 The restaurant 
Even *I* Like This Kind of Cricket!
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Recommendation added: 19/02/2007 02:00
By: dewberry (YSUK rating +783)dewberry has been thanked 12 times for this contribution
"I knew I'd be looked after this Valentines Day. Mark isn't a hearts n' flowers kinda guy, but he always manages a decent bunch of flowers even if he doesn't bother with a nice card. It's been ages since we had a break without the kids and with a baby due in June this will probably be our last adult weekend away for some time, so we decided to tie a bulky eBay collection in Colchester into a short break away from Birmingham.
We didn't book anything and the first night stayed in a grotty b&b (which had looked lovely from the street), but on Valentines Day Mark disappeared with his mobile and when he returned he told me he'd booked us into The Cricketers Arms near Saffron Walden.
When we pulled into The Cricketers Arms I was surprised at how pretty it was. It's a huge red brick building which looks like an old fashioned inn – which it is as it was built in the 18th Century and has simply been refurbished over the years. I noticed most of the pubs in this part of the country are picturesque, but The Cricketers has that authentic look to the outside.
It looks like one of those massive country pubs you see dotted around rural England, but it definitely didn't look big enough to make much of a guesthouse and pub combined! But looks can be deceptive as The Cricketers is much bigger that it looks inside with a regular sized pub, two restaurants and accommodation upstairs. The building as a whole is very light and airy with plenty of room to wander around in all areas, including the hallways which were surprisingly (and unusually) spacious.
Our double room was fabulous. The large bed was amazingly comfortable; I had one of those sleeps which told me the mattress probably cost in excess of £500 – it was the kind of mattress you aspire to have at home, but can never quite afford. A luxurious bed. The finishing touch for me was the canopy draped above the head of the bed giving a softer approach to the traditional four poster – I've slept in four poster beds but they always feel too enclosed for me, the canopy was a lovely feminine alternative. The furniture in the room is all of a neutral tone and classy looking; timeless I'd say as I can imagine the guesthouse has looked this way for a long time – and I mean traditional, not old fashioned rubbish.
My jaw dropped when I saw the en suite bathroom; it was gorgeous. A stand alone claw-foot bath was the obvious centre piece of the room, and it really sets the tone for a traditional English bathroom. The matching sink and toilet are elegantly designed (can a toilet be elegant?) and combined with the beige and cream décor it made for a deliciously relaxing room in which to pamper myself with the Lush goodies which Mark had also provided as part of my Valentines Days treat! The shower cubicle is the only modern thing in the bathroom, well that and the heated towel rail of course!
I'm not sure how many rooms there are at The Cricketers, just enough to be semi exclusive I suspect judging by the amount of people who came down for breakfast. Glancing around the dining room when we went for breakfast I spotted a couple of, well, couples who definitely had the air of boss and secretary about them. This is a place you'd bring someone to impress them; I was impressed with every aspect of our visit and I can be quite picky about places we stay at.
Talking of breakfast, it was a full English and included in the price of our one night stay. The meal was huge, delicious and perfect. Mark had had a fair bit to drink in the bar the previous night and I think this lovely brekkie was just what the (hangover) doctor ordered. Everything was cooked perfectly and the food was all of obviously high quality; the bacon and sausage were particularly good and tasted really fresh, while the fried egg came with a perfectly solid yolk as I'd asked for. We also had a choice of cereals, toast and drinks before the cooked meal; good quality fruit juices and excellent coffee was provided in copious amounts along with a decent selection of fresh fruit. We definitely left The Cricketers with full bellies!
I've kinda written this recommendation back to front, as now I've described breakfast I'll have to back track to the previous night (Valentines) to give you a bit of info about downstairs. After we'd settled into our room, and I'd used the fabulous bath, we went to sample the restaurant and bar. I loved the pub part of the place; it's classy and cosy with gorgeous oak beams and squashy leather sofas. It's one of those pubs where I immediately felt at home, I love 'country pubs' like this but find the clientele can be a bit cliquey – here at The Cricketers I got the feeling that most of the drinkers were local people but there was no feeling that we, as Brummies, were outsiders. It's a really comfy bar in terms of atmosphere and was a lovely quiet environment to spend a couple of hours.
