Many, many years ago Jim and I were on a boating holiday in the Norfolk Broads and found ourselves, at least twice, having lunch in pubs which, from the outside, looked very unprepossessing, suggesting that the food served would be less than ideal. On both occasions we were wrong. The pub buildings might not have been exciting to look at but the food was delicious, freshly cooked and beautiful.
In February 2019 Lindsey, Jim and I found ourselves in Meredith, on the road to Geelong, looking for somewhere to have lunch. There are two pubs in Meredith, one obvious on the main road and one hidden, off on a side street. We went looking for the more hidden one and once again found a pub which looked pretty ordinary but which served more than acceptable food. We went back with Stella in October that year, had a lovely lunch - and haven't been back since. In part that was because of the covid lockdowns. Then the pub was sold. Memory hints that it might have been closed for a time. It more or less fell off our radar.
We went back yesterday. Not Jim, of course, but Lindsey, Ian, Stella and me. I had seen various reviews online which suggested it did good food. We are looking to expand our range of country lunch places. So off we went to give it a try.
It was busier than we remember it being 5 years ago. It's not noticeably prettier as a building, but the menu is very tempting, the service was cheerful and friendly and the food was delicious. It was a bit slow in coming (thank goodness Tony wasn't with us!) but was obviously freshly cooked and very tasty. We are going to have to go back. There are more things on the menu that we want to try.
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| A slightly hidden, fairly typical looking country pub. Appearances can be deceptive because the food was interesting and delicious |
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| My deconstructed souvlaki, made with very slow cooked lamb, was amazing. The chips weren't bad, either |
We have fallen into autumn, after a very cool summer. February did give us a handful of very hot days, including two days of extreme fire danger. But we haven't had any days over 40d in Ballarat this summer and I have only put the new air conditioner on twice, perhaps three times. We are expecting a few hot days later this week, but the weather has been definitely autumnal rather than summery. Cool mornings, warm sunny afternoons, cool evenings. Even last Wednesday, which was hot, blustery and a bit of a fire worry in the afternoon, dawned almost cold. I am, though, having to water the garden. After rather wet months in December and January, February has been dry in my bit of the world and there is no real rain looming in the forecast.
These warm/hot days are welcome aren’t they but we know they won’t last long which is disappointing. I feel a little cheated where summer is concerned. I’m already snuggling up with a blanket in the evenings
ReplyDeleteYour meal looks ‘interesting’. I wouldn’t be ordering it though - I’m old fashioned and prefer my meals on a plate. Some places will plate things for me - others say their version of ……(hard luck) we present on a wooden board and that’s the way you’ll get it!
Is the Beaufort fire still burning?
Hi Cathy. The others had their meals on plates. My mother had salmon with crushed baby potatoes and green things (no green things passed her lips :-D). My brother in law had barra with ratatouille and my sister had lamb backstrap. I don't remember what her accompaniments were. I hadn't actually noticed that my meal was on a wooden platter (disclosure: I have wooden platters at home, though I tend to use them for cold things). I am not sure if the Beaufort fire is still burning. I don't think so. There is no smoke and I know it was contained a few days ago. Frances
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