Lunch at The Bull in Market Deeping - it's well worth a visit

Gail Demaine and husband Alan Spratley only took over the quaint, historic coaching inn in May, and after a whirlwind refurbishment reopened in June.

There’s only so much you can do with an old stone-built inn, but it is fair to say the tired-looking interior is now now very much wide awake – with a nice and bright decor, and new flooring and lighting which make it feel very welcoming.

The couple, who also run The Stage across the road and a couple of other notable village pubs nearby, clearly know what they are doing, and the completion of the spacious beer garden, with a children’s play area in time for summer, and the addition of a pretty courtyard this month are great indications of this.

So, after parking just up the high street there was a warm welcome at the bar and we were shown to a table of our choice – I had my 11-year-old daughter and a friend for company.

There’s a good selection of beers to be fair, including Stella, so that was simple enough, and J2Os – always a winner – for the two youngsters.

There’s a specific lunchtime menu and the main menu to choose from – it is open all day for food on a Saturday and at 2pm when we arrived there were quite a few tables occupied throughout the bar and dining areas.

We ordered some crispy smoked chicken wings from the starters menu (£7) just to keep us going while we waited for our mains. They were nicely cooked, and covered in a moreish, sticky sauce – we opted for BBQ but there is a choice. The little side salad and pot of sauce to dip soon disappeared too.

The finger bowl for cleaning up afterwards came in handy.

The main menu had nine dishes to choose from – all your pub favourites to be fair plus some burgers and steaks from the grill.

I went for the steak, ale and mushroom pie (£14.50), which turned out to be a great choice. Served in a dish with a lovely crisp, flaky topping it was a treat, with the filling packed with plenty of chunks of meat and a thick, rich sauce.

The horseradish mash was thick and creamy with an unmissable flavour and the roasted veg – the carrots in particular – were delightful. Throw in a little red wine gravy, an absolute winner of a lunch.

My lunch companions were similarly impressed.

For one, a beer battered haddock (£15) – great tasting batter, could have been crisper – with hand cut chips that were light, crisp and fluffy plus a serving of mushy peas. Being 11, she overlooked the tartare sauce!

Her bestie meanwhile tucked into scampi – crisp and tasty coating – more of those wonderful chips (I know I mopped up my gravy with a few of them) and garden peas (£12.50).

All in all, a very pleasant lunchtime experience indeed, with two children so full they didn’t even ask for dessert.

You can check serving times and book on 01778 343320/