The Gregory

Went here after a 12 year hiatus from the UK.
Good and reasonably priced cask ales. I had the beef pie twice over the course of a2 week tour and was so happy with it each time. Dessert was similarly excellent both visits, sticky toffee pudding and a sampling of ice creams.
The service was quite good although a continental accent when you expect something a little more British was somewhat surprising.
Just a teeny bit overpriced, but not appallingly so!

Ok… so this might be a bit harsh, but sometimes when you have a dish that is not so good… it can kind of put you a bit off. So for those of you who have been following my saga as an American in Britain, both Work BFF and I are being deported… not in the UK Border Force way, but in the civilized way of our contracts and visas are finished and since no one will dare sponsor a non-​EU citizen thanks to David and Nick (yes I’m on a first name basis with them), it is back to ‘merica. As a result we have taken the opportunity to use this as an excuse to eat at The Greg as many times as we possibly can!
The first was a lunch with our assistant and the college nurse. I always forget that The Greg does some nice sandwiches for the lunch menu! I think because this was a ‘business’ lunch we decided to go all out. All three courses! I had the pork belly and deep fried quail egg to start with, the rib eye sandwich, and the brownie for dessert. Our assistant had the Lincolnshire Poacher Soufflé… which from the looks of it, was pretty delicious as there was none left when she was finished. The pork belly was a bit tough… I wanted a crispy top and tender juicy meat (and fat), but the meat was dry and the fat was tough, not tender, however, loved the Asian spices. The quail egg… I know it doesn’t take much to cook one, but I so wanted to cut into it and have the yolk drain out onto the plate! It didn’t do that. It didn’t really have any flavour… not even the slightest bit of eggy flavour. My sandwich was lovely though! The ribeye was nicely done and not tough at all… which is important on a sandwich! Did not really care for the onion jam or whatever it was, but it didn’t make the sandwich worse. And the brownie… that was really delicious! Moist and gooey, really spot on! The other ladies enjoyed their meals… in fact I think we all agree that we probably had too much!
The second was a dinner with the newbies… again, Work BFF and I made the executive decision that it was only right that on behalf of the college we take them out and welcome them. So we did. To The Greg! I saw the asparagus with hollandaise starter and thought, «Must have that!» However, I also wanted the salad, but didn’t want to overdo it on the greens (ha…if you only knew about that salad…). So then I saw a new item… the Salmon Fishcakes with Frites. The frites are the thin French fry rather than a thick cut chip. Usually not a fan (I know, even though I’m American), but these were really nicely done. The fishcakes however… they looked like they were deep fried, but it was mostly mashed potato with a flake here and there of salmon. It was really disappointing. However, the newbies seemed to enjoy their dishes (the fish and chips and the saffron risotto). Unfortunately Work BFF and I got the same dish (rarely happens so we can share) and she did not enjoy it either.
The last one was actually Work BFF’s last night in the country :(, so we trekked down to The Greg. The Buj, Professor Snape, and I had the warm salad, while work BFF had the Goats Cheese Crostini for a starter and the Asian Mussels as a main. Work BFF totally knew what she was getting and enjoyed every minute of it. And as for me… well the salad is always good, in fact I got more of the sauteed potatoes that are so delicious! My only complaint… the center of the poached egg was completely done, so no lovely rich yolk to coat the lettuce leaves and other goodies in the salad. We also ordered dessert… Sticky Toffee Pudding for Work BFF and I… very rare that you find it in the states… and Professor Snape had the cheese board. The service was unusually a bit hit and miss… not sure if it was because it was a slow night or what, but it was out of character. After those we sat outside in their beer garden and had our drinks. A good way to send off Work BFF!