The pub is tucked away just off the village green and is not obvious at first being tucked away a little.
Inside it is a real olde worlde pub and on the day we visited there was a fire burning away.
I had the roast beef which was superb and in fact was some of the best roast beef that I have tasted. The waitress said that it came from the butchers just across the green. Those that had the fish although satisfied thought that the chef was perhaps trying to be a little to clever and perhaps there was one too many ingredient on the plate. The mussels in San Miguel that we had for starters were also good.
The meal was good value for the money.
Service throughout was very good. Would definately go back if in the area again

The Crown is the local 'pub in my village. Pub food is usually, well, pub food. Not so at The Crown. I have eaten there many times this year and it's always good. However last week I had one of the most memorable meals of my life; cod gravadlax followed my pork belly with truffled polenta. Stupendous. Wonderful. Astonishing value. The chef, Matt and his team produce inventive seasonal produce.

Visited the Hartest with my partners family as a table of 4. It took a little finding as is hidden away but it was well worth it. I shared baked camembert to start which came with some gorgeous homemade bread sticks. The rest of the table had a stunning looking beetroot dish that tasted fantastic as well. My main was incredible. Beautifully thin pappardelle pasta with mushrooms, artichokes, caramelised onion....it was amazing. One of the best plates of food i've ever tasted. Our companions had fish and chips that they said was brilliant.
When it came to desert we had to order them all. And each of them was brilliant. The stand out had to be the orange tart with green tea ice cream. The flavour was ridiculous! So good. Overall, your experience in the Crown will be totally unexpected, you'll think you're going to get pretty good pub food but in fact you get given meals that can rival anything you've had in your life. Will be back very soon.

Get yourself down to The Crown,Hartest if you want amazing food! The wife and I travelled up from Herts today and my Uncle and Aunt recommended this pub for lunch....but pub lunch does not describe the eating experience we had today. I had the squid,lemongrass,apple etc starter and the flavours were amazing! Steak and ale pie for main,buttery pie crust was heaven and the filling had steak that really did melt in the mouth with an unctious, full of flavour gravy that made you want the recipe( and two of these cost ONLY £15)!!
Orange tart,jelly and Green tea ice cream(with a lovely litte surprise included) was a lovely finish to an AMAZING lunch....Fabulous flavours just kept on coming with every course.Service was always with a smile and although it was a late late lunch (2.30) there was still a table of diners nearby to contribute to the atmosphere. Definitely the best pub lunch I have ever experienced......A M A Z I N G !!!!!!

Experiences of The Crown prior to this autumn are likely to have been bad or, if good, lucky. I know, I was unlucky!
All change in the kitchen and it’s gone from the ridiculous to the sublime. I chose braised belly of pork, truffle polenta, leek, celeriac, broccoli and pork crackling. Watching another table being served, I reckoned the vegetables with the pork would mostly be about setting off the pork with other tastes, so I ordered a side dish of vegetables to satisfy a big appetite. I had only popped out to have a drink and eat but I decided to drink and dine ... I recalled the menu and swayed between cauliflower soup and bread or skate wing, cauliflower pakora, with homemade crisps for starters. I like both cauliflower and homemade bread but fancied something fishy ... I chose Brancaster mussels steamed in lager with garlic, paprika and chilli with bread. Try hard and you can ruin good mussels; equally, you have to try very hard to make mussels exceptional; hats’ off to this chef. A good bowl of good mussels with plenty of liquor for lumps of bread; garlic in the nose, a little chilli on the tongue and paprika round the gills and the taste and texture of mussels ... heaven! Still wondering if I should just have ordered a super large plate of mussels with chips from the bar menu ... the main course arrived. The pork was beautiful and whilst not a fan of maize (except b-b-q sweet corn) or truffle, I enjoyed the polenta and realised that following the starter, the vegetables on the plate might well have been sufficient. Nevertheless I enjoyed demolishing the extra vegetables, including the braised swede, which I’d normally push to the side. I wasn’t expecting the piece of smoked eel which wonderfully complemented the sweetness in the pork and gave me visions of past debauchery in the Manorial Courtroom where I was eating!
Stuffed, I passed on the pudding even though there was real enthusiasm from the nearby table for their desserts. Getting attention could be a problem but otherwise staff were cheerful and helpful and, when the kitchen wound down, the chef appeared in the dining room ... genuine, and a nice touch. All in all, £23 which will be a lot more once folk start to find this chef. Friendly, great food.

