The Bradgate, Newtown Linford

It’s all change now and after a couple of years of tweaking the menu, David and his colleagues are finally happy with the balance – great pub food at reasonable prices. The menu has a balanced mix to appeal to all ages – from traditional stews and steak to street food inspired chicken wings and pizzas (courtesy of the authentic wood fired pizza oven in pride of place where the carvery station once stood).

To start I went for the aforementioned Peri Peri chicken wings. The menu should have come with a warning and extra napkins – they were delicious, slightly spicy and very sticky. The portion too, was huge! What I particularly liked however were the pickled red onions on the side salad. Very moreish and well balanced against the sticky sweet wings.

My main course was really interesting – the Old John pizza (named after a local Victorian folly) featured the flavours of roast pork with pulled pork, apple purée, sausage and strangely fresh chilli. On the surface an odd combo but it really worked! The chilli gave it a real kick. The sweetness of the apple purée actually worked, balanced against the pork perfectly. Now if you’ve read my review of the pizzas at the Bull’s Head in Repton, you’ll know that I love pizza but am not really a fan of crazy toppings. However, for this one I’ll make an exception!

My fellow diners went for steak (8oz rump) with the addition of a king prawn skewer and beef bourguignon. There were no complaints other than perhaps the onion rings with the steak tasted a little greasy. And perhaps perhaps they were ready made and straight out of the freezer.

Despite being pretty much comatose at this point from the massive portions, we all managed pudding! Emily’s nutella bread & butter pudding was heavenly and the pickled ginger on Tim’s toffee cheesecake just gave the dish a little something extra. Sadly my dish (creme brulee with shortbread) was probably the most disappointing of the night. A little too eggy for me and a huge stodgy piece of shortbread. Again, giant portions!

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at The Bradgate. The decor was trendy and it didn’t feel particularly like an Everard’s pub – which is a good thing. The space has been divided well to offer distinct areas for dining casually, formally and for drinkers too. They will always appeal to the walkers and families out for the day at Bradgate Park. Plus, with their new well priced but interesting pub menu, I’m sure they’ve hit the nail on the head. This isn’t fine dining but its definitely pub grub done well. Throw into the mix well trained and very friendly staff and I’d be more than happy to go back there with friends and family.

Visit them online here or in person at The Bradgate, 37 Main Street, Newtown Linford, Leicestershire, LE6 0AE