A Flock Sunday Lunch At The Spotted Cow, Holbrook
Published On Sunday 20 Mar 2022 by Sticky Beak
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I’d had a pretty amazing weekend, so imagine my delight when I was told that we were going out for a flock Sunday Roast; talk about the perfect way to conclude a cracking couple of days. This time we were visiting The Spotted Cow at Holbrook which is community owned (a superb concept, I think) by a consortium of villagers. We’ve been meaning to visit here for quite a while and it just so happened that it fitted our requirement of serving Sunday Roasts until 6pm; having had a late-ish 2 course breakfast at The Devonshire Arms in Pilsley we weren’t wanting to eat our dinner particularly early.
The Spotted Cow is a fairly large pub with a traditional, relaxed feel to it, and the decor is in keeping with this vibe. Lighting is soft in tone, tables are solid wood with sturdy chairs...you get the idea. I liked the real candles in holders that were on the tables, though I did worry that His Nibs was going to set light to himself – he’s not known for being graceful or careful! You’ll be happy to hear that our time passed without incident and no candles were harmed by The Man’s presence!
Our server swiftly got the drinks sorted out for us and brought out the cutlery and napkins in a tray for us to help ourselves to. After a couple of minutes she returned to take our orders; we all skipped starters, going straight to the main event. Due to the late hour of us eating, the Lamb Shoulder had all been scoffed (can’t fault you folks) so The Man and I went for the Beef, Fledge had Turkey and Mummy Bird went completely off-piste and had the Beer Battered Fish and Chips! All the roasts are priced at £12.95 for adults and £6 for kids and come with Thyme and Rosemary roasties, seasonal veg, stuffing, homemade Yorkshire pud and Gravy. Mummy’s Fish n Chips come with Mushy Peas and Tartare sauce and costs £12.50.
Chef is what we in our flock call a ‘feeder’ and the plates were heaving; Mummy Bird referred to her piece of fish as a whale and it really was massive! We all began to tuck in...and then two more dishes containing Red Cabbage and Cheesy Leeks were popped into the centre of the table – good job we had booked a later table is all I can say! The Man Bird and I had a quartet of thick, juicy slices of Beef to contend with that hid a plentiful supply of roasties and a pair of intensely fragrant Parsnips. Fledge’s plate was equally loaded with slices of pale, succulent Turkey breast meat and she grinned happily as she made her way through it.
Without exception, all the vegetables were perfectly cooked and bouncing with peak flavour but all of us commented on just how good the cheesy Leeks were; these beauties were the very epitome of comfort food with their silky sauce and rounded taste. The Yorkshire puddings were delicious, with that supremely soft texture that hits the pleasure spot in the brain and wonderful flavour that only homemade morsels have. You can always tell when we’re enjoying the food: a reverential hush descends over the table as we give the food our full attention and respect. Needless to say, you could’ve heard a pin drop as we savoured the Sunday Roast from the kitchens at The Spotted Cow!
I exercised my child’s privilege and pinched a chip from Mummy’s plate, purely for the purposes of being able to tell you what they were like, first hand, you understand! Chip lovers will get me when I say that they ticked all the right boxes, and the batter that surrounded the fish was just as crisp and non-greasy: winner winner, erm, fish dinner. You need a sharp, bouncy Tartare sauce to cut through the richness of fried batter and Mummy said the one served to her on this occasion was really nice, so she was a very happy birdie.
Our plates had all been cleaned of food, the only trace of the roasts being swirls of the gravy that we couldn’t quite fully eradicate without licking the plates (and trust me, we were tempted!). Yep, this was a brilliant way to bring the last hours of what had been a superb weekend to an end. Hot Wings happily given to this great community pub and its passionate team; we’d certainly come back!.
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