4:36pm Sunday 26th March 2006
By Helen Peacocke
Finding a warm friendly place that will add cheer to a rainy March day is not always easy. I was heading towards Faringdon on the A420, wipers going sixteen to the dozen as they struggled with mud thrown up by speeding lorries.
Thank goodness for The Lamb Inn, Buckland, tucked away on a side road to the left as you enter this attractive little village, where the surrounding fields will soon be filled with spring lambs.
The pub is certainly packed with lambs there are large woolly lambs propped up in corners, and others scattered around on shelves, tables, and in nooks and crannies by the fire. There's even a blue custom-made carpet patterned with lambs, and the chalkboard by the bar advertising a special Easter lunch on April 16 is decorated with a line drawing of two lambs sitting down to eat so there's no way anyone could forget the pub's name.
Despite calling in midweek and well before the one o'clock rush, I was surprised to find the car park at the side of the pub almost full and the main bar area, where bar meals are served, simply heaving with people. There's an attractive restaurant at the back and that was chock-a-block too.
This was just the sort of atmosphere I was looking for warm, friendly and buzzing with life. And, yes, despite the crush, I did manage to get a meal, thanks to the professional nature of the barman and the hard working women who were serving the food.
Within moments of my arrival, a small table in the centre of the room was made ready and my order taken. Just a few minutes later and I was tucking into my first course.
Old Hooky, the award-winning brew from Hook Norton, was the beer of the day, a subtly-balanced beer which complemented my lunch perfectly.
Because the kitchen staff at The Lamb Inn follow the seasons, using fresh local produce whenever possible, the menus are written on a blackboard. At lunchtime you can either have two courses from the lunchtime special board for £10 or select something from the a la carte options. The £10 menu included starters such as melon and ginger, or parsnip and tomato soup. The main course options included hand-made faggots, fillet of plaice, grilled kipper and bread and butter, or cold roast beef salad.
I made things easy by ordering a melon starter, followed by plaice and chips.
The melon, presented in an attractive fan shape and served with sliced crystallised ginger, was juicy and sweet, and the fish hot and nicely cooked, with a generous portion of scrumptious crunchy chips that tasted out of this world.
Warm crusty granary bread and salt-free butter were included in the meal and arrived within moments of my order.
Roasted rack of English lamb, with a sauce made from mint and lamb stock, was on the main menu at £18.50, and for those with a pocket deep enough to take the plunge, there was pan-fried or grilled Dover sole, which weighed in at 1lb 4oz, priced at £21.25.
The main menu also included dishes such as choice of omelette served with salad from £5.50, and starters such as sauted lamb's kidney and mushrooms at £5.95. Warm three-cheese onion tart cost £6.95 and there was grilled Cornish mackerel with mustard sauce at £5.95.
High prices, perhaps, but when you are served by professionals who not only bring your food promptly, but make you feel really welcome in the process, there are times when it's worth paying extra. Besides, there was more than enough to choose from on the £10 special lunch menu.
My advice, however, for those who wish to try The Lamb Inn is, don't chance to your luck as I did book first.
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.heraldseries.co.uk