Christo from Ye Olde Fighting Cocks shares his St.Albans hot spots

I’m Christo, landlord of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, the UK’s oldest pub. I know what you are thinking, it’s an impressive claim to fame, but the history of the pub, is the beating heart of its existence. And what’s more exciting is that we are still here in the 21^st century.

Situated in the stunning Verulamium Park – the 100-acre park was once the third largest Roman town in the UK –  and just a Roman stone’s throw from the city’s 11^th-century Cathedral – the birthplace of the Magna Carta – we continue the tradition of providing for both our community and visitors to this beautiful city.

The pub’s food is sumptuous and tasty with dishes put together by a chef who has a number of years’ experience working in a Michelin-starred restaurant, our drink is eclectic with a big focus on locally sourced real ales and the staff are some of the best in the business.

We have a beer garden that boasts stunning views of the park’s ornamental lake – great for that Instagram-worthy sunset pic – and an open fire in the winter, perfect for a cosy evening in the pub. Live music is a big part of our offering to customers with a weekly Friday night music and festivals during the summer. And a pub isn’t a pub without a quiz night, right? So we have those too. And we pride ourselves on thinking outside the box, so we have started produced a quarterly newspaper that now boasts a circulation of 40,000 and is getting bigger every issue.

But that’s enough about me and the pub that I am so proud of. Visitors to St Albans are spoilt for choice when it comes to incredible places to eat and drink, and here is my brief guide to some of the jewels in the city’s gastronomic crown.

Street Café

Rita is extremely passionate about providing the best food and drink experience and coupled with her unique concept, the Street Café excites me. High quality in every area, they are exceptionally brave and clever. The menu is excellent, fresh, delicious and healthy. It’s worth a trip just for the cakes – okay, that’s the slightly unhealthy bit.

Farr Brew

The Farr Brew lads bring experience from years of practice and passion; Nick’s love of beer making goes back to a young age and their holistic approach to brewing makes Farr Brew very special. They engage with our local community on all levels. We worked with Nick to design Blacklisted, our very own house ale, which has also proved to be our best-selling one too.

Dylans Plough

This place oozes exceptional quality and character throughout, with the food, drinks and service top notch. The décor is very cool, even modern, which can be a challenge in a old pub with its fair share of beams. It’s a fine art to do this and Sean’s style ticks every box with class and vibe winning overall.

St Michael’s Manor

Perfect for special occasions, St Michael’s Manor hotel is one in a million. You can lose yourself in the tranquillity of the gardens, which are spectacular any time of the year. I have a soft spot for this place as I spent my honeymoon night here. Say no more.

Suckerpunch

Wow! Cocktails to cry out for! There are not many places where you have to book a seat at the bar, but this is worth it. They could easily fit in more but won’t compromise on quality. Loads of style, a fantastic experience.

If you love your food and drink with a big dose of history thrown in, then St Albans is the place for you. See you soon.

Watch Christo's full video exploring Hertfordshire's hidden gems below...