The family that saved the pub from demolition still run it today
After a long walk through the Cambridgeshire countryside, there is nothing better than visiting a cosy pub and enjoying a pint with family and friends. The county is lucky to have so many wonderful pubs to try out but for you next trip, you might want to visit this particular pub found in the tiny village of Newton.
The Financial Times recently released a list of the cosiest pubs in Britain including the Queen’s Head in Newton. The pub dates back to the 1700s and was saved in 1962 from demolition by the Short family, who still run it to this day.
The Queen’s Head features a games room with a darts board and bar billiards and a pub bar with the original settle and a wood burner. The pub also has a cosy Saloon Bar that has a large open fire and the Old Bar, which was the pub’s bar back in the 1700s.
The pub has been decorated with “a quirky collection of paintings and taxidermy” that only add to its charm. As well as being a good option for the wintertime, the pub also has a terrace at the front and a beer garden for the summer.
The Queen’s Head is most well known for being the “brown soup pub”. The pub sells a different soup each day that can be identified using various shades of brown and are said to be “crammed full of fresh veggies and is homemade every day”.
As well as soup, the pub also serves sandwiches and its own ploughman’s on certain days of the week. You can also find a range of different food vans just outside the pub on Wednesday nights such as Steak & Honour and Pizza Mondo.
In terms of drinks, the Queen’s Head is known for its real ale that is served “straight from the barrel on our own custom-made stillage”. The pub also has a range of wines from Noel Young Wines and gins from Jakes Gin, which is distilled in Chrishall.
On the pub, the Financial Times said: “When you pay a visit to this time capsule of a freehouse 20 minutes’ drive south of Cambridge – preferably on a brisk winter afternoon after a good dog walk – turn left into the coddling warmth of the saloon.
“There you’ll find tables just a smidgen too small and real ale from Adnams in Suffolk poured straight from the cask. Ask the third-generation landlord Rob Short what colour the soup is today, and bathe in the glow as you dip your beef and horseradish sandwich in it.”
The Queen’s Head can be found on Fowlmere Road. The pub is open from 12pm to 2.30pm and 6pm to 10pm on Tuesdays, from 12pm to 2.30pm and 5pm to 10pm on Wednesdays to Thursdays, from 12pm to 2.30pm and 5pm to 10.30pm on Fridays, from 12pm to 3pm and 5pm to 10.30pm on Saturdays, and from 12pm to 4pm on Sundays.