The story
The Packhorse Inn is a modern British pub at Bridge Street, Moulton, CB8 8SP, and The Good Food Guide lists it as Good for 2026. The inn sits on the edge of the village green, with a light, raftered restaurant and a bar that pours real ales.
The menu changes with what arrives, from game in season to fish from the coast. Starters include burrata with charred spring onions and focaccia, and a Scotch egg with burnt apple ketchup. Mains range from smoked haddock beer-battered fish and chips to steak and ale pie with smoked mash. The AA has awarded the kitchen 2 Rosettes for 2026.
Sixteen bedrooms are spread across the pub, courtyard and barn, and dogs are welcome. The bar offers well-kept beers and a wine list with a Black Book of rarer bottles. In warmer months, the garden is a good place to eat or simply stop for a drink.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Pristine inside and out, this bullishly revitalised village inn overlooking Moulton’s handsome green has year-round appeal as a weekending and dining destination but, with real ales and a proper bar, it's popular with drinkers too. The more luxe element of the package is confined to the letting rooms (and the cars in the car park on our visit), while the light-filled, raftered restaurant speaks of a charmingly relaxed dining room, complete with warm, attentive service. There’s also a garden terrace for summertime dining. The cooking is similarly straightforward, with the kitchen matching pub classics – Scotch egg with brown sauce, burgers, steak and chips – with seasonally fresh dishes with an international focus, say crispy Blackface lamb shoulder with English peas and broad beans, mint and labneh or a roasted courgette risotto with pesto, sunflower seed and basil. On a glowing late spring evening, BBQ poussin with paprika, tabbouleh, yoghurt and sumac, and a dish of cod served with a tangle of mussels, buttered potatoes and greens in a lemon and Champagne cream sauce both proved palpable hits – as did the elderflower panna cotta with Essex strawberries, which we shared for dessert. The wine list is wide-ranging, listed by style, and offers a good selection by the glass.
2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
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