Welcome

Welcome to the awarding winning Compasses Inn at Littley Green. We are open as normal and serving food and drink every day of the week. Please see below for our opening and food times.

The Compasses is a traditional country pub which means we do not do table service and we serve customers on a first come, first served basis. This means there may be long wait times for bar service or food at peak times. We only take bookings for larger groups (see below), but we do not offer table service for booked tables either. Also, we do not do paper menus, so please take a photo of the food menu when you arrive to help with ordering, especially in groups.

HOPSTOCK SUNDAYS 2025

We have a new concept this year – “Hopstock Sundays”! Rather than one big festival this year we’ve decided to do 3 smaller single day (12noon-6pm) festivals. The dates for your diaries are:

Sunday 8th June

Sunday 20th July

Sunday 17th August

More details to follow!

ALLERGIES

Given some high profile and tragic cases in the news recently, we will ask everyone we serve to state if they have any allergies when ordering food and make a note of this on the tickets we send to the kitchen.

TABLE BOOKINGS
You do not need to book a table to come to The Compasses. We only take bookings for groups of 6 or above and these will be staggered to minimise wait times.

BUFFET MENU

Our Buffet Menu for 2025 – minimum number required is 20 people. We have a Huffer Buffet for smaller parties.

REAL ALE
Being members of the sixth generation of the Ridley brewing family we pride ourselves on the quality of our real ale.
There is always Bishop Nick Ridley’s Rite (a session bitter), a dark ale, two golden ales and one other guest ale. See the blackboard below for our latest offerings.

Last Updated 9th February 2025

NOMINATED CHARITY 2025

Our nominated charity this year is Crohn’s & Colitis UK. All of our charitable events – the beer festivals, the Ridley Round and quiz nights – will raise money for this excellent charity.

The reason we are raising money for Crohn’s & Colitis UK is because one of our young employees – Rose Powell – suffers from Ulcerative Colitis. Her story is below:

Ulcerative Colitis is something I had already heard of because it’s a condition that my mum has, but it never worried me because mum takes medication and seems fine. I never thought it would affect me because I’m a lot younger. And nobody wants to talk about poo do they? It’s embarrassing and not what a teenage girl wants to discuss with anyone!

Last year I started experiencing some unpleasant symptoms and became very ill, very quickly. After numerous doctor and hospital appointments and what seemed like an age, I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unclassified. This is an autoimmune condition for which there is no cure. It is something I will have to learn to live with and take medication for the rest of my life. I will experience periods of relapse and remission.

Crohn’s and Colitis UK has helped me every step of the way from diagnosis to investigatory procedures and treatments. It is a fantastic charity which helps people like me navigate their way through this illness. It has helped me understand what is going on and how I can live as normal life as possible. It’s a fantastic charity helping people young and old. The most amazing thing is that Crohn’s and Colitis UK fund research meaning there is hope for the future. I am able to receive treatments today that hadn’t been invented when my mum was younger. The charity also funds IBD nurses who are vital in my care as an out-patient. That’s all thanks to the fundraising that Crohn’s and Colitis UK do. I am so happy to support this charity and help make a difference to mine and other people’s lives.

The Compasses, also known as The Huffer Pub

There are sandwiches - and there are Huffers! What's a Huffer? Well, let me tell you. Traditionally a Huffer used to be half a loaf of bread that the men working on the fields would take each day, stuffed with a selection of fillings.

Out and about
Out and about

See the historic pillboxes, remnants of World War II, amongst the wild garlic in the nearby woodlands and enjoy walking through the fields of linseed and wheat. The local countryside is perfect for walking, cycling and horse riding. If you are interested, the The Compasses' unique cycling shirts are available from the bar. For all those winter walkers there is a welcoming open log fire and a good pint of real ale to help you on your way.

What We do

Cycle

To take advantage of the stunning local country lanes, The Huffers & Puffers Cycle Group leave for a cake run every Saturday at 9.00am

Food

In this age of ‘bistro pubs’ we are proud to operate as an independent public house offering proper pub food, with ingredients sourced from local suppliers

Horse Racing

Only a few furlongs away is Chelmsford City Racecourse – the first one to open in the UK since 1927. Are you feeling lucky?

Beer Festival

We run beer festivals throughout the year, but our main event is the Hopstock Beer & Music Festival, running from 9th-11th August 2019