The bar is fantastically stocked with a wide range of lagers and beers; Mark was particularly taken with the decent selection of real ales available, but I was pleased to see Kahlua for sale behind the bar which is sadly absent from many Birmingham pubs. All of the branded spirits are available as well as bottled drinks such as Magners cider, various lagers and a small selection of alcopops and J20. Prices in the bar were marginally more than I'd usually pay here in Brum, but I was more than happy to pay the extra few pence per drink just to enjoy the exclusive surroundings and nice experience of The Cricketers.
We headed to the restaurant after an hour as my stomach was rumbling. It's beautifully decorated in a definite country style with soft décor and gorgeous wooden furniture. I think that's why I was so surprised when I looked at the menu… The food available in the evening at The Cricketers is nothing short of top class restaurant cuisine. There's no Scampi & Chips or Steak Pie here, you're more likely to be tucking into Red Mullet, Veal or Venison – this place even serves Frogs' Legs! Not my cup of tea, but what a menu choice!
I ate a Crab Cake starter which was absolutely wonderful. This was a large crab cake served with a vegetable risotto on the side; the huge chunks of crabmeat literally melted in my mouth and the risotto was cooked to perfection. It was a filling and surprisingly hearty starter, I'm sure that with another scoop of risotto it could quite easily have been included in the main meals section of the menu.
I chose rabbit for my main course, I adore rabbit but can't cook it properly myself and very few restaurants in Birmingham serve this gorgeous meat so as soon as I spotted it on the menu in here my mind was made up. And I wasn't disappointed. The rabbit was tender and perfectly cooked; the meat had been rolled around a delicious meaty stuffing and cooked in a rich sauce which had a definite game flavour. I can honestly say it was the best meal I've eaten in a long time. Mark ate a delicious looking rib eye steak which was served with a poshed up version of chips (pommes frites?!), grilled tomato, mushrooms and pepper sauce. The small piece of steak I sampled was beautifully cooked and was as tender as you'd expect in any upper class restaurant. He enjoyed his entire meal and even managed a piece of cake for dessert, although there was no chance of me being able to join him in pudding as I was stuffed fit to burst! We shared a bottle of good quality white wine with our meal which was recommended by the knowledgeable waiter, he made a brilliant choice as the wine complimented both my rabbit and Marks steak perfectly.
Every single member of staff in The Cricketers was brilliant at their job, I didn't encounter anyone who was rude or couldn't be bothered to help. The staff in the restaurant in particular were great; they were without fail able to answer questions about the menu and were happy to explain the food choices in more detail. They were all friendly and smiled in a genuine way, not like they were simply going through the motions in serving me.
Our single night stay at The Cricketers cost £95 for a gorgeous room and breakfast; then we spent around £30 in the bar and another £60 in the restaurant. In total Valentines Day 2007 cost around two hundred quid, which by no means makes The Cricketers a particularly affordable guesthouse. However, it's a place I was glad we splashed out on as we both had a brilliant time and feel we were well looked after for the money. The breakfast in itself would have cost upwards of a tenner in any of the posher Birmingham restaurants, while the room was of such a high standard that it easily outstripped most of the guesthouses I've stayed in over the last couple of years.
Disabled access to the bar and restaurant is fine. The doorways and aisles are wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs, and there is plenty of room in which to manoeuvre should you have mobility problems. I can't comment on wheelchair access to the rooms as our room was upstairs, but I didn't notice if there were rooms downstairs. If you fancy staying here then do give them a ring and find out for sure as I'd hate you to miss out on such a wonderful guesthouse just because you're not sure if there is suitable accommodation options.
To find The Cricketers is fairly easy. Your most convenient motorway is the M11, although it's still a bit of a drive out once you leave the motorway. You need to find the village of Newport, then get onto the B1383 London Road and Cambridge Road which will eventually bring you Rickling Green Road. Follow this road for around half a mile and you'll see The Cricketers on your left hand side. I couldn't possibly comment on public transport access but there was a distinct lack of bus stops in the area!
The Cricketers Arms
Rickling Green
Near Saffron Walden
Essex
CB11 3YG
Tel: 01799 543210"
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