Star rating: ** You know you’re in for a bad night when a fellow customer feels so sorry for you that he alerts the attention of the staff on your behalf.
In truth, just about everyone other than those working at The Lamb Inn at Edgmond knew we had been sat in the bar area of the restaurant for what seemed like an eternity.
See the reply from The Lamb in our letters section here.
Half an hour had passed since we strolled in and confirmed our 8.30pm booking, taking a seat at the manager’s order.
“I’ll get some menus to you in a couple of minutes,” he offered cheerily at the time.
As our good samaritan pricked his interest at 9pm, this time the man in charge joked: “I haven’t forgotten you” before my scowl forced him to admit that he had. I don’t even think a botched suicide attempt would have grabbed his attention.
Little did I know that I would contemplate one after the meal.
The Lamb has changed hands more often than Captain Hook in the last few years but the rumours were that it was finally beginning to settle.
The rugby chants from the room next door certainly provided the atmosphere, while the dining room was full to capacity.
Unfortunately, many looked like they were there for the duration. Indeed, if you’d have put Countdown on a big screen in the middle and handed round a selection of Mr Kipling fondant fancies many of the guests would still be there now.
We were therefore offered the choice: continue waiting for a table or take one by the window.
Whoever suggested ‘by the window’ should go and sell timeshare. They’d make a killing. For our table sat awkwardly in a corridor devoid of atmosphere and attention.
The giant window panes looked out on to nothing in particular and we were on route 66 for the toilets which, incidentally, had no hand drier or hand towels.
Perhaps that was why someone had put a bright yellow sign saying ‘wet floor’ next to our table while we drip dried.
The menu though was well crafted and, in particular, boasted lamb which was served two ways.
Unfortunately in my case that meant not at all and not on your nelly. For The Lamb Inn was more ‘lamb out’ - a catastrophic error given that there would be no delivery between Saturday night and a roaring Sunday lunchtime trade.
It meant I changed my starter to scallops with seafood risotto and my main to rib of beef while my wife, against her better judgement, opted for the smoked salmon surprise followed by monkfish wrapped in parma ham.
My plate was artistic and that’s where it stopped. I’m all for presentation if it’s a forerunner to a great meal, but if it’s done to hide a multitude of sins then I’d prefer the art to be on the wall.
The scallops were burnt at the bottom while the risotto was overcooked and dried out, so much so that if you speared one bit of arborio rice the rest leapt up in unison.
Underneath this was the faintest smear of lobster bisque, like there was supposed to be more but someone licked it off before it came to the table, leaving just a tongue-shaped orange residue.
Tracey’s smoked salmon surprise was largely unsurprising in that it consisted of smoked salmon.
Surely it would have been more of a surprise if it were a plate of armadillo feet, or soup made from the bile of a snake.
This was just lumps of smoked salmon, inaccurately sliced, layered on top of some nondescript white fish. Thankfully the fish was tasty so, given the success of our starters, perhaps that was the surprise?
Making up for our wait at the beginning, the staff brought our main courses within a nanosecond of the plates departing.
They needn’t have bothered. My rib of beef was a giant corpuscle of fat and largely inedible. The celeriac mash was a triumph but it’s a dull playmate on the palate when it’s alone.
Tracey’s monkfish was not wrapped in parma ham but in streaky bacon complete with tell-tale rind.
Yet the fish once more was evenly cooked and a mini-highlight in our corridor of doom.
Foolishly we chanced the pudding menu only to discover that the elderflower jelly had gone the same way as the lamb. We didn’t make the same mistake with the coffee and left before it was offered.
For fear of this review being particularly one-sided, I will explain the reason behind my award of two stars. One goes to the fact that every other diner apart from us looked to be having a good time.
Admittedly there are days when everything can go wrong for a particular table and ours happened to be it. But no-one has money to burn these days and just imagine had this been a birthday or anniversary meal?
The other star goes to the Australasian waitress who took the time to listen when I listed the litany of problems.
True, she didn’t suggest the management look into the bill of £52.15, for which we had consumed just a fraction, but she apologised professionally.
