Jolly Waggoner

A great find! Definitely worth going to and we will be back. It is a local pub which gets many of its meats and produce from Church Farms, right across the way. There are 2 sides to The Jolly Waggoner — the bar on the left and the restaurant to the right with fires on both sides. It wasn’t a busy night so we ate on the bar side.
*sausages and mash: sausages were fresh and were delicious. The meal itself was wonderful.
*sunday roast: we ordered the pork and it was beautiful. It came with cracklings, roasted vegetables, and Yorkshire pudding. You could taste how fresh the vegetables were.
*sticky toffee pudding: I order sticky toffee pudding whenever I see it on the menu. And this was an amazing pudding. The sauce wasn’t too sweet and the consistency was perfect.
*ambiance: a great place to eat. 4 – 5 brews on tap, along with a full bar and wine list.
The food was amazing, the ambiance was great. I can’t wait to go back! Highly recommend it.

The Jolly Waggoner has recently been re-​christened with it’s old name, and together with it’s old name, the new owners Tim & Emma Waygood have reinstituted the essential elements of an English country pub. A comfortable welcoming environment around an open fireplace with intimate rustic spaces and farmhouse furnishings in a centuries old collection of buildings at the center of the village of Ardeley, Herts. The pub includes 4 or 5 cask brews, amongst the beers offered. I particularly enjoyed 4.2% strength dark golden brew with not too much fruity richness called «Lest We Forget» in honor of those whom died in the Great War*. The real standout of our visit to the Jolly Wagoner was the splendid luncheon. All the meats and many of the vegetables featured on the menu come from the Waygood family’s amazing Church Farm across the street. (See more the farm and family history at:
) We relished the duck salad and cauliflower soup appetizers, but were in gluttonous heaven over the main event. A slow cooked shoulder of lamb with roasted baby onions, wilted chard and potato and herb dumplings in a rich broth. The delicious tender lamb had superb competition from slow roasted, rare breed pork belly replete with crackling served on a mouthwatering bed of mustard mash and piquant wilted greens. The charming staff guided us with an Italian white the paired perfectly with the pork. My only regret: no room in my stomach for any sticky toffee pudding. What a feast!
* The very picturesque village of Ardeley also features several sets of charming thatched cottages and a pavilion that surround a village green, pump (well) and a couple of massive oak trees. These recent additions to the village were built in 1917 by the Lord of the Manor house as a gift to the returning veterans of the Great War.