The Cricketers Arms Rickling Green – Top Village Pub 2025

Rickling Green, near Stansted ★★★★★ 4.8 (372 reviews) TripAdvisor Open Tue–Sun from 12pm Oak-beamed village free house, excellent wines & local food

Nestled in the pastoral idyll of Rickling Green near Stansted, The Cricketers Arms exemplifies the timeless allure of a village free house, where oak-beamed intimacy and home-cooked repasts foster a sense of unpretentious belonging. This charming pub, with its excellent wine list and locally sourced dishes, serves as a haven for those weary of metropolitan haste, offering celebrations scripted in the glow of log fires and the clink of crystal. Amid Essex’s constellation of rural retreats, it distinguishes itself through its unwavering dedication to provenance, transforming seasonal game and garden yields into comforting symphonies that resonate with the countryside’s quiet eloquence.

The bar, a vaulted sanctuary of flagstoned floors and leather settles, dispenses a curated selection of cask-conditioned ales alongside continental vintages, ideal for contemplative afternoons. Dining unfolds in the adjoining restaurant, where menus evolve with the harvest—perhaps venison Wellington from Audley End estates or wild mushroom risotto foraged from Uttlesford woods—each creation plated with rustic finesse. Live acoustic evenings and quiz nights punctuate the calendar, whilst the garden’s pergola invites summer barbecues under starlit canopies. With 372 TripAdvisor accolades, The Cricketers garners praise for its warm stewardship and unyielding quality.

Located at Rickling Green, Stansted, Essex CM22 6EF, the pub is a serene detour from the B1383. Open from 12:00 to 23:00 (Tuesday–Sunday), contact 01279 850600 for reservations, accommodating gluten-free and vegetarian imperatives. The single-level layout and ample parking facilitate ease, with pet provisions for faithful companions.

This inn’s integrity lies in its immersion within Saffron Walden’s hinterlands—contiguous to the Audley End’s Jacobean grandeur or the Clavering’s thatched hamlets—where every draught draws from the soil’s narrative. It affirms Essex’s guardianship of village vitality, where familiarity breeds enduring loyalty.

Claim your corner at this cricketer’s creed promptly. For enrichment, adjoin ambles along the Flitch Way or visits to the Priory’s remnants. The Cricketers Arms endures as a pastoral pillar in Essex’s pub pantheon—a realm where roots run deep.