Valiant Trooper

Trooper Rd, Aldbury, Tring HP23 5RW United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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Quick Facts About Valiant Trooper

Valiant Trooper Place is a country pub located in Aldbury, surrounded by beautiful countryside and scenic hiking trails in the Chilterns. It has received various comments praising its outstanding service, wide selection of craft beers, charming atmosphere, and lovely beer garden. However, there are also some criticisms regarding the slow service, mediocre food, and lack of heating inside the pub.

One of the strengths of Valiant Trooper Place is its outstanding service. The landlord and his adorable dog are commended for their helpfulness and friendliness. They provide information on local footpaths to Tring station and offer a selection of craft beers from the nearby Tring Brewery. This personal touch adds to the overall positive experience for many visitors.

The pub is described as having character and charm, giving it an old-school country pub feel. It has a great variety of cask ales and other drinks available, including local ciders and ales. The beer garden is also praised for its beauty on a sunny day, providing a pleasant outdoor space to enjoy a drink or meal.

Additionally, many visitors appreciate the location of Valiant Trooper Place. It is situated in Aldbury, which is conveniently located for hikers passing through after exploring the surrounding countryside. This makes it a popular spot for those looking to have lunch and relax before continuing their journey. The pub's proximity to Ashridge also adds to its appeal.

However, there are some weaknesses that have been raised by visitors. One recurring issue is the slow service, especially during busy periods. Some guests have complained about having to wait for almost 90 minutes for their food, which is considered unacceptable. This delay is seen as a result of the kitchen struggling to manage the number of orders coming in, indicating a lack of efficiency.

Another weakness highlighted is the quality of the food. Several comments describe the pub fare as bland and mediocre. Seasoning is mentioned as a particular problem, with boiled vegetables lacking any flavor. The chef's skills and attention to detail are questioned, as they should be able to manage something as basic as seasoning vegetables. These criticisms are in stark contrast to the positive comments about the wide selection of drinks, suggesting a discrepancy in quality between the food and beverages.

Furthermore, there are complaints about the lack of heating inside the pub. Some visitors mention that it was freezing cold, despite everyone being bundled up. This discomfort can impact the overall experience, especially during colder months.

In conclusion, Valiant Trooper Place has several strengths, including outstanding service, a wide variety of craft beers, and a beautiful beer garden. Its location is also convenient for hikers exploring the Chilterns. However, there are weaknesses regarding slow service, mediocre food, and a lack of heating inside the pub. These criticisms indicate areas for improvement in order to enhance the overall experience for visitors.

Best TL Reviews

Most wonderful close to a lovely day hiking in the Chilterns. Outstanding service by the landlord (and his adorable dog) including information on local footpaths to Tring station and a selection of craft beers from Tring Brewery. What an absolute gem of a pub!

A lovely old school country pub full of character and charm. A great variety of cask ales and other drinks availabl. The beer garden is beautiful on a sunny day. A great selection of hot and cold bar snacks available - I recommend the hand made scotch eggs. Definitely worth a visit!

We pass through Aldbury at least once a week after hiking through the surrounding countryside, and ended up here on a Sunday afternoon when our usual spot, The Greyhound Inn, was closed for a private function. After 10 miles of rambling we like to have some lunch before the final leg back to the car at Ashridge, and Aldbury is perfectly situated for that.

The bar staff were friendly enough (although the same can’t be said for the front of house staff who I overheard being quite rude to a lot of people coming in), and they’ve a decent selection of local ciders and ales. The actual building is really charming too, but the positives end there. We ordered lunch and ended up sorely regretting the decision; they were busy, but I don’t think that excuses the almost 90 minutes we waited for our food, which was bland, mediocre pub fare at best.

I cannot understand why it takes almost an hour and a half to dish up a few bits of potato, a slightly burned Yorkshire pudding and a piece of dry nut roast/ a bit too rare roast beef, and slop some boiled vegetables that had clearly never been so much as even introduced to any hint of seasoning, into a bowl. We were both really disappointed, especially after the ridiculously long wait, and had to repeatedly re-request the glass of wine my partner had ordered to accompany his food.

I honestly cannot fathom why this pub has so many glowing reviews when it seems abundantly obvious that the chef is so poorly skilled. If you cannot even manage something as basic as seasoning vegetables, you shouldn’t be running a kitchen. And that’s over and above the fact that the kitchen clearly struggles to manage the number of orders coming in.

When people speak about traditional British food being terrible, it’s food like this that they’re talking about. Suffice to stay, we’ll stick with the Greyhound up the road, as the slack timing and tasteless food here was, frankly, irredeemable.

lovely little local place with friendly staff and good food. Our only gripe was that it was freezing cold inside. Everyone was rugged up while the heater remained off. Great food though!

Great pub ! Large choice of nice fresh drink ! Very great garden with lot of tables to seat outside in the sun. The drinks are really cheap. Definitely recommend to stop there at the end of your hike

2017 camra pub of the year this place is a hidden gem. Great selection of craft beers & a wonderful quiet beer garden.

Had lovely meal and some good local beers can highly recommend

Lovely old style pub unfortunately as we walked in so did about 20 hikers in a group ordering food along with others and they only had 2 people behind the bar, the fish n chips looked nice but I hadn't got half an hour to wait.