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The Royal George, Purton – Sunday Lunch Challenge

June 24, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

It’s been a while since one of our Sunday Lunch Challenge outings, and we decided this weekend, to put this right. Father’s Day provided the ideal excuse too…

For once, and feeling adventurous, we ventured over the boundary into Purton, to the Royal George. It meant we had a nice walk over the fields and through Restrop, working up a good appetite on our way.

First impressions

It’s about thirty years since I last ventured into the Royal George. It was what you might call “a proper pub” back then. It still is, but with an area to the back that is more contemporary and set out as a restaurant.

There’s a small bar area, but the staff were friendly and drinks were well priced. So, overall, a pleasing first impression.

Menu choice

roast sunday lunch the george purton

Admittedly, we didn’t explore any a la carte possibilities. This was Sunday Lunch, and so we were always going to go straight for the roast.

We were told there was a choice between beef (two servings left) and gammon, so not a wide choice. Boy was offered a smaller portion of the same. Pudding-wise, there is a choice of typical desserts; cheesecake, spotted dick and ice cream were all possibilities.

Quality of food

On the whole, good. My gammon was near-perfect. Boy and the Other Half enjoyed their beef, although, for some people, it may have been a bit too well-done.

Where the Royal George did score, was on the vegetables. Great selection including caulifower cheese and leek mornay. Nice big Yorkshire Puddings too, and a decent gravy, although it did come already added to the meals so probably not so good if you don’t like gravy!

We opted for cheesecake and ice cream. They were fine, usual “pub meal” desserts, quite nice but not terribly inspiring. At £5 for the cheesecake, I had expected something a little more different than a nice-but-not special vanilla cheesecake.

Service

Friendly, relaxed. But at times too relaxed. The dining area was spotlessly clean, so plus points there. But we waited a good ten minutes whilst the waitress cleaned tables,  and we thought longingly about desserts. In the end, it was too much anticipation. I ended up asking. Coffees were not offered.

Value for money

Not bad. Our bill for two adults and a child came to £47,  for two courses and drinks. The roast at £7.95 was definitely good value, although the puddings at £5 struck me as a little expensive for what they were.

The drinks were quite good value. Definitely cheaper than the Sun Inn, but then there isn’t the choice….not a problem for beer drinkers, but I missed my selection of nice wines.

Tripadvisor

The Royal George has a score of 4.5. The comments, generally, are fair and reflect my overall impression. However, I’d say the food is good, rather than great.

Food Hygiene Rating

The Royal George has a score of 5/5. It certainly appeared clean and well cared for.

The Verdict

A good local Sunday roast, with extra special vegetables. Definitely one up from the standard chain pub meals, this is a quirk charming pub with a genuine sense of community and welcome. It was child-friendly, without going overboard. We’d certainly give it another go. But probably best for a relaxed family lunch than a special meal or when you’re out to impress.

For reviews of our other Sunday Lunches, see-

The Sun Inn, Lydiard Millicent

Nicky’s Pantry, Toomers, Stone Lane, Lydiard Millicent

 

Filed Under: Food, Reviews Tagged With: lydiard millicent, purton, purton wiltshire, sunday lunch, sunday lunch challenge, the royal george, the royal george purton, where to eat in lydiard, where to eat in purton, where to eat in swindon, where to have lunch in lydiard

Nicky’s Pantry

March 6, 2016 by admin 1 Comment

lunch nickys pantry toomers lydiard

Following on from last week’s Sunday Lunch challenge, we thought we would step down a gear. No chance.

Nicky’s Pantry is the on-site coffee shop in John Toomer’s garden centre in Stone Lane, Lydiard Millicent. And we were pleasantly surprised to discover it offers much more than coffee and a quick bacon roll.

First impressions

A bit Heath Robinson, as OH put it. The coffee shop is situated in a conservatory at the back of the garden centre, furnished with odd bits of furniture, miss-matching china and a massive patio heater. In style terms, it’s definitely more Kirstie Allsopp meets the boys from Scrap Heap Challenge, than Philip Stark. And definitely not the place to take that client you’re trying to impress.

But, as they say, appearances can be deceptive. Nicky’s Pantry proved to be a bit of a hidden gem.

Menu choice

Excellent for a coffee shop. In addition to the staples (toasties, baguettes, baked potatoes, cakes etc), there was a full Sunday Roast on offer, soup and a good selection of traditional puddings.

We opted for the roast lamb, which was accompanied by roast potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, gravy and onion sauce. For dessert, we chose the orange and lemon meringue pie. Boy opted for chicken nuggets and chips, again (with peas), and a chocolate brownie for dessert.

As the cafe is unlicensed, we had filter coffees and Boy enjoyed some apple juice.

Quality of food

Excellent. We arrived relatively late on the Sunday, so we may have benefited from that, but the roast was perfect, with the meat just falling off the bones. The potatoes too were superb. This was definitely home cooking at its best (and without having to do the washing-up). Boy cleared his plate, so thumbs up there too.  And the lemon-meringue pie tasted homemade, with an interesting twist of orange too it. Definitely not a frozen job reheated, which is what you often find in pub or chain restaurants.

Service

Excellent. Attentive, efficient and our waitress was quick to volunteer that the brownie had walnuts in it.

