Located in the picturesque village of Great Linford on the outskirts of Milton Keynes is The Black Horse, a picture-perfect pub, bar and restaurant. With its idyllic riverside setting it’s the ideal place to enjoy a drink or some delicious food with family or friends.

The Black Horse recently underwent a major refurbishment to give its interiors a more modern, stylish and contemporary feel, whilst still keeping its country pub charm. Comfy velvet chairs in deep hues, cosy corners, ambient lighting and a roaring open fire all create an atmosphere of cosy chic, once you enter you won’t want to leave.

It was a cold, dark winters evening when we paid The Black Horse a visit, walking through the door is like walking into a great big hug of warm, welcoming cosiness.

After enjoying an aperitif at the bar, we made our way into the main restaurant, which has been tastefully decorated in green and brown earthy tones. There was an interesting mix of clientele from couples and groups of girls to families celebrating birthdays, it definitely seemed like the place to be. Once seated our friendly waitress ran through the menu before bringing us a much-needed glass of wine.

Speaking of the menu, there’s plenty of choice with a delicious array of starters, sharers, pizzas, salads, and mains, all freshly prepared to order – my mouth was watering just looking at the menu.

We shared some olives and rustic breads before heading into starters of thyme roasted Portobello mushrooms in a Cropwell Bishop sauce served with rustic toast. This was delicious, the taste and texture of this dish was a decadent treat to the taste buds, the creaminess of the Cropwell Bishop cheese sauce combined with mushroom flavours was a combination I could eat all day long. Hubbies choice was from the specials menu,seared king scallops and chorizo served on a bed of pea puree, not only did this dish look like a work of art it tasted just divine, the scallops were superbly tender with absolutely none of the rubberiness that can sometimes occur when they are over cooked.

Our mains were accompanied with a light and refreshing glass of Pinot Grigio blush and a glass of Malbec, the wine menu gives a lot of choice without being overbearing and has wines to fit all budgets.

Seared salmon fillet on chorizo mash with tenderstem broccoli and bouillabaisse sauce was the choice for me and what a great choice it was – The creamy mash had chunks of chorizo in and was a delicious combination of tastes. The broccoli was sweet and tender and the salmon was cooked perfectly, a winning dish that I need to definitely order again!

Hubbies main was buttermilk southern-fried chicken that was stuffed with nduja sausage, oozing great flavour and a melt in your mouth texture, served alongside sweet potato fries, an apple salad and lemon aioli, another winning flavoursomecombination. And of course, one of us had to try steak, a 7oz fillet served with an ale glazed shallot tart topped with Cropwell Bishop custard, stilton and walnut crumb and twice cooked chunky chips – the steak was cooked exactly as requested, the tart added different tastes not normally associated with a steak dish, definitely a big hit with the taste buds.

Dessert was an indulgence too far, we were all full, but because its reputation exceeds it, we decided to share the melting chocolate and peanut bomb – A shiny ball of chocolate takes centre stage on a plate of bourbon ice cream, the waitress proceeds to pour hot salted caramel sauce onto the ball and it melts before your eyes revealing peanut butter ice cream and sticky toffee pudding. A decadent desert that will have your mouth explode with all the sweet flavours that come from the dish– If you love peanut butter and chocolate then this is the dessert for you!

The Black Horse certainly doesn’t disappoint, with its sophisticated interiors, cosy corners, an extensive drink and food menu offering some delightful dishes, it is a wonderful addition to share with your family and friends, a place you most definitely need to visit.

To view menus and book a table, visit www.theblackhorsegreatlinford.co.uk