A Return Visit To The Queens Head In Little Eaton
Published On Sunday 9 Oct 2022 by Sticky Beak
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The last time The Man Bird and I visited The Queens Head in Little Eaton was a while ago, and it’s changed hands since then. Husband and wife team, Tim and Jorja, have proudly owned this wonderful village pub since March 2022 and kindly invited us along to see what changes they’ve made.
As we pulled into the car park, the first thing we noticed was that the white marquee had gone and in its place was a rather swanky looking wooden, covered outdoor bar area with lots of tables and seats nearby - far more easy on the eye and conducive to al fresco socialising.
I’m not going to lie; I had more than a smidge of trepidation when I read that Tim and Jorja were from South Africa. Would they really get the vibe of a traditional English Pub, or would they come in and completely gut the interior and change The Queens Heads’ character? More research revealed that Tim has a couple of decades experience running private members golf clubs, meaning that he knows his F&B trade inside-out, which reassured me. Stepping inside the pub, we got that inherent relaxed feel that we’d had previously and were greeted really warmly by the young lady behind the bar.
Our table was adjacent to the bar which, given that it was ‘Open Mic’ night (every last Thursday of the month), meant that we pretty much had the best seats in the house – get in!! The background music was at a nice level and fairly easy-listening, but who knew what direction it would go in once the budding musicians took over the mic, so to speak.
Having got a large glass of Rioja and a pint of Moretti in our hands, it was time to get down to business and give the menu some serious attention. Chef Jack Wilkinson and his team offer up a great choice of dishes from classics such as Lasagne and Fish n Chips through to Burgers, Steaks, Flatbreads (one of their signatures) and Pizza. Kids have their own menu with prices ranging from £5.95 to £7.95, so they feel special too.
We had just decided on our meals when over came (the very charming) Tim to introduce himself and he said that they were launching a new special main course to the menu - which they’re in the middle of finalising: Seabass. Well, you all know what a sucker I am for fish, so I changed my mind, which meant His Nibs jumped in my gastro grave and had my original choice of main (Tandoori Chicken Flatbread) rather than the Lasagne he had plumped for first off. Honestly, we are a proper pair of fickle feathers, aren’t we?! Thankfully we’d firmly chosen our starters (Whitebait and Calamari, £7.25 for me, Halloumi Fingers, £5.75 for The Man) before the exceptionally beautiful Jorja came over to say Hi to us!
One of the best bits of this blog is hearing the stories behind the scenes and what drives owners/managers to do what they do because, let’s face it, this isn’t an easy industry to be in at the best of times and we certainly aren’t in the best of times now, are we? It was great to see the passion and enthusiasm that this couple have for The Queens Head and the fact that they are determined to keep it at the heart of the community. I especially loved the mischief that Tim had when he recommended the Seabass to me, knowing full well that Chef wasn’t happy with one of the components of the dish – naughty, naughty! – but he obviously had the confidence that Chef Jack Wilkinson would come up trumps (and he did).
There were plenty of reserved signs on other tables, which for a midweek night is a wonderful sight to see. A couple with their furry friend came in and went to the other side of the bar; four legged companions are welcome in the uncarpeted section of the bar room, so no worries if you’re out walking and get caught thirsty or hungry.
As we sipped our drinks we took the opportunity to have a gander at our surroundings in a bit more detail. I’m very happy to say that the Queens Head still has a relaxed, stylish interior with the calming neutral palate echoed in the wooden tables and seats. Tim and Jorja have added a bit of visual interest to the dining area with the addition of a raised table and stools and some large Peace Lilies in the windows. I even spied some coat hooks in the shape of Crowns, which I thought was a nice nod to the establishments’ name.
Chef Jack was clearly running a tight ship and we didn’t have long to wait until our lovely server was placing our starters down in front of us. Presentation-wise you couldn’t fault either His Nibs’ Halloumi Fingers with Sour Cream and Sweet Chilli, or my Whitebait and Calamari with Salad and Homemade Tartare Sauce.
The Man Birds’ Halloumi fingers were bronzed, dairy Adonis’s arranged Jenga-style on the plate (and they were a good size too, so Chef certainly isn’t stingy!) and separate pots housed tangy Soured Cream and spicy Sweet Chilli Sauce. Having taken the necessary photos, His Nibs dived straight in, smiling happily as he topped the Halloumi with sour cream and chilli sauce, chewing them and savouring the symphony of flavour that hit his taste buds.
I love fish and seafood (as you lovely lot know) so I was very happy to see Calamari AND Whitebait in the same dish – I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before, but it works for me. On a dramatic, dark slate was a colourful bed of mixed leaves dressed in Balsamic, topped with a trio of large, golden Calamari rings that were crowned with half a dozen large Whitebaits that were frozen and immortalised in light, ultra-crisp batter. The Calamari batter was superb in its crunchiness and there was no trace of residual oil or grease at all, which let the flavour of the sweet seafood come through clearly on the palate. You can’t beat the distinctive tang of a properly done Tartare sauce; it has a creamy note thanks to the Mayo and then you get a variety of spice and savoury from finely chopped Capers, Gherkins or Pickles, a zap of fresh clean herbs and a sharp edge from Lemon juice. This condiment went fantastically well with the fried component of this dish, cutting through the oil and richness, but respected the gentler notes of the Calamari and Whitebait. Chef had pulled off a really super starter with this treasure.
