This 18th Century Freehold Pub and Restaurant in Ettington is the epitome of the way to do a gastro pub. From the elegant class of the 1920s style lampshades, the floral and contemporary decor, to the friendly and professional service which greets you from the moment you enter the building. A trip to The Chequers Inn gives you a sophisticated, taste senstation experience at a very affordable price.
Priding themselves on using locally sourced ingredients and having a new menu every season (with a variety of specials popping up daily), this pub/restaurant is guaranteed to have you drooling and salivating not only at the menu choices but at the incredibly tasty food when it arrives at your table.
Me and my husband were invited along and took the opportunity to combine it with our 5th Wedding Anniversary on 13th September.
We booked a table for 8pm but ended up arriving at 7:15pm. We headed into the bar section, purchased ourselves a couple of drinks (I had a coke whilst my husband had a pint of cider) and we sat down to chat and admire the bar area.
I loved all of the unique art work on the walls.
Immediately you could tell this was a popular place to go to for the locals. But not in an intimidating way where they all stare at a new face, but in a way where everyone was polite, friendly and welcoming to everyone who walked through the door. Almost as if each person drinking in the bar, had a vested interest in ensuring it was a friendly and welcoming place.
There is seating outside, located at the front of the pub, where you can watch the cars go by.
But my personal favourite is the ourdoor seating area found at the back of the pub, by the dining area, where you find a large beer garden.
This is a garden design that has been very well thought out and cleverly designed, making the perfect space to head to with friends when the sun comes out. Or even your dog as well behaved dogs are allowed here in the beer garden and in the bar – just not in the restaurant.
After we had explored the outside, we headed into the restaurant via the dining entrance to see if we could be seated a little earlier – and thankfully we could.
We were greeted with a smile at the Dining Station, gave our names and were seated… by the propertier. Which was another nice touch about this restaurant. The owner gets his hands dirty too, seating customers, taking food and drink orders, clearing away tables. This is an owner who cares very much about his business. One which I have to admit is thriving.
As a 38 cover restaurant, late on a Friday evening (8pm), this restaurant only had one available table in the restaurant area. If this isn’t a sign of a fantasic restaurant, I’m not sure what is.
We were given time to browse through the menus which came on a quirky rustic wooden clipboard and finally (after a lot of swapping and changing – there’s so many great choices) we came to a decision on what we were ordering.
Starter:
First up was our starter.
We opted for the Sharing Board (£15). It included Sriracha Chicken Wings, Prawn & Paprika Beignets, Honey Glazed Halloumi, Bread Rolls and two dips: chive sour cream and chilli.
And oh my gosh, it was delicious. I had never tried a beignet before but revelled in the flavours, the prawn and paprika worked together wonderfully. The honey glazed halloumi was practically heaven on a plate, you didn’t just get the taste, but the sweet smell from the sharing board immediately had me practically drooling at the table (thank heavens we had a corner table). The Srirachi chicken wings were moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. I am unsure I have ever tried chicken wings, so perfectly made.
The bread rolls were a cute addition, they were like mini burger buns (the size of a 50 pence piece, and perfect for dipping in the two sauces.
It was a delicious starter for two (or you could have it as a light bite with a friend over some lunch time drinks). The only slight niggle we had was that it came with 3 chicken wings and 3 beignets. We had to bargain with one another to decide who had what. I went with the beignet, just in case you wondered.
Other options available included (there were a further 12 in total if we included the specials menu); Pork and Chorizo Scotch Egg with Paprika Tomato Sauce (£7.50), Seasonal Soup (Tomato, Chilli and Balsamic) with warm bread (£5.50) and Beetroot cured Salmon Gravlax and Homemade Rye Bread with Shallot and Caper Dressing (£7.50).
Main:
I had opted for the Gluten Free Pan-Roast Cod with Lemon Crushed New Potatoes, sauteed Wild Mushrooms & tarragon and white wine (£16.50).
My husband had chosen the Pork Tenderloin with sauteed potatoes, chorizo and spinach (£15.50) which was also Gluten Free.
The portions were generous and the quality of the food was exceptional.
The lemon flavoured crushed new potatoes complimented the perfectly pan roasted, melt in the mouth cod. And as a lover of mushrooms, the sauteed wild mushrooms with the tarragon and white wine, gave a meal with an abundance of great flavours – a true taste sensation.
My husband complimented his meal all night (and all weekend to be honest), we even now have the ingredients for him to try and make it at home, that is how much he loved it.
Other tempting choices for me included; Nduja Stuffed Chicken Breast with Tomato Fondant, Chive Sour Cream & Rocket and Parmesan Salad (£15), Chicken with Walnuts and Feta Pizza (£12) and a Handmade Lamb and Mint Burger with Red Onion, served with Homemade Chips, Salad and Tzatziki (£12).
Dessert:
We almost didn’t have a dessert. The starter and the main had really filled us up. But after seeing the dessert menu, neither of us were going to go home without trying some of the amazing sounding puddings.
I opted for the Espresso Cheesecake with Cinnamon Cookies and Chocolate Sauce (£6) which was just as good as I had expected. The cheesecake was soft and dreamily smooth with a delicious crumbly base and the cookies, well, they were scrumptious.
My husband chose a dessert from the specials menu (one that we think definitely deserves to be on the permanent menu), the Dark Chocolate and Walnut Brownie with Salted Caramel Ice Cream (£6).
It was delicious and more-ish and I may have stolen at least a third of it myself as it was so nice.
A friendly waitress came and asked if we would like any tea or coffee but I think at this point we were both about to burst.
Drinks:
On the subject of drinks, the bar is incredibly well stocked with an array of spirits, draught beers, craft beers, ciders and soft drinks. We stayed with coca cola and cider but there were many tempting choices. If I had not been driving, I would most likely have tried a cocktail (which start from £6.95). The Bramble especially jumped out at me. Who doesn’t like a cocktail with a gin base?
The soft drinks available included Frobishers, Fentimens, Fevertrees and obviously the draught sodas.
Conclusion:
We had a wonderful time at The Chequers Inn. Great quality food and drink in a stylish space, all at reasonable prices. There are plenty of vgetarian and gluten free options and a whole menu dedicated to kids too.
What is new for The Chequers Inn?
Paul Bhandal (Proprietor with wife Aman) told us all about more great plans that they have for the restaurant, including a new autumn menu which includes one of our favourite dishes (but as a starter) – Chicken Katsu!
There are also plans to get a projector and have film nights out in the garden.
The Chequers Inn is going from strength to strength and whether you want a drink, lunch, dinner or a casual bite in the well stocked bar, this is the venue that will leave you wating to come back for more.
For more details including location and menu options, please do check out The Chequers Inn website: https://www.the-chequers-ettington.co.uk/
Disclaimer
We were invited along for a meal in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are our own. We truly did have a superb time.