I was very kindly invited to lunch at The Black Horse in return for a review. However, as always, all opinions are entirely my own.
I love being able to pop out for lunch with my mum during the week, it’s one of the perks of being freelance. I love it, even more, when we get to experience new places that are less than 15 minutes away from home, a lot like The Black Horse. It’s a stunning pub, in Brentwood, with ample parking and a great menu.
The original building on this site was an Inn that offered refreshments and accommodation to the pilgrims that were visiting the chapel that’s dedicated to St. Thomas wat back in 1221 whilst travelling through Pilgrims Hatch. The Black Horse was built in around the 16th century as a small house and then had a southern wing added in the 17th century. It’s simply stunning.
We went to The Black Horse for lunch on a Monday and we were shocked at just how busy it was at almost 2pm. They offer a set menu; 2 courses for £11.95 and 3 courses for just £14.95 which is available Monday to Friday until 5pm which is obviously a total hit! There is also an a la carte menu which is the same all day long, which is what we ordered from.
We began our meal with a large glass of white wine each; Mum ordering the Il Pallone Pinot Grigio and myself ordering the Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc which is a favourite of mine.
We both order the same starter which is very unlike us! This stater came in the shape as oven-baked button and Portobello mushrooms in a garlic & mature Cheddar sauce, served with rustic bread which was from the veggie section of the menu. This was so bloody tasty that I legit want to try to make it at home so I can eat it whenever I want.
It came with just the right amount of bread to not fill you up too much which makes a change as you usually get two huge slices and I fill myself up!
Mum ordered the handmade lobster fishcakes with a bouillabaisse sauce, served with broccoli and baby potatoes but swapped the baby potatoes for chips!
She really enjoyed the meal and thought the quality of the fishcakes was really high. The breadcrumb outer shell was well cooked and didn’t take away from the fish inside.
I ordered the spice chickpea, aubergine and spinach burger on a rustic roll, dressed with a spiced red pepper sauce, served with a pesto & tomato dip and a roasted vegetable & grain salad. I did a naughty and swapped the salad for chips, which were great smothered in rock salt.
This was from the vegan menu and I loved it! There were so many flavours that I didn’t miss a meat patty in my burger. I also really enjoyed the ciabatta roll over a stoggy burger roll, as it didn’t take away from what was inside. I dislike it greatly when you get a whopping great big bun that’s double the size of your burger and has zero flavours.
We had a really lovely lunch, with great service and have said we will certainly return for lunch to try the set menu and more from the vegan menu too!
I'm Squibb Vicious, better known as Haydy!
Happiest with a craft beer in hand, eating til my heart is content or exploring somewhere new.
Here you can read about my adventures!