Value for money

OH and I couldn’t agree on this one! At £8.95, he thought the cost of the roast a bit dear given the surroundings. That said, it was excellent quality. The puddings at £2.50 were excellent value. We spent just over £30. It’s a very different proposition from a pub lunch (no drinks, for a start). But, overall, I would say it offers good value for money.

Tripadvisor

Nicky’s Pantry only has four reviews, but gets a 5/5.

Food Hygiene Rating

None listed for Nicky’s Pantry. However, the cafe at Toomer’s scored a 5/5 at the last inspection in 2012.

The Verdict

A bit of a find. We will be going back again.

Filed Under: Food, Reviews Tagged With: john toomers, john toomers garden centre, lydiard millicent, nickys pantry, nickys pantry lydiard, stone lane lydiard millicent, sunday lunch, sunday lunch challenge, toomers, toomers garden centre, where to eat in lydiard, where to eat in swindon

The Sun Inn

March 1, 2016 by admin 1 Comment

The first in a series of independent local food reviews, we visit the Sun Inn, Lydiard Millicent.

First impressions

country pub interiorThe Sun is an archetypal village pub. Snug, all beams, nooks and a miss-match of comfy sofas and traditional pub furniture. At times, it can feel a little too busy. On the whole though, it comes across as genuine. A real pub, rather than a chain. More shabby chic than Ikea.

There is a good sized car park, although the Sun is within easy walking distance of most of the village, Lydiard Park and West Swindon.

There are two entrances. The one from the car park takes you into the back of the restaurant area. As one of the reviews on Tripadvisor points out, it’s a bit cramped. Better, enter from the street (just be careful negotiating the narrow pavements). The traditional wooden door and vestibule give a more honest first impression. The Sun’s not exactly light and spacious. But it has done a pretty good job of retaining a lot of its eighteenth century charm.

Menu choice

Very good.

lunch at the sun lydiard

As part of our Sunday Lunch Challenge, we opted for soup of the day, which was pea. OH chose the traditional roast, pork with all the trimmings. (Lamb, beef and chicken were also on offer, as was the a la carte menu). Although tempted by the vegetarian option (warmed goats’ cheese with pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes and drizzled with balsamic vinegar), I opted for the poached salmon with roast new potatoes, vegetables and Hollandaise sauce.

Boy was offered a smaller portion of the Sunday roast or something from the children’s menu. Predictably, he opted for the ubiquitous chicken nuggets (sorry, goujons) and chips.

There is a wide selection of puddings for those with a sweet tooth. (Syrup Sponge pudding, Chocolate Brownies, Spotted Dick, Eton Mess, Creme Brulee, Bailey’s Cheesecake, were all on offer when we visited). There is also a cheese board option for those who prefer something more savoury.

There is a good selection of wine, by the bottle and the glass. I choose a rather mellow Rioja and OH enjoyed a pint of 6X. (There is a good selection of beer, including Sharp’s Doom Bar). Boy was kept happy with a supply of J2O and Fruit Shoots. Fresh tea and coffee are available too.

Quality of food

On the whole, very good.

The pea soup was different (in a good way). Refreshing, and homemade. (At least, it tasted a notch above the usual staples). The baguette was generous, but lacked butter, and tasted suspiciously like the frozen rolls you can buy and reheat at home.

Hcheese board the sun lydiardowever, both my salmon and OH’s roast were perfectly cooked. The vegetables were perfect too, the only small criticism being that the plates were cold.

Boy tucked into his chicken with gusto, leaving a clean plate, so full marks there too.

The cheese board was very generous, nicely garnished with a selection of cheddar, brie, stilton and goats’ cheese. There was also a rather pleasant tangy chutney.

For a cheese aficionado, however, it was a bit uninspiring. There wasn’t anything there that you couldn’t buy off the shelves in a Tesco Metro, and the Jacobs-type crackers were similarly lack lustre.

Boy, needless to say, polished off the chocolate brownie without pausing for breath and declared it excellent.

Service

A hard one to assess and to be fair. The staff are mainly young, and very pleasant. They are very helpful if you ask for something. However, they give the impression of students filling-in rather than professional waiters. That may be unexceptional in a pub, but it does leave some gaps in service.

For example, the menu promised the meat was locally sourced, however, our waitress was only able to tell us it came from somewhere local (and this was after consulting the kitchen).  We also waited 30 minutes for the cheese board. It arrived chilled, rather than room-temperature, so presumably had been sitting in the fridge for that time.

Service is slow, but willing. Not a problem if you’re happy to sit back with a good drink and enjoy the ambiance. But possibly not the place to come if you’re looking for a quick turnaround.

Value for money

Not bad. Our bill for two adults and a child came to £64, but that was for three courses and drinks. The roast at £9.50 was good value, although the soup at £4.50 and puddings at £4.95 struck me as a little expensive for what they were.

The drinks are not the cheapest, £3.70 for a pint of 6X, £8.80 for an admittedly generous 175ml of Campo Dordo Rioja. However, this is justifiable given the choice and the quality of the wine.

Tripadvisor

The Sun has a score of 4/5, and comments which reflect my overall impressions.

Food Hygiene Rating

The Sun has a score of 5/5.

The Verdict

Hard to beat for a good local Sunday roast. Book ahead (It does get busy). And make the best of the excellent selection of wines and beers, which  can make up for the occasional lapse in service.

Filed Under: Food, Reviews Tagged With: lydiard, lydiard millicent, sunday lunch, sunday lunch challenge, the sun at lydiard, where to eat in lydiard

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