Impressive pub food at White Lion

By pkemp

THE WHITE LION, HARLASTON: What better on a summer's evening than to swish along country lanes, the sun dipping over golden cornfields to left and right, and pull up at a friendly local pub for a bite to eat?

Sounds idyllic, maybe, but how often would you be disappointed? A poor selection of beers, warm or acidic wine, and uninspiring pub grub: we've all been there.

But the moment I stepped through the door of the White Lion in Harlaston, I scented real promise. The atmosphere, for starters, was a-buzz – with chattering locals sipping their pints as they propped up the bar; with families sitting outside enjoying the belated summer weather, and with diners perusing the menu-blackboard in the pub's beamed dining room.

This little gem of a pub is about three miles north of Tamworth, through Wigginton, and sits on a triangle of land with village roads on all sides.

We were greeted, at the dining reception, by a pleasant and welcoming waitress; behind the 'bar' was a large array of wines taking up most of the wall – another promising sight.

The dining room is high ceilinged and wood floored and its walls adorned with horse brasses, decorative plates and old prints. It's on two levels and we were shown to one of five tables on the upper level, by a window looking over a country lane.

"It will be quieter up here – we've got a party in later down there," said the waitress indicating the lower area – a thoughtful gesture and one for which we were grateful later!

The menu is a communal affair, simply chalked on a large blackboard high up on the wall, which felt a bit like taking an eye test. There were 14 mains and six starters on offer, with choices to please most palates including vegetarians.

For starters, I went for whitebait, a favourite, which arrived beautifully presented and perfectly golden and crisp with a fat slice of fresh lemon, a creamy dip in a white porcelain dish, triangles of brown bread and butter and a crisp and delicious salad. Perfection.

My partner, meanwhile, was tucking into a generous portion of home-made chicken and mushroom pate accompanied by mango chutney. He praised its nicely savoury flavour and light, almost granular texture and said the chutney made an excellent contrast.

Mid-course we enjoyed the rural view from our window, watching several huge tractors rushing home after their last labours of another day.

Our main courses arrived after a short wait – just long enough to tell us they were being cooked to order.

My sirloin steak was cooked exactly as ordered – medium rare – and was set amid two large and richly dark field mushrooms, a rotund beef tomato and onion rings.

Of the various choices of potato, I chose baked and it nestled on a separate side dish.

The steak couldn't have been bettered by a good-class restaurant; the potato was light and perfectly fluffy inside and the side salad I had ordered was attractively presented and crisply tasty.

My only criticisms were that the mushrooms were slightly watery and lacking in flavour and the onion rings were over-crisped.

My partner's sea bass was declared 'very nice' (a man of few superlatives), its whiteness relieved by a half lime and a chilli and ginger mixture, artistically arranged and which added a zesty flavour to the tender fish.

By this time we were feeling comfortably sated, but were drawn by the puddings board, and in particular by the promise of lemon meringue pie.

Could we share a slice? No problem. Would we like cream or ice cream? Would a little of both be in order? No problem.

So we tucked in like children with the dish between us, making 'ooh' faces at each other. Fresh strawberry slices were a nice addition.

It was a short, but sweet, dessert menu, most items being locally made, and every one sounded irresistible.

The dining room had filled up on this midweek evening – and spirits were high on the party table in the lower level. The service throughout had been impeccable and the standard and presentation of food very impressive.

In all, our meal cost £48 including two glasses of wine and a beer – a very respectable price for what had turned into a special occasion.

There is also a table d'hote menu which is £12.95 for two courses and £15.95 for three, available for parties of eight or more and booking is essential.

There is a good selection of wines – starting from £11.50 a bottle and rising to £30 – and a good selection of real ales too.

The White Lion also offers a range of meals for children.