Blogmas #22: Festive Pub Grub

Tuesday, December 23, 2014


Around this time of year, I find myself meeting up with friends and family in one country pub after another for that crucial before-Christmas-catchup; eating copious amounts of roast dinners and drinking fine wine whilst chatting the night away. And I love it. Pub food can be some of the best around, therefore, today's post is going to be about two rather delicious meals I have had during the festive season thus far, so that if you're ever in the area, you'll be able to give them a whirl.

The Robin Hood
The Robin Hood is a beautiful and rustic country pub located a few miles outside of Droitwich, Worcestershire. Being part of the 'Vintage Inns', it's a popular choice and it's easy to see why! The staff are welcoming, the decor is smart and the food is scrumptious. Over the Christmas period though, things get even better as their twinkly and classy decorations go up and their festive food comes out!

My Mum and I met one of our friends, Claire, for a much over-due catch-up the other week and all decided to opt for the three-course Festive Menu, which was quite frankly mouth-watering stuff. We all took a gander at the menu a few weeks prior and pre-ordered which meant our service was extra quick.

For starter, I had Potted Oak Smoked Chicken Liver Paté served with a Fig, Date and Balsamic Chutney and warm Crusty Bread. I enjoy a good bit of Paté and this certainly did not disappoint. The presentation was fab and it tasted wonderful. I didn't have too much of the chutney as I'm not a chutney fan anyway but all-in-all, it was a brilliant start.


For main, I had Hand-carved Roast Turkey served with Sage and Onion Stuffing, Pig-in-blankets, a Yorkshire Pudding, Vegetables, Roast Potatoes and Gravy. Roasts are one of my favourite meals to have but roast turkey is something I only ever have at Christmas so is an extra treat. I've got to say, this was a really nice course and the turkey was not at all dry like it sometimes can be. There was plenty of veg and extras, so much so that I even started to get full towards to end (not that that's a bad thing!). Another thumbs up for this menu so far!

Finally, for dessert I went for Madagascan Vanilla Cheesecake topped with Winter Berries and Whipped Cream. Armed with my sweet tooth, I am total dessert-lover so it's no surprise that this was the best part of the meal. It was simply delicious. The size of the dish was substantial, the berries were not too sour or bitter, the cheesecake was everything you'd want from a cheesecake; it was yummy!

It was a fabulous meal which aided a fabulous meet up. It was also reasonably priced with the three courses costing £18.95 per person, pretty standard for a festive menu we thought. I've visited The Robin Hood before and have experienced their normal menu too which is just as good. It's an ace pub that I would certainly recommend to anyone.

The Angel Hotel
The Angel Hotel is a gorgeous, old pub situated in the middle of Pershore, Worcestershire. Inside the pub is nice with the decor is very welcoming and rustic and their Christmas decorations being just as beautiful too. I used to work behind the bar so maybe I am a little biased but I very much like this establishment and it has grown and improved massively over the past few years.

My Mum decided to surprise me with booking a table here last weekend as we were going to watch 'The Nutcracker' Ballet (live from Moscow) at the theatre nearby and she wanted to make a full day of it - we have an annual Christmas Girls Day Out, so this was one of those! Without me being any the wiser, she had found out what I'd have from the festive menu when it first came out and had pre-booked so, again, the courses came out quickly.




For starters, I had Prawn and Crayfish Cocktail served with a Mango Mayo and Salad Leaves. This was tasty, however, it definitely could have had more sauce so it was let down by that. Nonetheless, a decent start.

For the main course, I opted for Roast Leg and Breast of Local Turkey, Bacon-wrapped St. Catherine's Farm Pork Chipolatas, Thyme and Parsley Stuffing, Cranberry Compote, Mixed Veg, Beef-dripped Roasties and Roasting Juice Gravy. After the slightly ever-so-slightly-disappointing starter, this course was b-e-a-utiful! The St. Catherine's Farm is owned by Darren, the owner of The Angel, so having some of the produce from there was extra special and it was good to eat a locally sourced dinner. The food was delicious and cooked perfectly and I was awfully content after eating it all up.

























Finally, for dessert I had Vanilla Cheesecake (again!) with a Blueberry and Raspberry Compote and Granola Crumble. I like Cheesecake - clearly! - and this one was definitely one of the best I've had. It was scrummy! The presentation was lovely, the cheesecake itself was lovely, the compote was lovely...it really was another perfect end to a great meal.

This also cost £18.95 per person which we thought was, again, reasonable. It was a thoroughly enjoyable meal in a pub that is well worth the visit.

Two lovely pubs with two very mouth-watering festive menus and a great time was had by all!

Have you had any festive-themed meals yet?

3 days to go...!

You Might Also Like

2 comments

  1. I'm jealous, the food looks so delicious. Sometimes I prefer eating at the little country pubs over restaurants, they always feel so warm and welcoming and look so festive around this time of year!

    http://www.bloggerjames.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really was delicious! Little country pubs can be some of the nicest places to eat out, they always seem to have such a sweet atmosphere :)

      Delete

Thank you for your comments!
I enjoy reading each and every one of them!