Saturday Lunch - The Maynell Ingram

We went to the stock clearance for one of Britain's great coat manufacturers, John Partridge. Their new owners are taking the company forward in a new style so it was an opportunity to grab an original before they disappear. They make really warm, quality waxed jackets. I already had one, which I have worn this winter and have now added two more to my collection. Lovely - all set for winter!


The sale was held at the marquee owned by the Meynel Ingram pub, so we decided to eat in the restaurant for lunch. Before looking round the sale we booked in for lunch in the dining room, we were told by the staff that they were busy so had to move our slot forward a bit, which was fine.


On arrival at the restaurant we were seated, the chairs are luxe and the decor fresh and modern. The menu available was a snack lunch menu of the full mains. For our party of four we had:


Starters; Scallops (served with a risotto, looked lovely) and warm goats cheese served with bread.


Mains: Pie of the day (steak and kidney) this was okay and served with mash and veg, the pie and mash were a bit dry so after asking for gravy this was a tasty dish


Hot pork cob, apple sauce, potato wedges and salad (lunch menu) this was tasty 3 slices of pork and reasonably filling. Served with gravy.


Gammon topped with egg, pineapple and black pudding served with potato wedges. Okay on the meat and toppings but careless potato preparation meant that around a quarter of the wedges were black or green.


Pork with potatoes, nice but skimpy on the serving size. Two small pork steaks and a bit of potato. No real veg included.


All in all the food was disappointing given that the prices were between £9 and £15 for them. The meal was also rather marred by the service quality. Plates were stacked together in front of us before being carted away. Once we had asked for the bill, no-one came to take the money and even when we'd put our coats on to go and pay at the bar the waitress did not move from her position chatting at the bar, where she could clearly see us.


As for having to move our lunch forward due to the massive volume of diners, there was just one other couple in the restaurant.

The rating:
Mediocre, despite what the website says about them winning lots of prizes I have been to some much better country restaurants for a better price. 
The summary:
Food: Careless food preparation, and a lack of thought about accompaniments. When you pay £15 for a main meal, you expect to get more than just meat and potato.

Price: Around £12 for mains, £5 for starters. Meal for 4 was £60.

Atmosphere: Nice decor, nonchalant service.

Contact:

The Meynell Ingram Arms
Abbots Bromley Road
Hoar Cross
Burton-on-Trent
DE13 8RB

T : 01283 575202
F : 01283 575788

Website link.