The Cherry Tree

There are a number of traditional pubs in our area that hold special places in all our hearts. It might be remembering a great night out, a family meal or even a date. These places are forever in our psyche and that it why it is so upsetting seeing these places fall in to disrepair or even worse.

It was a huge shock and deeply saddening to see the fire at The Bull in Hockley cause such devastation but other places are thankfully seeing a resurgence such as The Anchor in Hullbridge, The Hawk in Battlesbridge and of course The Grand.

One pub that is due to join this list is The Cherry Tree in Rochford. I visited there years ago with my family and had a Christmas dinner there which unfortunately was one to forget but then went back a couple of years later on a date which was very much one to remember! A traditional pub that I am sure many of us have visited over the years that has thankfully been given a new lease of life.

A friend of mine who owns the Pie & Pint chain of pubs has grabbed the place a dragged it in to the 21st century. The transformation is quite astounding. In just over 22 weeks the pub has practically been rebuilt to an extremely high standard and now offers a clever blend of the traditional and modern.

Gone is the horrible UPVC conservatory and the bar has been moved back so you don¹t walk straight in on it when you open the front door. The interior is now much more open but retains the original charm with exposed brick chimneys and a log burner. There is now a large pub garden with plenty of tables and additional parking and there are even a number of bed & breakfast rooms that are sure to prove popular.

The fare will be your traditional english pub grub but the service will definitely be more influenced by the USA. A friendly welcome is assured and little things, like as soon as you sit down for your meal, hot bread will be delivered to your table free of charge. These things matter and ensure that the place is remembered and mean you will be sure to return for more.

So if ￡120 steaks in posh restaurants aren¹t quite your thing and a Sunday roast or Shepherds Pie appeals more on a cold Autumnal afternoon or night then I am sure you will be like me beating a path to their door. They are even open from 8am, 7 days a week for hearty breakfasts if you are feeling the effects from the night before?

They have already proved that there is a market for this type of gastro pub. They are due to open officially next week but offered ‘Golden Tickets¹ via their Facebook site to 100 lucky people to try Sunday lunch just before the full launch. Just through work of mouth, without any proper advertising 100 tickets sold out within the first hour!