Friendly and tasty eating house is fit for a king. And his entire army

The clue is in the name… and you need a heck of a big appetite to hold your head high at this Hamilton hostelry.

John Carrigan has been famous locally for good food and drink for more than 30 years since his f irst pub opened in nearby Blantyre.

The huge venue includes a bar, lounge and a cof fee house as well as a 100- seater restaurant.

It was full to busting – and so were we after sampling the massive drinks and food menu.

You name it, they had it. They even bake their own bread.

It was a busy Sunday night and we hadn’t booked but the place ran like clockwork. The sizzl ing Canar ian prawnsp star ter, £ 7.9 5 , w i t h garlic, lemon and chi l l i , was so tasty t h a t we mopped up every last drop of sauce. The chicken fajita skillet, £11.75, could have been shared between three. But as Carrigan’s do takeaway, we asked if we could do just that.

And the wedge of mega Galaxy caramel fudge cake, £ 5.25, filled an entire dinner plate. Two of us sharing had to admit defeat.

There’s a market menu – £ 7.50 for two courses – 12-5 from Monday to Thursday and 12- 4 on a Friday.

Draught lagers at the bar, which was bustl ing with friendly locals keen to share their patter, included Birra Moretti, Stella and Foster’s.

They also have a bottled gluten-free lager.

We were surprised to find a fancy smoking area, which has the look of a Greek taverna. This is a family-friendly bar, homely and always busy but efficiently run. It has to be.

People know what to expect from this giant of a pub and keep coming back for that reason.