The Hoops Inn, Perry Green, Much Hadham

This pub/restaurant is sited on the Henry Moore Foundation estate and visitors to the Henry Moore foundation share the large car park out the back of the pub. This place was a regular watering hole for Henry Moore and his wife and he used to often bring clients here. Although he often thought of buying it, it became part of the Henry moore Foundation when they purchased the lease in 1990. It was a fine , if a small bit tatty in later years, traditional country pub. But last summer it underwent a major refurbishment which turned it into a Gastro restaurant and any pretence of it being a country pub disappeared. Internally it is completely laid to dining tables , which have to be booked in advance usually, and there is no longer any area for just drinking. Externally there is a smart terrace area to the front and gardens and large terraced area to the back by the car park. The Hoops is probably OK for an outside beer when the sun is shining and it offers a limited selection of beers including Guinness and Bitburger, and draught cider, and there is a solitary hand pump which dispenses Adnams bitter. Nice if you want to splash the cash and treat someone, but if you are visiting the Henry Moore Foundation and you just want a pint and a sandwich, then I am afraid it is back in the car for a short drive to one of the many superior traditional pubs in the surrounding villages.

Official site of the Hoops Inn, contains menu, drinks list and event details - www.hoops-inn.co.uk