The Axe & Compass is a typical English Country Pub offering real ales, fine wines and freshly prepared quality food.
Wherever possible we try to source our food from local suppliers. Our menu covers a wide variety and we will also try to cater for your dietary needs, so please let us know your requirements. Throughout the week there is sure to be a special offer for you to try. See what we have currently on our offers page. You can even book in advance by using our online booking form.
We have a beautiful beer garden with an al-fresco bar and dining area, large patio and children’s play area, all set against the backdrop of the village church spire. For entertainment we hold a weekly quiz night on a Tuesday, we show the more-popular sports events on TV and feature occasional live music. See our events page for what’s coming up.
Dating back to the 15th century, this picturesque pub is located in the beautiful village of Hemingford Abbots. Situated just off the A14, 3 miles from St Ives, 6 miles from Huntingdon and 12 miles from Cambridge, we are perfectly placed for our locals, business people, tourists, walkers and cyclists. Friendly dogs are welcomed in our bar areas & garden any time.
With seating for 90 people you will always find the perfect spot to relax and enjoy your visit. Our main dining area can be separated to seat 40 for a private dinner or 100 as a standing function. Our smaller dining room can be hired for private dining for up to 12 people. We also have a garden gazebo for your more special functions.
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Had a nice Sunday lunch, could have been a bit hotter. The stewed red cabbage which I usually love was inedible - someone had decided to tip half a pack of cinnamon into it! I nearly sent my plate back but managed to scrape it to the side - raw cinnamon in a large quantity is not pleasant. Please pass on to the Chef, Delia Smiths stewed red cabbage can’t be beaten! The other thing that seemed a bit odd was being addressed as ‘you guys’ by the two young wait staff. We weren’t guys! We were women! In todays world there is still room to simply say ‘what can I get you ladies?’ without the world falling in!
A nice lunch - roast was decent enough but would like to chose my own veg rather than have them served on the plate tbh. Lamb nicely cooked though and the pud lovely. Service was a nightmare - so slow and we probably had to prompt (as did others) about 6 or 7 times for them to bring menus, take orders, clear etc. then then added a £17 service charge automatically which we felt wasn’t deserved (we didn’t pay that much we gave them £10 and that’s because they were all very nice - just very very slow and a bit disorganised).
For a lot of years I’ve driven past this pub and been told about the exceptional food so last night I thought I would give it a try…it’s a very old pub from the 17th century with a thatched roof in a beautiful village called Hemingford abbots.when you walk in it feels like you’ve gone back in time,the service was a little slow but the staff was very friendly,eventually we got our drinks and food,I had the fish and chips with peas and tarts sauce,the fish was beautiful with homemade chunky chips my daughter had the same my wife had the steak with peppercorn sauce chips peas and mushrooms and my son just had a portion of chunky chips..it’s lovely to see proper home cooking…4 people plus around of drinks came to roughly £80,you might think it’s a little expensive but for home cooking in such a beautiful pub it was worth it…
I’ve visited this pub several times over the last 2 years and it’s always been good. Not sure if they’ve had a change of management but todays experience was not good. We were charged 10% extra for sitting in the garden to eat and the food which was nearly Restaurant prices and it was served on a paper plates - not the best way to eat Sea Trout. The food was also quite small and not particularly tasty. On the plus side the play area is good if you have young kids and dogs and the other customers in the garden were chatty and friendly.
How the hell have they managed to make a pub in such a lovely location so terrible? I've been twice in the past month. The first time on a beautiful sunny bank holiday Monday. When I arrived it was dead, as I had got there just in time for last orders. If I recall correctly this was 1745. But it's unfair to give a scathing review on one bad experience. I went back very recently on a Sunday afternoon. The kitchen had shut for the day by 1600. Two soft drinks and a packet of crisps set me back over £10. I watched as a couple waited 15 minutes for two pints as the disinterested and confused bar staff took this time to manage a single drinks order. In the meantime I tried not to be distracted from watching the tennis on the telly by several flies crawling over the screen and then lazily buzzing around the bar. This felt like a metaphor for the pub in general.
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Hemingford Grey, Huntingdon, PE28