REVIEW: We tried the Woolpack in Stoke Mandeville

The refurbishment looks great and you are instantly amazed by the lit up bar as you walk into the pub.

The pub has also utilised the open plan feel of the space to create a high-end look but aims to retain its signature village feel.

READ MORE: We tried The Butcher's Tap and Grill by Tom Kerridge

The large outdoor space with new furniture, patio heaters and glass screens, can host up to two hundred people for private hire for events.

Sarah Andrews, who has been general manager at pub for over three years, said: “With the new makeover, The Woolpack is perfectly suited for guests to enjoy contemporary dining and cocktails with their friends, to grab a drink at the beautiful bar, to sit down for Sunday dinner with the family, or for private parties.

“I’m incredibly proud of my close-knit team – we aim to make every guest that visits feel like part of the family – and we hope our new look wows our guests as much as it has us!

“The re-opening marks a new chapter, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

We were let inside before the big opening event to see how the pub had transformed.

The food experience:

The starters menu offered a wide range of options from scallops to lamb koftas.

We decided to go for the panko-breaded brie and the duck parfait.

The brie came with an autumnal chutney and was the starter was especially perfect around this time of the year.

The duck parfait came with a pomegranate, apple and sultana chutney served with blackcurrant curd on toasted ciabatta.

Both starters were presented really well and didn’t disappoint as we headed into our mains.

There were options from the grill such as lamb rack, pork belly or steaks as well as a rotisserie and classics menu.

Burger, pizza and salad menus were also on offer alongside a dedicated vegan menu.

We opted for the rack of lamb and the rotisserie pork belly and scallops. These both looked amazing and came with so many different components.

The rack of lamb was served with chorizo, butternut purée, roasted shallots, dauphinoise potatoes with a pesto and a Bordelaise jus.

The meat was cooked well with a tender middle and went well with the sauce.

The pork belly was maple glazed and came with a pulled pork and cider bonbon, roasted celeriac and fresh apple purée, dauphinoise potatoes with a broccoli and Bordelaise sauce

The pulled pork bonbon was the highlight here and really stole the plate.

After all that a desserts menu was on our table with orange chocolate melting bombs, passion fruit martini Eton mess and creme brulee.

With hot toffee sauce, you got to melt the chocolate shell that was filled with chocolate brownie, orange curd, chocolate mousse and served with honeycomb ice cream.

The classic creme brulee was also an apt way to end the night even if it didn’t compare to the theatrics of the melting bomb.