Something I’m often disappointed by is starters. Mrs Eats and I prefer at least two courses when we sample a pub’s Sunday lunch fare, as regular readers will well know, and I’ve got the impression over the years that the starter course is the one the least time and effort go into at most pub venues.
It’s as if they don’t seriously expect Sunday dinner punters to want a starter as well as the full roast works.
It was with no small measure of delight, then, that Mrs E and I were served with a superb starter at The Albert at Windermere in Cumbria. The chunky deep-fried breaded Brie wedges had Mrs E in raptures.
It was a cheese feast she described as “beautiful” and “smooth”, and which was well complemented by a tasty cranberry sauce and a good portion of dressed salad. The presentation was good too, with the food artistically arranged on a rectangular slate, which felt very fitting, given the Lakeland location.
Another pleasant surprise was how little time we waited for our food. We’d been warned at the bar that there would be a wait of up to 40 minutes as this busy pub in the middle of Bowness, which doesn’t take bookings for Sunday lunch. But this must be something they say as a matter of course at weekends. As it turned out, our starter and mains both arrived in very good time.
Even if they hadn’t, we’d have enjoyed the atmosphere at this busy yet homely pub, with its fireplaces (one with a wood-burning stove) and wooden features. It was full of people who seemed to be enjoying the special escape from everyday life that a trip to a Lake District town can provide.
Our nearest neighbour, however, appeared to be a senior member of staff. She was carrying out phone calls related to recruitment on a stool immediately behind us.
Her businesslike talk wasn’t exactly conducive to our relaxation but, to be fair, she was helpful when we couldn’t locate menus. And we could have opted to sit in the quieter extension area – which is where you should head if you’re not comfortable around dogs. (In a nice attempt to please everybody, dogs are allowed in the main bar area only.)
Mrs E’s Brie was part of a two-courses-for-£14.95 deal, whereas I had opted to forgo a starter on this occasion. I wondered what I’d missed out on that when I saw – and tasted – the quality of Mrs E’s choice and went back to the Sunday menu to see what the other choices were: chicken liver pate, garlic mushrooms or soup of the day. Rightly or wrongly, I saved myself for my shepherd’s pie (£13.50), to which I added a portion of vegetables (£3.95).
Mrs E was feeling more traditional and went for the roast sirloin of beef. She didn’t appear to be altogether happy with it, mouthing the word ‘chewy’ at me at one point, clearly for fear of offending the lady from the establishment sitting behind us.
Once she was gone, however, Mrs E really let rip. The beef, she said, was too fatty for her liking – and when I examined it myself I could see her point. It says it all that she left around half of it. She did, however, approve of the “substantial” Yorkshire, which she said had a good amount of flavour.
She also gave the thumbs-up to the mashed potatoes, but found the roast ones too big for her liking. (“It’s as if they haven’t cut them up at all,” she said.) Her other main complaint was that the swede wasn’t mashed to the requisite smoothness, but she was happy enough with the cauliflower cheese and broccoli. I got the same vegetables with my meal and I have to say I found them rather bland.
My shepherd’s pie, meanwhile, was fine, but lacking in moisture. Perhaps I should have asked for some gravy; as it was, it was just too dry to be an outright winner.
My meal came with a little pot of pickled red cabbage and, while this isn’t a combination I’d have put together, it did work very well. I also got a lovely, flour-dusted piece of wholemeal baguette – but that really shouldn’t have been what stood out the most about this meal.
Perhaps in reaction to things going downhill after that top-notch starter, we decided against desserts, but the choices include hot chocolate fudge cake and sticky toffee pudding. I think it would be fair to say Mrs Eats and I enjoyed being in The Albert more than we enjoyed our food.
She-Who-Must-be-Fed commented on how refreshing it was to have a TV on in a bar that wasn’t showing sport (it was the BBC news channel) and how smart the male staff looked in the black and white gingham shirts they were all wearing. (I’m hoping this wasn’t just a dig at my slovenliness.)
We may well return – but we might go for two starters each next time.
