About Us

The Forresters Arms & Dining Room,  a picturesque 18th Century Grade 11 listed building, set within High Ongar, in Essex. Our friendly and dedicated staff provide a much needed personal touch to your experience and we provide high quality home cooked dishes and real ales on tap in traditional warm surroundings.

We offer an intimate indoor feel, with outside space to enjoy, regular live music and events and we are the central community hub in High Ongar – a space for all the enjoy. So come down to see us, the door is always open and it’s always nice to see a familiar face waiting for you. 

 

We Believe in Quality

A life time of tradition, steeped in history, in beautiful surroundings in High Ongar, Essex

Since 2016

Our Story

The Forrester Arms has been a long standing public house within High Ongar, enjoyed by locals and regulars for many many years, a great sense of community spirit and some great times and memories were treasured. 

When The Forresters Arms came up for sale Rob and Karen after a lot of thought, and late nights and brainstorming the quite simply said….Let’s do it, lets buy it.

They looked at what made a ‘great pub’ and what was missing. There wasn’t to be any mass modernisation to ruin the beautiful aesthetic of the building inside or out , there would be no overpriced and pretentious new menus, there wasn’t to be blaring sound systems. They didn’t need to be ‘cool’. 

What was created instead was a real public house. There was to be home cooked food that everyone craves, quality traditional ales on the pump, open fires, an inviting atmosphere, and a place that you could call your own. Your local. A place to just drop in, where they know your name and what you drink….”the usual Bob?”.

A place where you bump in to your friends and you pop in for a quick pint that turns the afternoon in to evening where you’ve lost all sense of time and are content, where you listen to live music, to meet with family for some great pub grub, grab a game of darts, or quite simply just be alone for a quiet drink.

It is a space for everyone to enjoy and this is what keeps customers coming back and we are proud to be a part of this community. They say it’s a great Landlord that makes a great pub, well we say it’s the customers that make The Forresters Arm’s home. And home we all are. 

Quality, Expertise, Mouth- Watering Goodness

Our Mission

Our goal has always been simple. To create a community space that feels like home. A place to feel safe, warm and content. A little hidden gem that provides quality home cooked food, with a menu made up of well loved dishes. To sit by the fire with real ale, a real fire and be with real people. 

Our Vision

Our vision is to bring our community back together and to support our high street. We took things back to basics and to bring back to life the fundamental basics of running a real public house.

We want great quality food at an affordable price, offering real ale straight from the tap and a place that is welcoming for all to just drop in. Where this is a mix of companionship and merriment. A place where a clock isn’t necessary and you can just relax and be at home. 

Our pub

Our 18th Century, Grade II listed building holds many of it’s original features and is set in the quaint and picturesque village of High Ongar. Loved by locals and always a sense of belonging when you walk through the door.

From the wood floors to the original prominent oak beams and solid wood bar, with a cosy real fire, this is the place where time stands still. Troubles are left at the door and you can relax. 

An intimate feel, with our periodic decor and warm atmosphere, provides a shelter from the outside world.

Our promise

We hold traditional pub values and we promise home cooked food, real ales, and comfortable familiar surroundings. 

We are dedicated to providing a warm and inviting community gathering place for all the enjoy. 

 

testimonials

“Five Stars!”

I have a lot of time in this lovely warm friendly pub and all the locals just want to chat with you and seem so happy to have some where to go.

Another fantastic lunch at the foresters arms. Warm welcome good old fashioned pub not many around like that anymore, roast beef was amazing 👌👌dxx

Lovely friendly pub.. Good live music…

Visit Today

Visit Us

High Ongar is a village and civil parish in the County of Essex, England. It is located a mile north-east of Chipping Ongar, 8 miles west of Chelmsford and 6 miles north-west of Brentwood.

Opening Hours

Monday to Sunday 12pm to 10pm