IF LOTS of pubs are closing down, that’s surely often due to a self-inflicted lack of imagination, rubbish food and slovenly service than any credit crunch.
Happily, Greene King has reinvented the wheel by turning this former Loch Fyne Restaurant into The Old Speckled Hen.
Beautifully redesigned to take advantage of its large windows, the pub instantly feels like a nice place to be.
And, when you see the menu includes fairly priced dishes like chargrilled ham with fried duck eggs and chips (£6) and braised rabbit with shallots and baby vegetables (£10), your stomach says the feeling is mutual.
After I was mistakenly given somebody else’s plate of fish and chips, I enjoyed my Cumberland lamb and black pudding tatie pot for £7, while Collette’s lighter lunch added a £1 portion of hand cut chips to a £5 starter of Ragstone goats’ cheese and onion tart with cherita tomato salsa.
If my lamb wasn’t quite as tender and full-flavoured as I’d have hoped, the swollen grains of my favourite barley more than made up for it – how many pubs ever use this wonderful cereal these days?
From the children’s menu, Holly had grilled chicken breast with wilted greens and chips, while Louie and Madison both had very fresh fish with their chips.
We were all very satisfied with our choices.
Louie also loved his chocolate milkshake, which is usually £1 extra but came inclusive as we only ordered two desserts from the two courses for £7 offer on the children’s menu.
These were so substantial we couldn’t finish them between us – an outstanding British rhubarb crumble with vanilla custard and a fresh fruit Knickerbocker Glory.
In the temporary absence of the Old Speckled Hen ale from which the pub now takes its name, I tried the guest real ale Flanker’s Tackle – and wasn’t disappointed.
* The Bill
1 Lamb tatie pot – £7
1 Goats’ cheese tart – £5
1 extra chips – £1
3x two-course children’s meals at £7 – £21.
2x J20 at £2 – £4
1pt Guest ale – £2.50
1 White wine spritzer – £3
Total: £43.50
* The Vedict
PLUS: Excellent, adventurous food served in a light, airy pub that’s been tastefully redesigned.
MINUS: Ordering next to the coffee machine could be a problem at peak time. Poor car park.