Subject: The Plough, Lupton Author: Cecilia Campbell Date: 2/16/2011 Body: RATING Total 20 Great atmosphere 4 Home cooked fresh food 5 Plenty of flavour 3 Good value for money 4 Service with a smile 4 Telephone : 015395 67700 http://theploughatlupton.co.uk Original review: Saturday January 29, 2011, for lunch We'd heard a fair amount about the Plough from various people, mostly positive, and I must say on the whole it was a very good experience. The pub is beautifully refurbished, and quite vast, while still managing to be pretty, if not cosy, then warm and welcoming. Although, in my opinion the clientele is a bit too posh to make for a chilled lunch out, especially with 4-year old boy in tow. The service we had was excellent, and I was particularly impressed with how one of the waitresses dealt with a rather nit-picky older gentleman at the table next to us who had some unusual ideas about how you pick a white wine – the waitress was an example of patience and good will. Michel Roux would have been proud! Anyway, as far as the food, we wanted to try the small dishes – tapas style but in English – which is a slightly unusual feature of this eatery. They are all priced between £2.30 and just under £4.00, so there is no problem about tasting quite a few. We had Hamhock terrine with picallili, Venison pastilles with pickled red cabbage, Beetroot, goats cheese, rocket & pine nuts and Courgette fritters with honey and Lancashire cheese. While everything was perfectly presented and well prepared, I felt it lacked in the flavour department. The hamhock had too much gel and very sharp pickles in it so was not very subtle, while the courgette fritters could have done with something a bit sharper than Lancashire cheese to offset the battered courgettes. I enjoyed what I had though. Luke had children's sausage, chips, broccoli and gravy – a perfectly sized children's dish which he devoured. We would come back – perhaps to try some of the main courses next time.   Cancel