20 May 2026
James Cameron ventures out to Bricket Wood for a budget-friendly pub lunch…
Once again I find myself wondering about where the names of our dining establishments come from. The Gate does not have a particularly elaborate gate on its premises, they seem functional at best, so possibly it is named after Bricket Wood, gateway to south-west Hertfordshire?
On the other hand maybe it is in tribute to the song by fay Scots band Belle & Sebastian, although once inside there is no evidence of a love of mid-90s Indie. There are, however, plenty of novels by Danielle Steele, so if you fancy holing yourself up and getting deep into epic tales of inter-generational conflict and forbidden lust then this is the place for you.
It would be a surprising way to spend a sunny weekend but I respect your life choices.
I used to drive by The Gate regularly on my way to work, but never had a reason to stop in Bricket Wood long enough to give it a try. It is well situated as a break on a country walk, though, and that is what brought us here this time. Judging by the number of people running past the window as we had our lunch it seems to be on many jogging routes, but it’s hard to get a PB if you’re stopping in for a pint on the way.
There is a nice large beer garden with lovely views over the aforementioned country, and inside the barman was friendly and welcoming. Disappointingly, although it was a Charles Wells pub and they produce some lovely ales, the only draught offerings were your default mass-market lagers.
The menu also consisted of fairly standard pub offerings, with a slightly expanded pizza section.
Excluding a ‘Wagyu’ here or an ‘Ultimate’ there it was rather like stepping into pubs from the past. I could very easily see myself as a child being left in the beer garden here with some Scampi Fries and a lemonade whilst the grown-ups got increasingly sozzled inside.
However, the pricing was also pretty retro with starters generally £8 and mains around £15, something which was definitely not reflected in the portion sizes when they did arrive. To get the most variety I went for two and a half starters (one was shared), and each could easily have been a substantial lunch.
The oddest meal was probably the Ploughman’s. This consisted of two halves of a piece of standard white sliced bread and a little pot of what seemed like Flora, along with some cubes of cheddar, a diced slice of tomato and a smattering of olives. The cheddar was nice and mature, though, and the two pots of chutney were very pleasing indeed. I’m normally not a fan of chutneys (mango obviously excluded), but these did just what they needed to.
The Nachos would probably not pass muster if presented to a Mexican (or a Texican), with the salsa in particular very reminiscent of the Doritos version, but they were very generous with both the melted cheese and the chilli so really there is no cause to complain.
Where The Gate does absolutely excel, and it is a fundamental area for a pub, is in their chips (or more precisely fries). These were thin and golden, crispy and full of flavour, and for only £4 I received a bountiful basket. They also come as an accompaniment for most of the main meals, and if you order the pie they come with gravy. Chips and gravy, just let that sink in.
The only vegan option on the menu was the No Steak & Ale pie, so two of our party had to go for that. Unfortunately they could only do one pie at a time, so one of the party had quite a wait for their meal, but fortunately that one of the party wasn’t me so was largely irrelevant. The pies were fairly standard, substantial and certainly not unpleasant but probably not something you would reminisce about in the months to come.
The Wagyu Burger was fat and juicy, but it did taste like it was no stranger to the inside of a freezer. The cheese, however, was properly American and processed and there were of course more of those fantastic chips.
A final side of onion rings completed the journey into the past, being of the old school chopped and reformed style rather than the full ring of an onion that is much more prevalent these days.
Both are legitimate approaches to the subject, and it is nice to have a bit of variety. Like the chips they were delightfully crisp and the batter was as crunchy as you could hope for.
There are two types of country pub in my experience.
There are those destination spots which focus on delivering restaurant-level food and look at you a bit funny if you just want a beer, and there are those that service the needs of the local community primarily but are delighted to see you if you do choose to drop in.
We have plenty of the former kind in St Albans, think The Plough at Sleapshyde or the Prae Wood Arms, and The Gate might appear from the outside like it is another, with its en trende grey colour scheme and picturesque ivy-covered sign.
Once you enter, though, you realise that you are in for a completely different experience.
Straight-forward food with large portions at reasonable prices, just the thing you need to perk yourself up midway through a ramble. Better still, stick the kids in the garden, go to town on the lager and hope that you can get enough phone reception for an Uber home.
