Our Frank Adventures: The Anchor of Rowhedge

This afternoon while out hunting down used cars, because James has decided we will get a car for the remainder of our time here, otherwise it will be more expensive, and limiting, to see much of England, we happened upon a small village.

Rowhedge, a small village in North Essex, is situated on River Colne, an estuary of the North Sea. It's easy access to the sea made the banks of River Colne a good place for the building of pillboxes, concrete guard posts dug into the ground, with holes for firing weapons out of, during World War II. The river is now used by sailboat owners, boaters and for events like the Rowhedge Regatta, an annual celebration with events such as rowing and canoe races and crabbing competitions.

The area of Rowhedge, rumored to have been a hot bed for piracy and smuggling, is a quiet and picturesque village with a last documented population of less than 1,600 (in 2001). We arrived in early afternoon, when the tide was just starting to go out, meaning the waterway was still quite full. The weather, warmer than the average, was made all the more enjoyable by the blue sky and beautiful light being cast on the houses and trees in the area.

Along High Road in Rowhedge, High Road being the name for most main roads of business in England, is a small pub and restaurant called The Anchor. With a charming exterior and a great location on River Colne it is a beautiful location for a pint, a meal, or a coffee on the patio.

James knows the owners of the establishment, and being we were in the area looking for used car dealerships, we stopped in for a brief introduction and so that they could catch up family events. We sat on the patio and drank a cup of coffee, talking about the area and observing the people making use of the river.

We decided we would return for an early dinner. We had went into town to get sweets from a new sweets shoppe earlier in the day, and had spent several hours after that walking around local villages, so we were quite hungry. The menu looked promising and we were told that the food there was quite good, so we were excited to give it a try. We had been standing at the bar earlier eyeing up the desserts menu and had a craving for some homemade bread and butter pudding.

The main dining room, with its wooden tables and large windows is inviting and warm, and overlooks River Colne. The menu is tastefully displayed near the patio door on a blackboard with a both unique and traditional dishes. We sat in the bar instead of the dining room because they were setting up the main rooms for a function. The bar area sports a handful of wooden tables and chairs, situated near a brick wood burning fire place, among mostly tasteful decorations.

Orkney Herrings in Honey Mustard Sauce

We started our meal with Orkney Herrings in Honey Mustard Sauce served on a bed of salad with wholemeal bread. James opted for the Vegetable Samosas with sweet chilli sauce served on a bed of salad.

James' somosas were crispy and fresh, the sauce was fairly spicy and he seemed to enjoy the meal. We took a couple of bites but were focused on our starter. The the honey mustard sauce was a perfect pairing for the sour pickled taste of the fish. The herring was wonderful, as some pickled fishes tend to be chewy, this had been perfectly preserved and still had a fresh taste and texture. The salads on both plates were of high quality and made with fresh vegetables making the starters absolutely pleasing to the senses. We found the portion of the herring dish to be very generous for a starter.

We followed with mains of Steak and Guinness Pie, for James; and Lamb in a Redcurrant and Rosemary Gravy served with mashed potatoes and vegetables, for us.

The Steak and Guinness Pie was presented in a deconstructed manor, with the crust, a phyllo “bun” of flaky pastry that you could insert a fork into, and fill with bits of tender steak and thick Guinness spiked gravy, served atop the meat. Accompanying it was perfectly prepared English chips, crunchy on the outside with a creamy potato center, and peas that had been cooked to the perfect state of doneness.

Steak and Guinness Pie

Lamb
with Redcurrant and Rosemary Gravy

The lamb dish was served atop a mound of freshly mashed potatoes, with a gravy of redcurrants and rosemary. The meat was extremely tender and with each fork full the taste all of the individual ingredients, the sweet of the redcurrants, the aromatic rosemary and the meaty stock used to make the gravy, greets the mouth. On the side was a dish of carrots and savoy cabbage, both steamed to al dente and left naked of seasonings.

Bread and Butter Pudding with Custard

The meal was fantastic, ingredients fresh and well prepared; we forced ourselves to eat as much as we could, while saving space for dessert. Expressing to James our dissatisfaction with leaving leftovers on the plate, we asked him to eat as much of ours as he could. He joked saying we were going to be the reason for having a 300 pound boyfriend some day, but dutifully ate most of the remaining mash and lamb from our plate.

Dessert came next and was exactly what we had hoped for. We decided that we would share it with James, instead of getting two desserts, which is usually unheard of for us, especially in a place of such calibre. Before they could even bring the menu to the table we blurted out what we wanted.

For dessert we had Bread and Butter Pudding with Custard was simply and beautifully served in a white ceramic bowl; a generous chunk of bread pudding floating in a yellow homemade custard sauce. The raisins in the pudding plump and juicy, the cake moist and chewy, and the custard creamy and velvety. As we ate the bread pudding soaked up the custard, and with each bite left us wishing it was a bottomless bowl.

The service was of course excellent, but with our partner knowing the owners, we expected no less. However, we got the feeling that no matter who you are, upon arrival to The Anchor you would be greeted with the personality and charm of what you would expect of a small village pub in England.

As we left the tide had gone out and the water receded exposing the gray clay of the banks of the river, the sun was setting and the entire area went from one breathtaking view to another.