Food Review: Lion’s share of a festive feast at The Lion, Leintwardine

It’s a time to support local independents. Though the nation has avoided a full lockdown over Christmas and New Year, the deleterious effect of Omicron has hit many hospitality businesses hard.

Pre-Christmas, there was a catastrophic fall in trade at the busiest time of the year. Hospitality makes hay during December to see it through the lean winter months, when bookings are thinner on the ground.

It should be a time of feast, though in 2021 and, of course, in 2020, it has been anything but.

All the more reason, therefore, to book a table in the new year and make up for the disappointment – and the sensible avoid-the-virus approach – that so many took.

And The Lion at Leintwardine is a venue deserving of regular custom.

The Lion has been consistently impressive over a period of years. With good owners, a good management team and youthful staff willing to learn and work hard, it has all all the right ingredients. Indeed, when we called in to support a local venue for a pre-Christmas lunch, it did most things right.

The venue is light and airy. Combining tradition and modernity, the beautiful old building has been sensitively refurbished and styled with panache.

There’s ample bar space for regulars who want to sup a pint of their favourite ale while the dining area is capacious and provides plenty of space for diners.

Service was very good – nine out of ten – with a number of young waitresses making their mark. Eager to please, bustling and efficient, they were hardworking and were a credit to their employer.

Good service is such an important part of the equation in any lunch or dinner. It can cover a multitude of sins.

If dinner’s not quite right, a smile and a word of warmth makes all the difference.

Though in The Lion’s case, the food was pretty decent and service simply enhanced the afternoon’s proceedings.

Festive food was the order of the day and The Lion had got it covered.

Our table enjoyed a selection of wintry dishes – including a full-on, all-singing, all-dancing turkey dinner – and the standard was pretty good throughout. Though a word on roast potatoes: they’re meant to be crispy, not soft. A high oven and sufficient time does the job and makes lunch just that bit better.

I started with a beetroot risotto that was so-so. Walnuts provided texture to go with the earthy beetroot while figs added a little sweetness, thyme pesto provided good flavour and parmesan offered an unami hit.

The texture was good, with the rice being cooked al dente, though perhaps the dish lacked a little depth of flavour.

The seasoning didn’t feel – or rather taste – quite right and a dish that ought to have been magnificent lost a little in its execution.

My partner enjoyed a pleasing bowl of curried sweet potato soup with coriander croutons. The curry provided a warming addition to the filling soup while the croutons added crunch and bite. It was a decent bowl of food.

My main was a satisfying beef bourgignon with dauphinoise potatoes and bacon-wrapped fine beans.

The bourguignon was marvellous. The beef had been slowly cooked so that it was tender, almost falling apart under the knife.

The seasoning was spot on and the rich, unctuous sauce brought warmth to a cold winter’s day.

The dauphinoise was less impressive, however, while the beans and bacon was pointless.

The bacon had been wrapped around the beans and then roasted, I think, though given that bacon and beans cook at different times, that meant the beans were chewy and over-cooked while the bacon was a little fatty and very under-cooked.

It might have added a little decorative flourish to the dish, but the taste and textures were awful.

In contrast, a huge turkey dinner was great – with the exception of uncrisp roast potatoes, the culinary equivalent of missing an open goal.

The turkey was generously proportioned in thick, tender slices and the meat had been expertly cooked.

Pigs in blankets were delicious, pork and sage stuffing was delicious and helped to mop up a meaty pot of gravy while chestnut sprouts and roasted roots helped to finish an impressive plate of food.

It may have been a little on the over-generous size, but at that time of year there’s no need for calorie counting and the chef pretty much nailed it.

We stuck around for dessert. A French apple tart with vanilla Anglaise was a game of two halves.

The Anglaise was good: sweet, creamy and satisfying. The tart looked beautiful and plenty of work had gone into it. The apple, however, was a little bland – as with the beans and bacon, a classic case of flattering only to deceive.

Pretty on the eye? Yes. But packed with great taste? Not so much.

A Christmas pudding with brandy sauce, in contrast, scored full marks.

Prettily plated with a festive spring of holly and redcurrants that denoted holly berries, it made for happy eating.

Service was great. Ordering was efficient, staff were helpful, drinks were refreshed at just the right time and staff were helpful throughout.

The Lion is one of Shropshire’s better restaurants, a perennial Top 20 sort of place.

There are frustrating opportunities that the kitchen sometimes fails to capitalise on – accuracy, seasoning, execution – that would elevate it further.

The ideas are good, the service great and the interior fine.

It’s a place that wouldn’t have to work too hard to raise it’s level even higher.

Details

The Lion, Leintwardine

7 High St, Leintwardine, Craven Arms, SY7 0JZ

01547 540203

www.thelionleintwardine.co.uk