Without her, it would have been a complete and unmitigated disaster.
So beware their New Year’s Eve party. You may well end up toasting the chimes at 2pm on January 2.
By Nathan Rous
18 Comments
Sounds like fun i’ve got my christmas party there !! I cant wait !!! NOT
There is no way this review should have been awarded 2 stars. Im disappointed that Mr Rous didn’t have the courage of his convicvtions and score accordingly.
I think to give one whole star for the waitress listening and another whole star for the fact others ’seemed’ to be enjoying it is ridiculous. Why not give another star for there being soap in the toilets and another for the car park being easy to reverse in…hey presto 4 stars!!
The report on the The Lamb Inn greatly disturbs me. Whenever I have eaten at the Lamb, since the current landlord took over in the Spring, I have always had a magnificent meal with first class attention. I can only think that the reporter had had a bad day, and wanted to take it out on someone. Whenever I have been there to eat, it has been busy, friendly and always came up to the standard I expected. It will not change my image of a very good pub.
Sounds like this critic came out for the evening in a bad mood!!!.
I think the new owners are doing wonders here. Granted, not everyone can have the best day every day, but come on, are you really that mean? Where is your Christmas spirit?
Having eaten at The Lamb on a number of occasions over the last few months and thoroughly enjoyed each visit I suggest that Mr Rous embarks upon a search for alternative employment as he clearly doesn’t have the faintest idea what he’s talking about.
Nathan, is it any coincidence that, in your words, everyone else was having a good time? If she makes you that miserable why not leave the little lady at home next time you go out to do your day job? It just might improve your judgement as well as your mood.
Since i’ve moved to this area, i have been what one might call a regular at the lamb. I tend to go for drinks, however, whenever i have had the food it has been impecible. The service is top notch and the friendliness of the staff is fantastic.
I would like to ask the writer of this (admitedly, not a food critic but an agricultural writer) to perhaps re-read his report and consider the ramifications of this. Whilst most, if not all, of your comments are in truth, incorrect. May I point out that after speaking to local people about this, I have yet to find someone who agrees with your review. Interesting considering how many disagree with your views on the pheasant.
May i point out but afew ‘mistakes’ in your article;
“the toilets which, incidentally, had no hand drier”
You are indeed blind my friend, modern technology has moved on somewhat and hand driers are indeed smaller. Next time you go for soap in a modern public house or restaurant you may have quite a suprise.
“Tracey’s smoked salmon surprise was largely unsurprising in that it consisted of smoked salmon.”
Presumably you expected a large amount of another fish in your SALMON suprise…
“One goes to the fact that every other diner apart from us looked to be having a good time.”
One can only wonder why that may be? Perhaps your more suited to dining in the savoy grill??
My advice to you would be, a) stick with writing about crops and agriculture and b) understand the premise of a food critic.
I have to agreewith the rest of the comments left above. I’ve eaten at the Lamb three times in the last four months and each time the food and the staff were lovely. I’ve often had my doubts about these reviewers and their qualifications to sit in judgement over some of the places they put down so off-handidly. In fact I’ve often wondered if these people actually go to these places.
Dear MR Rimmer,
You seem extremely keen to comment on all the restaurant reviews. You always seem fairly negative in your assesment of the establishments in question. As a close friend of the owner of the Lamb I challenge you to eat at my expense there and assess the place yourself so you may form educated comment rather than offer bandwagon stupidity that affects real peoples lives.
Well… Well… Well… Where do i start with this ‘propostuous’ and ‘fictional’ review!!! Yes ‘fictional’ MR. Rous as there is not one ounce of truth in what you have to say… I have wined and dined at the ‘Lamb at Edgmond’ for years now and to say the least since it was taken over early this year, the standards had dramatically improved but have never had a single bad experience so whatever rattled your cage that nite certainly wasn’t the food/ atmosphere/ or even the staff as any people will agree?! Maybe a promise from the other half was broken that night due to your beef being an in inedible corpuscle f fat or jus maybe you had a headache while writing this review because quite clearly you have no understanding of wining, diing and enjoying your life. So next time you would like to ‘Prick your interest’ in something get your facts right and wake up as they have got it right there and could do without peoplelike you!! Thanks for listening… Have a ‘merry Xmas and a happy new year’.
