In case you’ve not headed this way before and you’re wondering where to go the day before or day after, here are some of our favourite local restaurants and drinking establishments.

Proper pubs

  • The Cock Inn, Broom: brown signs from the road as it’s a historic pub with “no bar” - just a keg room with a table in front of it. Great rotating selection of beers. Roast of the day available every day!
  • The White Horse, Southill: quite an idylic, countryside pub with a big beer garden and a good selection of food and beer.
  • The Rising Sun, Potton: very much a locals pub. Well trained staff, inexpensive pub grub. Parking is a bit of a pain, recommend parking on a side street.
  • The Anchor, Great Barford: riverside pub next to the bridge of many arches. Common for people to get takeaway food and beers and sit by the river.
  • Couple of nice pubs in Gamlingay we’ve been meaning to check out, report back if you make it up that way!

Cheap and cheerful

  • Crown hotel, Biggleswade: Wetherspoons.
  • Beego’s cafe, Biggleswade: really good sandwich shop
  • The Ghandi (in Sandy) - great Indian. Friendly owners and staff.
  • Onsite Shuttleworth collection cafe - should be accessible to all guests any day.

More “brunch”-y

Gastropubs and a taproom

  • The John O’Gaunt Pub, Sutton: Off the beaten track pub past a ford. Really good food, listed in the Michellin guide. Good range of food and great quality. Booking via email recommended.
  • Saddle and Spoke, Biggleswade: nice cocktails, very nice staff. London Pride on tap. Same building (and owners) as the stratton house hotel.
  • The Hare and Hound, Old Warden: the only pub in the village on the Shuttleworth estate. Good selection of local brews, mostly from Bedford. Food is excellent.
  • The Black Horse at Ireland: really good food. Really nice professional waiters.
  • Drink Biggleswade: if you’re after a broad selection of more modern, stronger beers this is the place to go. Being a taproom the prices are a little higher than the pubs, but it’s a small and sociable bar and they’ll give you tasters of whatever you ask for. Sells tinnies which can be taken away or drunk in, as well as 5 rotating beers on tap.

Misc