Ewe and Lamb

How do you like your eggs in the mornin? These boys (and they are all beardy boys) will rustle up your eggs any which way. I popped in for breakfast on a Sunday morning and tucked into a ‘Super Ewe’, a man sized portion off all things fry-​up, including top notch black pudding (I’m a northerner, we luv the stuff). Pretty good coffee for a boozer. Great service, friendly efficient and not too fussy. It’s a clean casual modern rustic rambling pub, plenty of parking and a beer garden.

So what do you do when you’re at a metal festival and it gets to Sunday lunchtime and you really want a good old Sunday roast? The burger van didn’t look too promising, the venue had a limited range of curry and shepherds pie and seeing as we didn’t take an oven with us, we simply had to get in the car and go to a local pub. We found our way back to The Ewe and Lamb which we’d spotted on the trip to Morrisons and pulled into the car park.
It does look rather a classy place, a modern gastro pub, all clean lines and pale wood with leather sofas and tasteful décor, and we really didn’t looked dressed for a posh dinner in our shorts and t shirts and 3 days of festival camping odour, but we were welcomed with genuine warmth and seated at a table straight away.
Of course we ordered the Sunday roast, myself the beef and Yorkshire pud combo and Mr Z the pork. It arrived, it was divine!
My beef was hidden by an enormous, light and crispy pud the size of the plate, and the generous, thickly cut slices of butter soft beef nestled snugly against parsnip, red cabbage and deeply delicious roasties, delicately enveloped in a warm blanket of rich gravy. Mr Z’s pork came with the same accompaniments and a piece of crackling that combined total crunchiness with unctuous fattiness and supreme porky goodness. This feast was served with a huge bowl of sweet, sweet carrots and squeaky broccoli and upon request, a nose clearing fresh horseradish sauce that completed my dish to perfection. I could have wept, it was that good. The moans and groans and little squeals of delight coming from our table were on the verge of becoming a tribute to a 70’s porn film!
I am so glad I saved room for dessert, a sticky toffee pudding and 2 spoons. Cloud-​like sponge surrounded with a butterscotch sauce, creamy ice cream and a physallis topknot, pure ambrosia.
2 weeks later and I still crave another lunch there, can I really justify a 250 mile round trip? Anyone want to pay my petrol? Please?

When attending a Metal Festival a Sunday lunch was something I hadn’t considered before, but as It was 1-​Sunday, 2-​Lunch time and 3-​The day Morgue Orgy were playing, we thought «Sod it!» lets get some lunch…
So to the Ewe and Lamb we went. We knew the food was going to be nice as soon as we entered the place, don’t ask me how, we just did.
We were sat at our table by a lovely waitress (I think we were attended to by 4 different people during our visit, all of them lovely) and ordered some drinks, me, a pint of Peroni and Ange a Coke.
I must point out at this point that we were both dressed for a Metal Fest, and not Sunday lunch in a semi-​posh Country Pub, and at no point were we made to feel awkward or that our business wasn’t wanted… always a plus.
For food I went for the Roast Pork, and Ange went for the Roast Sirloin. Bloody hell it was nice! Mine came with 3 thick slices of loin of pork, roasties, parsnips, a stuffing ball, a piece of the crunchiest and meltiest crackling and some red cabbage (Not that pickled crap) which was very nice.
Ange got the same veg as me, but the surprise was the beef which was hidden underneath a very large and very beautiful Yorkshire pudding (See photo). Upon eating this Ange said it was so good she could cry!!!
We were also served a side bowl of broccoli and really nice buttery sweet carrots.
For a pud (which to be honest we didn’t have room for) we decided to share a Sticky toffee pudding in butterscotch sauce and ice cream, and i’ve got to say I can’t imagine a better end to a sunday lunch as nice as this!
Ewe and Lamb, you are a star! But why the hell are you 120 miles away from where I live???

Date of Visit: 2÷5÷13
Never been here before, and went to join Stepson and his girlfriend. The place was packed outside due to the good weather, and a large party. I hoped that my stepson had booked. The party moved indoors must have been about 30 of them.
Shortly after we went into the pub/​restaurant. He hadn’t booked. The place seemed packed. A table was found for us straight away.
The atmosphere was good. We already had drinks, so we were given the menu, and my daughter was asked if she wanted the main menu or the children’s menu. She accepted the former, but later asked for the latter.
My wife and I have been looking for a place to have a good steak for ages. Fillet steak was on the menu at £21. I don’t mind paying if the product is good. I asked the waitress how old the beef was, how long had it been hung. She left to ask the chef. With a good sense of humour she returned and said 11 and a half days. LOL. Actually 28 days. I ordered the fillet, and said I wasn’t expecting any blood and asked for it to be cooked blue.
I’ll list all the food later and the price.
I asked for the wine list as my wife had decided not to drive, and she would leave her car.
Ordered a bottle of Chenin Blanc for the starter, and a bottle of Malbec for the main. Both were extremely good, and the latter was served at a perfect temperature. It was brilliant.
The steak was fantastic. I cut into a pinky purple coloured centre, and the centre wasn’t cold. One of the best cooked fillet steaks I’ve had for ages.
The prices seem high, but well worth it. You can order off a set menu or an a la carte menu and mix and match. I had the bacon and black pudding starter, and it was a good size.
So here is what we had:
Drinks
Cape Heights Chenin Blanc £16.50
Malbec £18.00
Carling £3.70
Orange Juice £1.90
Lemonade £1.90
Food Starters
Smoke Bacon & Black Pudding served on a bed of salad £4.00
Soup of the day £4.50
Shared baked camembert in a box with garlic, thyme, olive oil, fruit chutney & crusty bread (v) £8.50
Sweet chilli marinated chicken skewers with a peanut, carrot and mango salad and a honey and soy dressing £6.50
Food Main
Kids Fish and Chips with garden peas £6.00
Tomato, goats cheese and caramelised red onion pappardelle with rocket and balsamic (v) £11.00
Thai red mushroom, peanut and sweet potato curry with basmati rice (v) £12.00
2 x Fillet of beef with potato fondant, honey roast carrots and wild mushroom and Madeira jus £42.00
Food Afters
Cheese — selection of local cheeses served with fruit chutney, celery, & biscuits £6.00
Brownee Sundae £4.00
2 x Sticky toffee pudding served with butterscotch sauce & vanilla ice cream
Would I go again Flipping heck, yes I would.
Good food, good atmosphere and good service.