After a days Christmas shopping we decided to stop for lunch at The Grey Lady in Newtown Linford, a picturesque village on the edge of Bradgate Park, around 5 miles north of Leicester. Let me stop at this point to tell you that as a child we often went to The Grey Lady for carvery with my grandparents. It was that kind of place, full of old people. I think the last time I went was on my 18th birthday and it was still that kind of place.
They’ve had a refurbishment since then and the business has passed to the owners son, back in the kitchen from London where he worked in several Michelin starred kitchens including Le Gavroche. So, bearing this in mind, I thought it was definitely worth a try!
We turned up to a busy carpark and walked in to an airy, modern split level room with large windows showing off the stunning countryside views outside. On a week day lunchtime, the place was around 3/4 full. I’ve never seen much in the way of promotion or advertising for this place so I can only assume they thrive off word of mouth – and lets face it, that shows true skill.
The fixed price lunch is either £12.50 or £16.50 for 2 or 3 courses and the menu is quite old fashioned, nothing overly ‘out there’ to choose but the food was beautiful, high quality and cooked to perfection. We were blown away by it and will definitely be heading back at night to try the full al a carte menu! Highly recommended, a true hidden gem. People say that there aren’t many high quality places to eat around the East Midlands area but the more I do this, the more I think they’re wrong.
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| Goats Cheese and Red Onion Tart |
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| Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto |
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| Pan Fried Salmon, Confit Tomatoes |
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| Rump of Lamb with Shepherd Pie |