat in either.

The pub fits into the category of gastro pub and does it very well. It is one of three pubs in the Epicure Pub Co – a small, family-owned chain. The other two are The Stag at Offchurch and The Moorings at Myton, both of which are in Leamington Spa.

the food

starter

When there are six starters from which to choose, and you want to try four of them, you have to consider that to be a great start to the night. It was a difficult choice between the Brixham Crab Cakes and the Duck Salad. The Tartiflette and the Shallot Tarte Tatin also took my eye and were briefly considered. The crab cakes of cucumber, spring onion, grapefruit + black sesame salad + aioli sounded good. However, I made a great choice with the duck salad of carrot, bean sprouts, watercress, honey roasted cashews, ginger + spring onion dressing. Presented so well, with vibrant colours, this dish looked amazing. The combination of flavours and textures worked very well, it was a decent portion, and I am always happy when there are roasted cashew nuts thrown in. One comment would be that the ginger in the dressing was too subtle for my tastebuds.

With the starter, I also ordered a side of onion rings. Why? – you may ask. I like onions rings, but often find them too greasy which mars the remainder of the meal. So for me, onions rings are a good test and the Chequers passed the test. The rings were well battered, not greasy, and I ate them all.

As with the other dishes, the starter was home-cooked to a very good standard.

main course

There were four steak choices and five other main meals. I selected the Fish Pie – cod, smoked haddock, salmon and king prawns, mashed potato and fine green beans. It arrived piping hot, was flavoursome, and I enjoyed the dish. One issue I had was the size of the portion. Whilst it would be fine for many, I like a good portion and this was small. For £17, I want more!

dessert

A fairly typical offering on the dessert menu. I like chocolate brownies, and I love cheesecake and sticky toffee pudding. But I equally enjoy apple crumble and custard, which was my choice on the night. The crumble was just right. A little browning on top – no crumble should look anaemic! The apple was cinnamon spiced. It is a crime when the cinnamon is overpowering, but the Chequer’s version got the balance just right. The custard pot was too small, but a waitress brought another pot without fuss.

The service was generally excellent.

the drinks

A half of Butty Bach to start as I was driving. Later, I would have liked a really nice soft drink to go with the excellent food – perhaps something I have never tried before. A server said there was coke, lemonade and another drink I didn’t catch. And that was it. So either they have a very limited selection of soft drinks, or the server wasn’t sure what they had. With the Covid situation I didn’t feel like wandering to the bar to see what was available, so I settled for a glass of tap water.

the menu

I liked the menu, in particular the starters. However, with only one vegetarian starter, and one vegan main course, I believe the Chequers are missing a trick.

around and about the Chequers at Crowle

A seven-mile ‘Crowle – Grafton Flyford – Huddington Court – Crowle’ circular walk can be found on the viewranger website. My Pacer shows another Crowle circular walk.

The pub is just a twelve-minute drive from the centre of Worcester and barely two miles from the M5 motorway. For visitors to Worcester, the Chequers at Crowle could be ideal for lunch on the way in to the city or dinner on the way home.

facilities

parking

The pub has its own car park. It was dark when I visited, but there seemed to be a lot of spaces.

disabled access

There is disabled access and a disabled toilet is available.

children

Children are welcome. There is a kids’ menu which, although not cheap, looks to be of good quality. And it is exactly what a child’s menu should be – not a chicken nugget in sight!

toilets

Small and clean. There is a disabled & baby-changing cubicle.

take-away

No take-away service available.