Homely lunch that was Fayre enough, if not Spot on

The pub, which serves the multi-purpose Cresset complex, at Bretton, has recently undergone a £250,000 refurbishment, and now looks so much more than what I have only previously considered a shortcut to theatre productions next door.

It is bright, nicely set out and spacious for diners and drinkers alike, retaining areas for pool players and those wanting to watch TV, for instance.

Food is available from breakfast through lunch, and when there are events on in the theatre there is a special pre-show supper menu.

I popped in for lunch and was immediately taken with the service; the lady who showed us to our table and waited on us couldn’t have done more to make us feel comfortable - even bringing appropriately sized cutlery for my two young daughters. A lovely touch I thought.

To the food.

The children’s menu proved great value (£5), with more than enough to choose from.

The oldest went with two sausages (which she loved), mash and peas with a chocolate milkshake, and cleared the lot.

Her younger sister was equally taken with her maccaroni cheese (a personal favourite) and garlic bread with a blackcurrant flavoured water.

The “grown up” menu offered similarly homely dishes - pasta, chicken, steak, all day breakfast, burger, ham, egg and chips, and my selection - home-made pie of the day (£7.50), in this case chicken and vegetable, which I teamed up with mashed potatoes and carrots.

The chicken and gravy filling tasted lovely and the flaky pastry, which could have been crispier to be fair, mopped it up a treat.

The mash - as my five-year-old quickly pointed out - wasn’t very mashed.... a bit dry and lumpy ... but at least it proved it hadn’t come out of a packet!

I wouldn’t, of course, try to compare this impromptu lunch to fine dining at Prevost or The Chubby Castor, for instance, but it served its purpose: a pleasant, relaxed, no-fuss lunch where the food was more than Fayre if not quite Spot on!

Brad Barnes has lunch at The Fayre Spot, The Cresset, Bretton Centre, tel 01733 842518.

Brad’s rating: 7