WALKING into the newly-built orangery at the Anchor Riverside, in Hullbridge, you are met with gorgeous views of the River Crouch.

The airy new addition to the pub has doors that fold right back, so you can watch the boats bob up and down on the water just a few feet away. There is also a new barbecue area and lots of seating outside.

The Anchor used to be an old-fashioned pub, but it has been completely revamped and refurbished with a new bar area.

We sat down, but I was disappointed the table had cutlery in a pot and there were no napkins, only paper serviettes, which I felt detracted from the overall feel of the restaurant.

The menu was varied and had a few different fish dishes, which you would expect from a riverside restaurant.

To start, my boyfriend chose the salmagundi, intriguingly described as an “old English platter”.

It was beautifully presented and was a mix of cold meats, pickled vegetables and a tiny Scotch egg. The ham was perfect and complemented by the vegetables, while the egg was warm and surrounded by herby sausagemeat and breadcrumbs.

I had the buttered chicken liver pate with chutney. The pate was lovely and smooth, but a bit too rich for my taste, although the chutney was fantastic.

For mains, my boyfriend had pan-fried sirloin steak with chunky chips and peppercorn sauce. The huge chips came in their own little frying basket. My boyfriend loved the peppercorn sauce, which he said didn’t overpower the steak.

I had the 12-hour braised pork belly and cheek, which came with confit onions, carrots and buttery mash. Two thin bits of crackling rested on the top of the generous portion of meat, which was a nice touch as lots of chefs don’t serve crackling .

The meat was so tender I didn’t even use my knife as it just fell away as soon as I put my fork into it.

We were both full, but managed to share a pear and almond tart with pear sorbet. It was a sweet delight.

We had a very enjoyable evening and will go back to try out the barbecue.

What we ate Salmagundi £5.50 Chicken liver pate £4.95 Sirloin steak £18.50 Pork belly £13.95 Pear and almond tart £5.50

Our verdict (Out of 5) Atmosphere 5 Food 4 Decor 4 Value 3 Service 4 Disabled access Yes