Milton Keynes is mostly known for its roundabouts and concrete but it’s food scene is on the up. There are street food retailers, independents and more options popping up. Despite living on the east of Northamptonshire, I love heading into MK for shopping and Ikea so when I was invited down to the new refurbishment and menu for The Wavendon Arms pub I couldn’t resist.
The Wavendon Arms is in the village of Wavendeon and just outside of the MK centre, not too far from the M1. It is a beautiful old style building, large carpark, spacious outdoor area and beautiful interior. They have had a recent refurbishment throughout and the decor is simply stunning.
The Refurbishment
The restaurant and bar are set in two separate areas. You walk into the building with the new glam entrance and you’re greeted by a wonderful host area. You can then take a seat in the beautiful and very glam bar which is cosy, full of velvet plush furniture and even fireplaces. The bar has a great Gatsby style to it and the drinks menu is HUGE. Naturally, there’s cocktails, gin and a great wine list. Everything you could possibly want and the bar offers a great place throughout summer and winter.
The restaurant area is separate on the right of the bar and is an impressive space. It has a huge open ceiling with sky light, there’s a main dining section, cosy booths for all occasions and then a dining area which can be curtained off for private events. The decor has been thought of from every detail. There’s greenery, a firepit, beautiful candles and table decor and it’s all very plush and glam.
The Food
Onto the food and we were kindly allowed to try a three course meal with any items we liked. The menu is impressive and could serve any time of the day. You can have a few small dishes or a full dinner full of your favourite classics. The menu also had loads of veggie options which was great as Josh, my friend who I took with me, is a vegetarian so he was well catered for.
We started with the small plates with a couple each. These would be plenty if you went for 3 or 4 each for just a meal on it’s own. I had the pork belly bao bun, the squid and alioli and Josh had deep fried brie, breaded mushrooms, and the aubergine bao buns.
We were well looked after with these starters, they were all really tasty and you got a great amount of each dish. I liked that the bao buns were available in both veggie and meat options and this added some depth to your classic favourites too.
The main event!
After filling up on the starters, we went for our mains after a chilled break of cocktails (mocktail for me – short straw driver!). We both felt full after the starters and we wanted to make room for dessert too so we went for the ‘healthy meals’ section of the menu. The rest of the menu has classic favourites like burgers, chicken and then there are some steaks and meat dishes which sound perfect for a real treat.
The healthy meals are just lighter dishes and are just as tasty! I went for the aubergine and chickpea tagine and Josh went for the nourish bowl with tofu. Unfortunately my tagine wasn’t very hot, I think the kitchen had got seriously busy at this point and being the first night this is to be expected. It was seriously nice and well thought out dish but naturally not being hot it didn’t have the same taste as I would have expected. Would definitely try this again, just hope for it to be hotter next time.
Josh loved his nourish bowl and it was great that you could add various toppings to this bowl. It looked seriously healthy and would be perfect for a vegan too.
Sidenote: Their mocktails are incredible and the Elderflower Sherbet is similar to a mojito but really refreshing. It comes in a gin glass which is always nice as it keeps you included in the pretty instagram look. Yes these things matter haha!
Dessert and final thoughts
For desserts (some how we had room left!) we went for sticky toffee pudding, apple and rhubarb crumble and chocolate brownie and ice cream. Josh had two of these and I had the brownie. I could barely finish it but it was delicious and warm with the cold ice cream, a firm favourite of mine.
Josh loved his desserts and he even tried the vegan custard which he said was actually nicer than the normal custard so everyone is catered for at the Wavendon Arms. We finished the night seriously full, I loved all of the food and had no complaints of the sizes, quality and options available. Our waitress Dee was a delight and she made sure we were well taken care of.
If you’re local to Milton Keynes or you are looking for a special location on a summer’s evening then you need to give Wavendon Arms a visit. They are opening on the 18th May and the public can then enjoy the wonderful new destination. Check out their website here.