Fordham, Colchester ★★★★★ 4.8 (117 reviews) TripAdvisor Open Wed–Sat 12pm–11pm, Sun 12pm–6pm Family-run & dog-friendly, fantastic food & wines
★★★★★ 4.6 (117 reviews) → TripAdvisor
The Three Horseshoes in Fordham village radiates familial warmth as a dog-friendly country redoubt, its passion for produce and hospitality manifesting in plates that celebrate Essex’s fertile plains. This family-run bastion, with its fantastic wines and friendly service, serves as a convivial crossroads for ramblers and locals alike, where the hearth’s glow kindles kinship amid Colchester’s commuter corridors. Essex’s pub panorama gains a prismatic facet here, in a venue that prioritises provenance and personal touch.
The beamed bar yields to a restaurant aglow with candlelight, where menus marshal best-of-British—Colchester whelks or Fordham fens pheasant—into harmonious wholes. The cellar’s cuvées, from Sussex slopes to the Loire, pair impeccably, whilst garden games entertain younger charges. Acoustic sets and curry nights diversify the diary, with 117 TripAdvisor cheers for its chummy charm.
At Fordham, Colchester, Essex CO3 9BL, via the B1024. Open 12:00–23:00 (Wed–Sat), Sun 12:00–18:00; 01206 242845. Pet perches and ramped realms render it receptive.
Horseshoes’ hoofprint horseshoes from its Fordham footing—flanking the Layer’s lakes or the Eight Ash’s arbours—where family forges fealty. It foals Essex’s friendly fold, a shoe of sincere sups.
Shoe your stead at this Fordham forge forthwith. For filigree, filigree with Layer Marney’s tower or the Ardleigh’s reservoirs. The Three Horseshoes shoes as a familial flourish in Essex’s pub flourish—a trio of tender toasts.