Pub of the Week: The Saracen's Head in Kings Langley

This week's instalment of the Watford Observer's Pub of the Week series takes us to Kings Langley and the Saracaen's Head, which has just celebrated five years under the stewardship of its current landlord.

Peter Dillingham took over the High Street boozer in February 2020 and got off to a positive start before being plunged into pandemic-enforced lockdown just five weeks later.

Peter Dillingham (Image: Peter Dillingham) He said: "It was incredibly difficult going into lockdown just a month in but we came through and the support of the community has been fantastic."

With the pandemic now in the rear view mirror, Peter believes the pub has "really come into its own" over the last 12 months, winning punters over with a steady diet of sport, live music and increasingly popular quiz nights.

The 59-year-old describes The Saracen's Head as "a great village pub" which he believes has become "a real hub for the community".

Rugby's Six Nations is in full swing and Peter has a secret weapon - owning one of the very few pubs outside of Dublin that boasts a "Stoutie" - a machine that can print graphics, messages and pictures on top of a pint of Guinness.

Peter took over the pub in 2020 (Image: Tony Hickey) Unlike many other pubs, The Saracen's Head is not big on food, serving it only between noon and 2pm on weekdays, focussing instead on drinks and sport.

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Peter already has an eye on next summer's football World Cup, with plans to give priority to his regulars for England's matches at the tournament.

"We have a fantastic group of regulars that I'm on first name terms with. A pub is only as good as the people that drink in it and we've got the best", he said.

The pub has been thriving since lockdown (Image: Tony Hickey) While not facing the financial difficulties that many other pubs are dealing with, Peter was recently faced with the unusual challenge of a legal threat over the boozer's name.

(Image: The Saracen's Head) In 2025, the Saracen's Head has lined up performances from Rod Stewart and Tom Jones tribute acts, as well as hoping to arrange an audience with Watford FC legend Luther Blissett.

(Image: The Saracen's Head)