Yours sincerly,
Bungle
who cares?
This review will, quite rightly, have the Lamb’s owners straight onto the phone to their lawyers. It’s a typically amateur review from someone who doesn’t really know their food. For example, scallops should be seared and a little burned on the underside to produce extra flavour. Any decent chef knows this. The oh so funny writing style makes one think that Rous was in a bad mood to start with, which is a very bad place for a food critic to begin at.I wouldn’t be surprised if he is regretting his venom….
Dear Mr Rous
I would suggest that you stick to cows & carrots in future as you obviously cannot either read or recognise menus! CARAMELISED scallops are CARAMELISED not burned… Monkfish wrapped in PANCETTA (ITALIAN STREAKY BACON) is in no way Parma Ham is it? God forbid that a restaurant that serves fresh food made daily actually sells out of anything before Lord Rous comes in.. it happens!! or should the restaurant keep frozen portions just in case a bad mannered, rood & obnoxious ‘food critic’ enters the premise? What are you trying to prove with this article? That you can be witty whilst not caring for the livelihood of a young family and 20 staff who have worked their nuts off trying to get what was a dead business off the ground. I hope you can sleep well at night Nathan knowing what trauma you must have caused to all at the Lamb. You should be ashamed of this vile ‘review’.
Mr Angry..You totally miss my point. I have no problem with the Lamb, I just think its poor when a journalist slates a place, and then gives it 2 points, when on what he said it should have been a 0 or 1 at best. Whether thats right or wrong isn’t the point, but knowing how poor the reviews are in the Star I would have little confidence in them. For what its worth I myself have only heard good things about the Lamb.
Whilst it could be claimed that some of the staff of The Lamb may need a little more professional encouragement and training to improve their service, I find the reviewer a little harsh.
As for the food, I can only speak as I find, and having lunched in restaurants on and around the Mediterranean this past year, I can assure him that each time my wife, along with many of our family, have eaten there we have thoroughly enjoyed the food and do freely recommend The Lamb.
Regarding the “rugby chants” from the next room, well, such matters can be a personal nuisance, however, the reviewer ought to be aware The Lamb is a public house. I personally find the musak not only annoying but more than a little naff, but some brain-dead folk enjoy it!
If I have a complaint at all, and this is not solely confined to The Lamb, it is the casual way in which over-drinking is apparently encouraged. Lately, I visited with a friend, where a young “man” was being egged on by his chums to down a long row of spirit drinks, which had been lined up for him. This was considered a birthday treat!
When I remarked upon this behaviour the barman informed me that “the drinks had been paid for”!
But perhaps that says more about our society than The Lamb.
Ate there yesterday… food was good, staff were very attentive. VFM was excellent… we’ll be going back!!
I respectfully suggest that all local restaurants display a photograph of Nathan Rouss with ‘Wanted’ underneath, for biased and unprofessional reporting! He has too much freedon of press, no morals printing such drivle so close to Christmas when most restaurants rely on the Christmas trade, no experience of fine dining and does not know the difference between an a la carte and a table d’hote menu. One of his previous reviews stated,’We chose from the a la carte menu for the all inclusive price of……’ I was speechless at the time but let it go. Now I wish I hadn’t and then may be this idiot would still not be reporting in an area where he does not know his Rib of Beef from a Rib Eye Steak which I should imagine happened on this occassion. Get rid of him. Keep going team you are talented, well respected people and do not deserve such a biased and factually incorrect review by someone who also can’t tell a soap dispenser from a hand dryer!!! I think that speaks for itself don’t you?
Betty - if you have nothing interesting to say, its best to say nothing!
I have eaten at the Lamb Inn quite often since it re-opened with the new owner. I can only suggest that it was a ‘bad night’ for the reviewer as the food and staff there are very good.
I also agree that the reviewer should probably look for another job as he seems to have made his mind up before even eating the food. Perhaps with the Christmas period looming, the ghosts of Christmas were creeping upon him.