I mentioned the curveball that Chef had to contend with when I ordered the (not yet released at the time of writing this) Seabass special (£13.95), and this was further compounded by the fact that he wasn’t happy with some of the ingredients quality on this occasion. However, a good Chef always has a few tricks up his sleeve and Jack Wilkinson pulled on his big Chefs’ hat and paired the fish with simple, unfussy fries and a sublime Spinach, Cream and Garlic concoction that really got my taste buds’ attention!
The Seabass fillet was cooked absolutely spot-on; the skin lightly crisped and the pale flesh still gorgeously moist and flavoursome. It wasn’t the biggest fillet I’ve ever had but, then again, I wasn’t paying mid £20’s for the dish, so it made sense that the portion wasn’t as big. Fish, as we all know, is one heck of a price at the minute! Those who consider themselves connoisseurs of all things Pesce may well find a few faults (no posh garnish of fresh herbs, no wedge of fresh Lemon and no sauce) and if that’s you then I would say this: go to a specialist fish restaurant. This is a traditional village pub restaurant and as such, has done a ruddy good job with this dish, in my opinion – and yes, I’ve eaten in specialist fish restaurants, so I know what I’m on about!
The fries had lots going for them, taste- and texture-wise and whilst they’re not the intended accompaniment, they were a decent substitute. His Nibs had ordered a side of chunky chips (£3) to go with his meal and I have to say that the seasoning Chef uses on them is super-scrummy; personally, I think all the fries/chips need to be seasoned this way! It was the timbale of garlicky, creamy, Spinach wondrousness that had me grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat though; this was just utterly delicious and had a silky softness that caressed the tongue and ignited the pleasure centre in the brain.
I don’t mind admitting to a twinge of jealousy when the Tandoori Chicken Flatbread (£13.50) that I was originally going to have landed in front of The Man Bird. A more colourful dish you couldn’t wish for and, boy oh boy, it smelled mouth-wateringly good! This morsel is one of the Queens Head’s signature dishes so His Nibs was eager to see what it was all about. Size-wise, the flatbread was definitely generous and so was the amount of tender, juicy pieces of Chicken breast meat that topped it. The Tandoori spices were perfectly pitched; certainly discernible, but not over-powering and they were supported in the flavour stakes with a nicely sticky, Sweet Chilli sauce that had been drizzled over the dish. A minty herb dressing helped to provide a creamy, cooling element to the meal and combined well with the undermost layer on the flatbread, a Mixed leaf, Pepper, Red Onion, Cucumber and Cherry Tomato salad. The flatbread itself didn’t go soggy (even at the end of the meal) as can sometimes be the case, so His Nibs was very impressed. As he said, it wasn’t a fancy dish, but it hits the spot!
We weren’t going to have dessert but, as usual, when asked if we’d like to see the sweets selection we couldn’t quite say “No”... which led to us ordering the Biscoff Cheesecake with Cream and Chocolate Fudge Cake with Ice Cream (both £5.95).
There was absolutely no mistaking the tastes within the creamy, Biscoff treat; one of my favourite spices is Cinnamon and I instantly recognised its presence. Warming Ginger, Nutmeg, Clove and Anise also combined to give more flavour to the cheesecake topping, teaming up with rich Caramel notes of the iconic biscuit and the deep body of the cheesecake itself had a glorious, Malty taste. In all honesty I didn’t need to put any cream on top of this beauty, it was indulgent enough and had a seriously creamy character in the mouth, but you all know that I couldn’t resist, don’t you?! In my defence, I just want to say that I only put cream on my spoon twice!
In our time doing the blog we’ve been served some generous desserts, but the slab of Chocolate Fudge Cake that came out of the Queens Head kitchens in Little Eaton beat them all. Describing it as huge is perhaps the biggest injustice of all time to come from my keyboard; humungous, gargantuan, enormous, or gigantic are more accurate. The cake was one of those incredible, light-textured chocolate rich sponges whose layers are interspersed with rich chocolate buttercream and topped with indulgent cocoa-intense frosting; y’know, just to ram home the point that there is CHOCOLATE in this cake. His Nibs was smacking his chops as he savoured every crumb, licking his lips to make sure that there wasn’t even the tiniest smidgen of it escaping his mouth. The Vanilla Ice Cream was a good quality one, and its coolness provided a welcome diversion from the (frankly obscene) richness of the Fudge Cake.
Throughout the evening, our servers made sure that we were happy with our food and kept us topped up with drinks as we munched away. Nothing was too much trouble for them and they really did make us feel more like friends than customers, bless them. We left the Queens Head as the open mic session was starting to gather pace, but we both said that we’d happily return and experience the full effect another time. Tim and Jorja both bade us a safe journey home, leaving their seats with some of the villagers to come and do so.
Hot Wings happily given to this great village team! Opening times at The Queens Head in Little Eaton are Sunday Noon-5pm for Sunday Roasts, and Monday-Saturday Noon- 8.45pm. I would strongly recommend that you give the team a buzz on 01332 986065 to reserve a table.
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