Lunch / £££ / 9/10

After visiting it’s sister pub The Old Vol nearly a year ago we decided to give The Reindeer a try, it was coming up to Christmas and we wanted a cosy country pub on a dark, drizzly day. We had been assured that the dining room and bar were not quite as ‘Instagrammable’ as the Old Vol. The outside was decorated in twinkly fairy lights and felt very festive. Inside was a bit of a more restrained affair and as much as I didn’t miss the neon signage and foliage wall it did feel a little ‘cold’. This wasn’t helped by the fact we were sat next to an open fire that hadn’t been lit. If they’re not going to stoke it up on a Friday in December, did that thing ever get lit?

Looking at the menu we pinned our colours to the mast. We were having 3 courses, but instead of being overwhelmed with options (like at The Old Vol) we were left hoping for a little more. The menu is VERY simple but as the dining room filled up we decided to focus on the good. For starters The Northerner ordered the Korean Chicken and I went for the Mushrooms on toast.

The starters arrived and The Northerner handed me a piece of chicken, it was cooked perfectly with enough crisp and warm, soft chicken to be as much a contrast as the sour and sweet sauce. The micro herbs that topped it were a nice addition but it lacked a little heat, I am really searching for that criticism though. It is as good a crispy chicken as you would find at Bar Iberico.

My mushrooms on toast were the exact ‘taste’ opposite – rich, creamy, earthy and cooked well. The mushrooms still had enough bite that they didn’t turn sloppy and their flavour flooded the mouth with each forkful. The toast wasn’t soggy either, a tremendous start to the meal.

For our main course The Northerner had asked if they could do his Fish and Chips without the skin after being disappointed at The Old Vol, they came back from the kitchen saying they could but it might ‘lose it’s shape’. He gave it a go and when it arrived it might not have had the majesty of a battered fish curled at each end like the little red plastic fortune teller fish you used to get in crackers; but it was easier to eat, and The Northerner was pleased.

My lasagne was small but mighty, the ragu was very rich and the grated cheese on top made it the comforting, warming dish I had been craving. Short of delivering me the Lasagne from Trattoria Antonio’s in 1996 (a massive rectangle of meat and pasta in a sea of volcanic tomato and cheese sauce) they couldn’t have done better. Even after exclaiming i was full I kept picking at the crunchy pasta stuck to the side of the dish until I had to have a word with myself and assure the waiter that ‘yes’ I defintely had finished and they could take it away.

The Apple and Blackberry Crumble finished us off (quite literally as we received a call from nursery as it was delivered saying the toddler needed picking up as she had a temperature). The refined presentation and gentle flavours hit the spot and elevated The Reindeer to one of the best pubs for food in Nottinghamshire. After doing a mental check that we had enough Calpol at home to settle the toddler once we had picked her up we left full and happy.