This is an absolutely wonderful pub, really easy to find in the middle of such a pretty village. Booking our accommodation and dinner on our first night of two was very easy to do. Alex the owner was great at communication when we booked. On arrival we were given a lovely friendly welcome by the manager, we never got her name. She was so helpful, booking us in, showing us to our room, which was one of four bungalow style rooms in the grounds of the pub. We enjoyed a very original main course as part of our fab dinner, which was called Messiah Mushroom. We stayed two nights, the second night was hotter than the first so the very helpful manager brought a fan to our room, this was much appreciated. Although we knew the pub was closed on the second night (a Sunday), and that we would have a continental breakfast on the second morning, the manager and the owner Alex arranged for us to go into the pub for our breakfast, where we had cereals, gorgeous almond croissants and frothy lattes. Alex and his staff were altogether so helpful, welcoming, friendly and chatty, this was a superb weekend away for us in the heart of the Cambridgeshire countryside. Thank you all so very much.
The Black Bull Inn
Address: 27 High Street, BalshamAvailability
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We stayed for one night, and I’m honestly glad it was only one night. While the rooms are lovely to look at, the experience was completely ruined by an awful night’s sleep. The mattress was extremely uncomfortable and felt very cheap and old. The pillows were just as bad, and we actually ended up leaving the room at 6:30am because we simply couldn’t sleep. For the price we paid, this is completely unacceptable. There was also only one small amount of milk provided, meaning we couldn’t even both have a cup of tea. Overall, we were extremely disappointed. The hotel may look lovely, but the quality and comfort certainly did not match the price we paid. In our opinion, it was absolutely not worth the money, and we would not stay here again.
Had a fabulous lunch prepared by chef Rob. The scallops starter with soft egg and asparagus was delicious. Followed by all day breakfast for main. The quality of the food was amazing. Served by Alex great hospitality. Highly recommend for food drinks and setting.
My wife and I recently stayed at The Black Bull, Balsham on September 14th, 2025, and had a fantastic one-night stay. The bedroom was clean, comfortable, and just what we needed. The food was delicious - my wife's fish and chips and my meat pie with chips were both large portions and very tasty. Great care was taken with the preparation of my wife’s food as my wife suffers from coeliac disease and requires a gluten-free meal, which did not cause any issues. Her food was carefully prepared in accordance with her dietary needs. The breakfast was also delicious for us both, with the toast substituted with gluten-free bread for my wife. The service was top-notch and nothing was too much trouble particularly from Luke, who was fantastic. A big thank you to Luke and Rob the chef for their care and understanding - it truly made our stay special. We had a lovely evening sat in the bar area which had a great real fire going. We will definitely visit again and highly recommend The Black Bull for its excellent service and attention to dietary needs. Thanks again for a great stay. Kind Regards, Lou and Marie S
We came here for Sunday by lunch based on it's good reputation and past dinj g experience. I learned a lesson that day - which is always to check the recent reviews before booking. The staff were lovely and the Adnams lager was really good but the food was mediocre at best. My husband had the jerk chicken starter - which was nothing like any jerk chicken I've eaten before. It was in a sauce, and the chicken was tough and dry. I had salt fish fritters, with a Thai style sauce and a mousse - it looked great, but was bland, under seasoned and I felt they'd been cooked off prior to service and reheated - I could be doing them an injustice but that's how it tasted, the thai style sauce was flat, no zing or freshness - it was just dull and the mousse didn't work. The mains were nothing to write home about - we both had a roast. My husband chose the pork and I had beef. I was told there was very little beef left, and I told them that was fine and I'd have pork instead if there wasn't enough beef. The pork was collar, one which I've only ever bought as a gammon / boiling bacon - it really doesn't work well as a roasting joint. I asked if it was slow cooked and was told they would ask - no one did. It just wasn't a good choice of pork to serve in a roast dinner - a cheap cut, but unlike belly pork not a good one and not one I expect to see making headlines as the new trendy ingredient... The small amount of beef I had was lovely, but as they'd said they were running out, but rather than just giving me a pork roast as I'd asked, they just stuck a piece of pork in the top of my beef. The gravy was gloopy, the cauliflower cheese hidden under roast carrots and parsnips and the ubiquitous Yorkshire pudding dry. All in all disappointing, and to the tune of almost £100 for the two if us, we left very unimpressed. As I said I learned a lesson that day - which is that no matter what a venues reputation, and no matter your last experiences, always check out recent reviews - I did AFTER we dined only to find that there were a couple of negative reviews that month. I'm afraid I've added to that number
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