The first rule of life? Don’t razz your Mummy off; or, if you prefer to look at it a different way, keep Mummy on-side. Happy Mummy = Happy Sticky… = Happy Man Bird, Fledge, BB etc.. Recently, His Nibs and I have been very fortunate with regard to being invited out for Sunday roasts but, seeing as this is one of the few free days we have, it’s meant that Mummy Bird has been a bit neglected with trips out. Not bueno, I’m sure you’ll agree? In order to maintain the level of gadding about that Mummy likes, we decided to have a mid-week pootle out for a bite to eat instead.
We have previously visited The Village Inn in Marehay, both as a couple and with Mummy, so we knew that the food [and accessibility] was good. His Nibs had contacted Phil online and asked if we could grab a table at 6.30pm, but the Rotary Club was having a meal there so we ended up with a booking for 6.15pm – no big deal.
The Village Inn has a good-sized car park on the opposite side of the road to the pub, as well as a nifty sun/beer garden that was occupied by a few folks and a well-behaved pooch. In the evening, it’s a proper little sun-trap; those who need shade will be happy to hear that the benches have parasols at them.
Inside was obviously cooler, but we got plenty of the evening sunshine in through the window at our table. The lovely lady behind the bar soon got us sorted with drinks: Pinot for Mummy, sparkling water (with ice and a slice) for me, and a pint of Moretti for The Man. A friendly young chap popped the menus on the table for us, both the regular one and the specials one, and came back a few minutes later to take our food order. Both His Nibs and me went for the homemade pizzas – Pear and Blue Cheese for me (£11.95), and BBQ from the specials (£13.50) for Him. Mummy was going to have pizza, but changed her mind and went for the large Battered Haddock with Chips and Peas instead (£12.95).
Although it was at a distance, we still had a good view of the pizza area and the oven; Phil and his team didn’t seem to stop all evening, making pizzas, so clearly, they are still as popular as ever. Just before our food arrived, the tables adjacent to us got their meals and they looked really good, especially the burgers. His Nibs’ face was a picture, as he’d so nearly gone for the 8oz McVillage Burger but then opted for pizza instead; oh well, it’s a good excuse to visit again soon.
Phil hand-stretches the dough, so don’t expect a perfectly round pizza at The Village Inn! Saying that, they’re a good size and certainly fill you up: we ended up bringing half of the Cheesy Garlic Bread home with us, and I can say that it heats up brilliantly the next day. As well as plenty of Garlic Butter, the bread is topped with Mozzarella and a moreish Caramelised Onion ‘jam’ it’s one of our favourite morsels, if truth be told. My pizza had a perfect balance of tangy Blue Cheese and sweet Pear on the tomato base, partnered with an intense Balsamic glaze and peppery Rocket leaves. The thin base was nice and crisp and there was a generous amount of topping on – it was a definite hit with me.
For the BBQ pizza, Phil mixes BBQ sauce and Tomato Passata for the base to give a super-tasty, but different, base than traditional tomato on its own, and loads it up with Mozzarella, sliced Peppers and Red Onion, chargrilled BBQ Chicken, and crispy Bacon. The Chicken pieces remained nice and moist and had a fab smokiness to them that ‘pinged’ against the Peppers and Onion. There was a great mix of tastes and textures, thanks to the soft, melted Mozzarella and the crunchy veggies. This was a really tasty pizza that was a little different to the norm.
Mummy had chosen Garden Peas, rather than mushies, to go with her meal and they came in a separate little pot on the plate. Plenty of hand-cut, home-done Chips were on the plate and both His Nibs and I commented on how tasty they were, when we’d nabbed one! The star of the show, though, as it should be, was the huge piece of crisp batter-covered, fried Haddock. Pearly white flesh was still nicely firm and had that delicious sweet-yet-creamy flavour that we all know and love. Back in her glory days, Mummy Bird was queen of the batter; she always used to get it bubbly and crispy, and not at all greasy. Happily, Chef at The Village Inn also has the knack when it comes to battering the fish, and Mummy was happily chomping away like a good ‘un. Although there was a wedge. of fresh Lemon, it wasn’t used on this occasion, but it was a nice touch.
Both Mummy and I were full to the brim, but His Nibs went ahead and ordered one of the desserts off the special’s menu: homemade Caramel Cookie Ice Cream Cake (£5). The block of [ice cream] ‘cake’ was garnished with a nut-chocolate, wafer twist, piped whipped Cream, crunchy pieces of Oreo cookie and ribbons of Caramel and Chocolate sauces. Plenty to go at, then! To say it was a rich, creamy dessert, it wasn’t overly heavy on the tummy, which was quite the result.
It wasn’t until we’d finished our meals and gone to pay the bill that we discovered Phil had kindly paid for our drinks. Due to it being busy by now, Phil wasn’t around as we left, so we weren’t able to thank him personally, but we did ask the team in the pizza area to say our goodbyes to him. So, here in writing, thank you very much for our drinks, Phil, the gesture was very much appreciated!
Hot Wings happily given again to this great little village pub and restaurant; it’s in a fab location, at the bottom of the village and the food and service were just as good as we’d remembered. To book a table (which I would definitely do for Sunday Lunch, as they’re serving 120+ people most weekends!) call 01773 743970; if they’re busy, leave a message and they’ll get back to you. You can also visit www.villageinnmarehay.co.uk to view current menus and events dates. The Village Inn is closed on Monday and Tuesdays, opens Weds-Sat 5pm-11pm, and Sunday Noon-11pm (carvery is served until 2.30pm).
