The Sheaf Inn

Super relaxed country pub... Great food nice ales thanks for a lovely night

Oustanding food and great hospitality with regularly rotated guest ales. This pub has done great things for the community during Covid-19 offering delivery and takeaway services. You wont be disappointed!

Fantastic food in a cosy, friendly environment where nothing is too much for the staff . We were looked after from the moment we stepped in the door . Will definitely be back

Very high quality food, friendly staff. Perfect experience. Highly recommended.

First visit here since the currant landlord took over and after hearing nothing but rave reviews was left a little disappointed. First off the transformation from how the pub looked from the last time I visited was outstanding it looks modern and cosy and welcoming and I'm sure the addition of the outside seating is great on warmer nights. We where greeted in a friendly manner and showed to our table but after this the service wasn't great. The waitress didn't ask how steaks were meant to be cooked until after we brought it up, felt a little slow and inattentive especially as there where only four tables in the dining room. I massively appreciate that when staff are wearing masks it's hard for them to get a bit of personality across and make it feel special but tonight it felt particularly robotic. It also to ok a while for our drinks to arrive that we ordered when the main courses started to arrive in fact we had almost finished the mains. They seemed to be following all the covid guidelines well but at no point did we get the "please could you wear a mask while moving around the pub" speech that is pretty much the new normal at the moment. But unfortunately it was the food we felt the most disappointed with. The pork belly starter the pork was dry like it had been cooked originally at a to high temperature or reheated for to long. This was excentuated by there only being two very small smears of the apple source and the top of the belly being trimmed of all the fat and skin that would help keep it moist. Compared to the other starters of the chicken Bao bun and the halloumi it also looked pretty small when next to them and extra little tiny square of pork and spear of asparagus wouldn't have made it feel overly genourous. For the mains we had the slow braised venison. Venison very dry and bland was dying for some of that braising liquor to be reduced and mixed back through the meat to keep it moist and give it a bit more flavour. The beetroot was a under done but not inedible, the mash was the best part beautifully seasoned and smooth. The gravey however if you are going to be pretentious enough to call it a whitly Neil jus it's got to taste better than a weak bisto which unfortunately it did. The picanha steaks where both pretty tough to the point we had to ask for steak knives to cut them. The tempura on the mushrooms was tough and chewy not light and crisp. The "truffle" and thyme chips had no flavour of truffle on them and were not particularly great chips. The puddings the brownie was not a brownie it was warm chocolate cake and the sticky toffee pudding was more of a toffee sponge then a traditional toffee pudding neither where good. Portion sizes where good (apart from the pork starter looking a third of the size of the rest), you could get three courses comfortably but didn't feel small either. If it had all been executed a little better it would definitely feel great value for money to probably slightly cheaper than most the good food pubs in this part of Northamptonshire. The beer was also well kept and it seems like they regularly change them. I was also impressed with the amount of local produce on offer. I hope the Sheaf takes this as somewhat positive critasism I am aware I have been particularly harsh but having heard nothing but great things it for me did not live up to it. That said with a little more training out front and attention to detail in the kitchen I don't think it would take much for them to be a 5 star pub.