Artichoke On The Green

I love pub grub. A perfect Friday evening for me is spent eating good honest British classics in a little cosy pub with a glass of Prosecco. There’s loads of great pubs around my mum’s area which are perfect for just that so for a recent family dinner, we visited the Artichoke on the Green in the village of Croxley Green, just outside Watford.
It’s a lovely little pub which has been recently renovated to combine all the beautiful original features of the pub along with some more modern touches, giving it a real country pub feel.
The menu offers up a good selection of dishes championing British classics using high quality produce and ingredients. For starters I went with the bubble and squeak with poached egg, bacon and hollandaise (£7). I love bubble, it reminds me of Boxing Day or the day after a big family roast dinner when my mum uses up all the left-​over veg and potatoes. Not quite as good as my mum’s but as good as any i’ve had in a restaurant before…
For my main, I went for the sea bass (£14.75) which came with a hollandaise sauce, vine tomatoes and steamed asparagus. The fish was delicate and full of flavour and the accompaniments were well cooked but I was left wondering where the substanance was! Maybe I’m a greedy piglet but it was lacking a carb element for me, especially for nearly £15. Some jersey royals would’ve been perfect — had I not had a starter I would’ve left feeling hungry…
If you’re ever near the area, I recommend dropping into the Artichoke — especially when it’s sunny and you can sit out the front overlooking the green!

Been coming to the ‘Arty’ forever it seems and seen it change hands/​clientele many times. Luckily for Croxley patrons and beyond, it’s change of hands to the same chain as The Feathers/​Bodegas seems to have stuck… alas it’s now more of a restaurant.
Gone are the heady days of having a pint of snakes b out front on the actual Green. No, now we sit surrounded by hanging baskets of glorious flowers and upon decking, on posh furniture, under huge canvas umbrellas. The drink prices of course reflect these happy changes and it can feel a tad too pricey at times but hey, the location is great on a balmy Summer’s day or indoors by the open fires on a gloomy Winter’s one.
Came here for the beginnings of my 30^th celebrations and hired the side section. Great service, lovely vibe for a pre louder bar venue. Not sure the other diners were impressed with my party poppers or cake sparklers but no one complained. A few of my friends grumbled at bar prices and they come from London, so it is expensive!
Food prices are reasonable and everything I’ve had here has been gorg. I tried the kedgeree last week and it was bliss. Perfect. Staff are really nice and genuinely helpful. Also they now do a variety of puds rather than just waffles which left me and friend/​family a bit cold. Been for a few roasts and always good. Book though, gets busy.
So yea, it’s great, prob better for dins or a quiet drink these days… I came here New Years quite a few years back (pre poshness) and had a dance off with a snooker cue as a prop… can’t do that anymore! I’m a lot older now and also it’s far too classy in here to be playing Britney and have a snooker table. Thankfully.