A tame offering at the Red Lion

The charming, stone-built village pub has been a fall back venue over the years, never failing to serve up a top notch roast with all the trimmings, or some fine pub fayre.

On Sunday, under new management, it was looking a little tired and this was kind of reflected in what was on my plate.

There was beef, chicken and pork on the menu (£10), and between us we tried them all.

My herb stuffed pork loin had a nice flavour about it, but was only just on the safe side of dry. A decent portion though.

The roast potatoes were overdone - some were pretty burnt and very soft, but again, tasted like proper roasties and I cleared the plate.

The Yorkshire pudding was big and crisp in parts but very bread-like and not as light as I would have liked, but passable.As for the gravy, a bit thin and bland.

The side plate of vegetables was plentiful, and well cooked, with the leaks in whole grain mustard a real winner. I could have eaten that all day.

The same can be said for the other plates - the chicken a little dry and the beef - a thin slice of sirloin - the best of the bunch.

Only the scampi, chips and peas from the children’s menu got the full thumbs up from our four-year-old.

Desserts (£5) were much more up to expectations - the honeycomb parfait was a real treat, with great flavour and texture, while the sticky toffee pudding did exactly what it said on the tin - super sweet and sticky.

I had some misgivings about the food, but the warm welcome and friendly service helped make the lunch a reasonably enjoyable one all the same.

Brad Barnes has lunch at the Red Lion in King Street, West Deeping

Brad’s rating: 6