Essex Days Out

We missed getting to their big annual beer festival a month or so back, and so our first visit to The Hoop at Stock saw us popping in for lunch today. It was beautiful weather, and it gave us a chance to have a wander around the lovely village for a change, rather than simply driving through.

The pub is charming, some 450 years old, with a beamed interior and plenty of room downstairs, and their Oak Room restaurant upstairs. There was plenty on the menu in the bar this lunchtime, and we opted for the duck eggs and ham, and the scampi chips.

The food was beautifully presented, and was absolutely delicious. The eggs were gorgeous, and sat on a huge hunk of their homecooked ham, with the chips, browned to perfection. The scampi was, I’m informed, excellent, with its own salad, home made tartare sauce, and half a lemon. Just look at this for food that has been presented with a bit of thought:

The beer on offer was from Shepherd Neame, Adnams, Youngs, RCH, and Crouch Vale : a good range of breweries.

You’ll find more about The Hoop at their website. They’re only 5 minutes off the A12 between Chelmsford and Billericay – worth seeking them out!

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