The Prince Leopold, Upton Lovell

We found ourselves looking for lunch this afternoon.  We had thought we might eat in the restaurant at Longleat after going through the safari park.  But the car park was extremely full and it looked as though there might be quite a long wait for food.  So we abandoned that plan and decided to head back towards Salisbury and look for a pub on the way. 

As we drove along the road between Warminster and Salisbury I noticed a sign suggesting we drop down towards the river and call into The Prince Leopold.  I'd seen the sign the last time we drove along that road and noted that it was new - and that it wasn't absolutely obvious which road you would go down to get there.  So The Builder slowed down and we found a road leading down to the river and to the village of Upton Lovell.

In Upton Lovell we found The Prince Leopold, only recently re-opened after a change of ownership and a refurb.  The small car park was worryingly full but the landlord said there was indeed a table for three if we were willing to eat in the bar area.  Perfectly happy to eat at a nice wooden table in the light and airy bar area.

The Builder and his mother opted for the traditional roast beef with all the usual accompaniments.  I went for the rather interesting looking slow-roasted belly pork, with mustard and leek mashed potatoes and a cider sauce. The beef arrived looking and smelling delicious, with beautifully crunchy roast potatoes and proper, home made Yorkshire puddings.  I had a taste of The Builder's - and it was absolutely lovely.

But I don't think I've ever before eaten belly pork that was quite as amazing as what was put in front of me.  The meat was succulent and rich and falling apart. The sauce was wonderful. The mash was extremely tasty (just enough leek and mustard to add a bit of bite but not enough to overpower).  The crackling looked like a playing card - and was crunchy and crisp and not in the least bit fatty.  And the fat in the meat had rendered itself into something smooth and unctuous and creamy.

It's a new place.  The refurb isn't finished yet.  It is definitely on my list of places to revisit.  If you should find yourself in the Warminster area looking for lunch, this would certainly be somewhere worth a small detour to get to.