The Black Lion — Restaurant in England

Very disappointing food service tonight at the Black Lion, a pub that we often happily visit when seeing family who live in the area. We ordered food as soon as the kitchen opened and after checking with the bar staff, were assured that our table of 7 would be served at the same time. We ordered 7 meals and 2 starters; including one ham and mushroom pizza. 30 minutes after ordering we are informed there was no ham for the pizza.

One starter came after 10 minutes, followed by two meals about 10 minutes later. These had been eaten by the two diners and 20 minutes passed before another 3 meals came out. It was over one hour after we ordered that the final meals came out, with the final starter being delivered as the final item. During this period, it was not busy and no one else was eating food in the pub. Our meals were also missing items and were cold. Very little way of communication of timings or apology was given by staff.

After this disappointing service happened, I communicated to the staff member how long we had been waiting and he let us know that there was only one person working in the kitchen. While I understand that short staffing happens, we were at no time communicated with that this would be the case, and in fact were assured that the food would be delivered at the same time.

Only after communicating our disappointment were we offered a free drink. However, we spent so long waiting for food that we had to leave. I would have appreciated them offering to refund our meal or at least some of it, as this spoiled our lovely...

First real English meal and what an impressive beginning to the trip!

Service was so friendly and efficient in a relaxing and casual ambiance.

The dishes we got were sooo hearty and reminded us of comfort food.

REBELLION BEER BATTERED FISH AND CHUNKY CHIPS Crispy layer of beer batter with just enough salt and pepper to go with the tender bite of fish. The chunky chips were crispy on the outside and had a bite similar to mashed potatoes, so delicious. The lemon tartar sauce went very nicely with it. That fresh squeeze of lemon juice over everything was just Chef’s Kiss.

SLOW ROASTED LAMB RUMP The lamb was roasted for six hours in red wine and shallots for a delicately, earthy flavor. The meat just melted in your mouth with every forkful. The lamb was served on a tasty bed of fluffy, garlic mashed potatoes. The red wine sauce drizzled on complimented everything perfectly.

RIBEYE STEAK Classic steak done right with all the right searing and flavoring. Every bite was juicy and delicious. The roasted vine tomatoes were a great touch. The fries were done English style, so tasty.

All I can say is: so English and...

I never leave reviews via google but had to share…. I haven’t been to this pub in at least a couple of years, was not a great experience (both service and food) BUT had family from Canada visiting - it was local for us so decided to check out the the menu, get a drink and decide whether to stay or go . I am so happy I did. It’s back and dare I say better than ever!!!!!! Under new management the staff were prompt, friendly and knowledgable. The food (we went today - Sunday) was amazing! One of us had the beef roast (said it was so tender), two had sausage and mash, and I had a burger, it was delicious! Couldn’t be more thrilled, down the street, dog friendly, and back to a little local gem! If you haven’t been under new management - please give it another go! We’ll for sure be repeat customers, only sad we hadn’t tried it again sooner!...