Food was fab, staff were friendly and helpful, If you want a nice meal well worth paying that little extra to get good quality freshly cooked food. defiantly will visit again :-)

We recently ate dinner at The Crown and had a delicious and surprisingly excellent meal. I ordered the Monk fish and lentil main course which was frankly one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. The fish was cooked perfectly, the lentils had an amazing flavour and where not too firm. There was a pink lobster flavoured foam which was heavenly. My partner ordered a less sophisticated but still excellent steak pie and fried potatoes. She said it was delicious, very meaty and flavoursome. The presentation was very high end restaurant, something which did not quite marry with its surroundings.
The pub itself could be as good as the food given some attention. The dying plants in plastic pots as you arrive are not very inspiring and almost made us drive on. As 'gastro pubs' go the food was impressive but the venue looks unkempt and in need of some style and TLC.Service was friendly.

Popped in to The Crown for a quick lunch and ended up staying hours! the Staff were all really welcoming and the food was not only reasonably priced but outstanding quality. I had the pork starter and burger for my main. both exceeded expectation, hand cut chips onion rings all perfectly cooked. will be bringing the Mrs back for dinner soon. would reccomend to anyone. perfection

Visited this pub with food for an informal birthday meal and was pleasantly surprised at what was on offer. The service was a little slow but otherwise fine and very friendly, and there was plenty of choice on the menu. I enjoyed my 3 courses - indeed every plate - there were 5 of us - went back empty. The fish dishes we had were very good. This is not the place for a romantic meal, but for an informal gathering of friends it is to recommended.

We were recommended the crown and drove over 20 miles to try their Sunday lunch.
The staff made us feel very welcome, and we were seated on a roomy window table with a view towards the church.We both had roast pork with crackling and stuffing ball plus a mixture of six vegetables.
This was absolutely gorgeous, plenty of good quality and well cooked meat, and the vegetables cooked just right.We both had a sweet plus coffee and left well contented.
We hope to return very shortly.

I called in to the Crown for an evening meal with my wife, as we live in the next village and faniced a change, an wow I was impressed, the decor was very nice, there is a huge open log burning fire which was alight, the staff were very welcoming and nothing was too much trouble. they have a few different areas to sit and have your meal all very nice, the menu boosts homemade food and it certainly tasted like it was, the food was presented and tasted very nice , the girls have done a great job here.
Oh i just read some of the other reviews on here I cant believe a few slating the place, sounds like jealous rivals to me!!!!!!!!
Will certainly visit again and recommend to a number of friends.

hadn't visited this Pub for a while, due to my location. It was as good as previous visits, and won't be leaving it so long till my next visit.

The old landlord lost interest a couple of years back and the food and service had said as much. As the pub is local; the ambiance good and there's a lovely garden for all the family, I'd mistakenly given it many second chances. What a relief to find the new landlady has already overseen a new menu and the food was a joy to eat. I asked for a rib eye steak rare to medium rare and flamed on the outside and that is exactly what I got. The meat itself was excellent. The wife ordered a tuna salad but the chef personally apologised for the shortage of tuna and recommended swordfish instead ... an excellent suggestion.

Camping locally therefore visited The Crown with family and friends for an evening meal. Our selected foods ranged from brie & red pepper tart to scampi & chips & childrens fish & chips all of which were swimming in grease & overpriced (over £10.00 for fish & chips).
Although the Speckled Hen tasted O.K it was becoming cloudy but as I only had one pint I didnt bother complaining. The pub, garden & childrens play area is very good almost making up for the poor quality food.
Would I recommend this establishment, yes, only if you were having a soft drink & a sandwich.

We have been using this pub for meals and family celebrations for some 30 years, Im afraid even though the food is fair now days the prices certainly are not £9.50 for bangers and mash says it all!

Not many people in there when we arrived on a Saturday lunch time so plenty of space. Food was good although the sauce in the prawn cocktail was a bit overpowering. Onion rings a bit fatty too. Apart from that it was ok.

I have visited a good few times and enjoyed the food. The atmosphere is good and feel you get good value for your money!