Review: The Granby Inn, Longframlington

It was a Thursday evening around 6.30pm when I arrived with my dining partner to the Granby in Longframlington. Although it's on the main road through the Village they have managed to shoe-horn some off street parking in at the front and we were given a very warm welcome by the two ladies behind the bar. It seemed to be a quiet night with just one other couple eating in the bar area, we were offered the choice of a table in the restaurant or in the bar. We decided to eat in the bar, not just because it seemed nice and comfortable, but partly I don't think either of us wanted to be sat alone in a restaurant. To begin with the atmosphere was a little like a library, I almost didn't dare speak for fear of being shushed, there was very quiet music on in the background, but the ambience still felt a little flat. I needn't have worried though as by the time we'd got our drinks delivered to the table a few more couples had arrived along with a group of Australian tourists who soon livened the place up!

The bar area is clean and comfortable, with the decor you would expect from a 'Country style' pub, plenty of odd things on the walls, dark wood furniture and heavy chairs that could well have been there for decades. Nothing looked worn, or ageing though, they obviously look after the place very well. We were given the menus and were told about the specials board, but we both opted for the set menu which was 3 courses for £16.95. The choice from the set menu was limited, which is to be expected, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had a genuine choice to make between dishes. I opted for the Potato Skins to start and my dining partner ordered melon with parma ham. Both dishes arrived promptly and were presented well. The Potato Skins were just that, skins. Often you find that you order potato skins these days and you end up with half a small jacket potato with some cheese on! But not in this case, they were piping hot, delicious, served with two dips and plentiful! While we were waiting for our main I saw a sizzling dish delivered to one of the tables nearby and instantly from the smell wished I had ordered that instead of my pie, it looked great! However, after realising the dish was only on the specials board and cost £12 on it's own I soon felt better about my choice!

My main course was Steak and Ale Pie, and apart from my usual disappointment (I stand by the fact that a pie should have pastry sides and a bottom!) it was a very tender, well seasoned, Beef in Ale casserole with a pastry lid floating on top. It came with slow cooked red onions and apple, and a side of fresh vegetables and a little basket of chips. I have to admit I was surprised and impressed with the presentation of the main, I especially liked the little frying baskets the chips were served in. The only other place I have seen this done is in a Michelin starred restaurant!

The gravy with the pie was the best part of this course, extremely tasty with a good strong hint of ale. The only let down (other than it not strictly speaking being a pie) was the braised cabbage. Despite being braised for a long time it somehow managed to still be quite hard and almost caramelised, with a hint of burnt sugar taste. This didn't detract from the overall enjoyment though as there were plenty of other fresh vegetables that were cooked just right. My dining partner had a steak for her main course, which was thoroughly enjoyed.

After devouring what felt like half a sack of potato skins for starter and a very generous portion of Beef Casserole (couldn't resist) for my main, I was scouring the desert menu for something light to finish off the meal. The cheesecake caught my eye, but after asking what flavour it was today (rum and raisin) we both decided to go for the Panna cotta.

This was the only real let down with the meal, it looked lovely, well presented and served with home-made chilli and chocolate icecream, but it was over-set. There had been far too much gelatine used in the setting process and it was almost a hard jelly consistency, not the light, beautiful, creamy desert I was hoping for. I did enjoy the icecream though, with just enough of a hint of chilli.

Service remained polite, efficient and discrete, which is exactly as it should be and the total bill for two including one drink each came to around £45.

Highlight: Real potato skins and fresh delicious vegetables.

Lowlight: An over-set Panna cotta.

The Granby's Scores

Venue: ***1/2

Ambience: ***

Service: ****

Presentation: ****

Taste: ***1/2

Value for Money: ***

Overall Score: Would I recommend the Granby? Overall yes I would. Friendly and efficient staff in a nice Village location with surprisingly smart food presentation and good flavours. I give them an overall rating of ***1/2 out of ***** somewhere between Good and Excellent.

My scoring system explained:

***** Outstanding **** Excellent *** Good ** Average * Poor