There is no crab in sight!! (The Crabmill, Preston Bagot)

Member Name: sweetpea01

Product:	The Crabmill, Preston Bagot
Date:	29/06/09 (137 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great food, lovely garden & great menu

Disadvantages: The staff!

My workplace is quite social and there is a good group of us who reguarly go out for meals after work in and around the Warwickshire area. There are alot of up and coming gastro type pubs in the area and its nice to go out once a month with work colleagues to relax, unwind and eat some great food! Most of us live a maximum of 30 minutes from Warwick so choosing to eat somewhere still relatively local is very important. We chose The Crabmill because we had a great recommendation and we decided to go there the next time we were going out.

*~*~* The Pub *~*~*

The Crabmill is a set in a 300 year old building which is absolutely gorgeous with flagstone floor and roaring fires (in winter only). The Crabmill is based in a small village called Preston Baggot just outside of Henley in Arden and is on the main road from Henley to Warwick so it can be easily found!

The continental garden is area is incredibly large and in the summer there are patio heaters to keep everyone warm, the garden furiture is rustic yet comfortable but with a modern twist! Inside you are greeted with low beams and doorways and the lighting is low but warm. There is a mixture of traditional tables with chairs to tables with long wooden benches and leather sofas. The pub features a lovely mix of modern art with traditional furnishings such as antique curtain poles.

Parking is extensive at the Crabmill, there is a large car park at the front of the pub which after a certain time gets full very very easy. However there is an overspill car park at the back which is directly opposite the garden area. This is a huge car park and can quite happily accomodate about 50 cars.

The pub is privately owned but the owners own a further five partner gastro pubs.

*~*~* The Menu *~*~*

I've never seen such a great and varied menu! Never before have I gone somewhere and not been able to decide on a dish instantly as it all looks so good! The chef takes great pride in his cooking and this is shown in his dishes. Apparently the chef imports his fresh herbs from France and he uses local meat and vegetables to ensure his dishes are always as fresh as possible.

Examples of the dishes:-

Starter - Tandoori whitebait with spiced tomato pickle and mango chutney £5.95
Goats cheese and basil baked cheesecake with rocket and red pepper coulis £6.45
Crispy duck salad with Oriental plum sauce £6.95

Main - Game pie with short crust pastry lid and crushed root vegetables £13.95
Seabass fillets with spiced potatoes, mint yoghurt and poppadums £15.95
Mediterranean vegetable pappardelle with pesto mozzarella £10.95

Dessert - They change the dessert menu reguarly so again staples of this menu is ice cream and sorbet.

As you can see the prices are really quite good value. The food is prepared fresh from scratch, nothing is microwaved or frozen. All meals are brought out in good time and you are certainly not left waiting. Portions are a good size, you don't have too little or too much and the staff will quite happily give you as much time (within reason) you need in between meals.

All the food is perfectly presented on white clean plates which are either warm or cold depending on your dish. The food always looks fresh and well presented and no one in our group had anything to complain about!

*~*~* Beverages *~*~*

The Crabmill has an extensive wine list which has been carefully chosen and hand picked by the owners. The wines are selected from a local retailer so there tends to be everything in stock!

White - Pinot Grigio San Floriano, Italy £4.00/ £16.95
Delicate floral and citrus aromas; fresh, dry and delicate

Red - Finca Flichman Malbec Oak-Aged, Mendoza, Argentina £3.30/ £12.95
Juicy, sweet bramble jelly flavours with soft tannins

Rose - Belvino Pinot Grigio Rosato delle Venezie, Italy £4.00/ £16.95
Soft red berry and strawberry fruit flavours; dry finish

Obviously you are able to have soft drinks such as coke, diet coke, orange juice, apple juice etc. These are always readily available. And because this is now an up and coming modern pub there is a wide selection of beer and lagers together with local and national ciders. There is really something for everyones tastes.

*~*~* The Staff *~*~*

This is where this gastro pub is let down slightly. Upon entering the pub you are not greeted by a member of staff, so you have to make your own way round. The bar staff however are incredibly helpful and will quite happily open your tab for food and drink. We had already pre-booked a table and as we got their early we thought it would be nice to have a drink outside first. When it came to the time for our table a member of staff was not found nor did they come over to us to lead us to the table, we had to wait for a member of staff at the bar finish serving then help us!

Even bringing the food over to us seemed a hard task by our waitress, it was clear that she didn't really want to be working there and her attitude was awful. There was no smiling, no cheeriness just a dull tone. She was also far too hastey in taking away our plates especially when come of our group hadn't even finished!! The awful thing is we went on a quiet Wednesday evening I wonder what they are like on the busy weekends?!!

*~*~* Opening Hours *~*~*

Bar
Monday to Saturday 11.00-23.00
Sunday 12.00 - 18.00

Kitchen
Monday to Saturday 12.00-2.30 and 18.30-21.30
Sunday 12.30-15.30

*~*~* Pub Details *~*~*

The Crabmill, Preston Bagot, Claverdon B95 5EE

Tel: 01926 843342

Email: thecrabmill@lovelypubs.co.uk

Website: www.thecrabmill.co.uk

Children and good natured dogs are welcome.

*~*~* My Overall Opinion *~*~*

Apart from the unenthusiastic staff this pub, sorry gastro pub is lovely. The whole atmosphere is warming and you feel quite cosy inside. The mix of modern and old is perfectly balanced and you feel incredibly relaxed here. The food is wonderful, it tastes beautiful and is certainly not bland. It has a great selection of wines which is perfect for me and the bar staff will be happy to recommend something for you!

If you are in the local vicinity or your taking a day trip to Stratford upon Avon or Warwick make sure you check out this wonderful pub and I hope you have more luck with the waiting staff than I did!

Summary: A great local type pub serving modern day food