Worming its way into our hearts
MENTION the Lambton Worm, and a line from the song I learned at school springs to mind: “Whist! Lads, hadd yor gobs, an’ aa’ll tell ye ‘boot the worm”.
Well, Mrs E and I have never been ones for ‘hadding’ our gobs, but we were happy to stuff them while getting reacquainted with this North East legend at Chester-le-street.
It provides a couple of ways to do so, with two versions of the tale adorning in the walls. There’s also a doorway decorated to look like it’s containing the monster, which must be a source of amusement and/or terror for those visiting with kiddies.
Apart from the Worm-related surroundings, The Lambton Worm is very much a traditional pub in appearance. Diners have the choice of eating in the semiformal restaurant in the back – which was buzzing – or the cosier bar area, where burgers and the like are available in addition to traditional Sunday lunch fare.
We chose the former, where the staff were very accommodating despite us not having a reservation. We were given, however, a table that I couldn’t help noticing was slightly sticky. Perhaps the staff had overlooked it amid the lunchtime rush; there was certainly cleaning of surfaces being done.
The pub offers two courses for £13.95 on Sundays, or three for £16.95. The starter options included sweet and sour chicken strips and a trio of cheese salad with tomato chutney, but we plumped for the creamy winter vegetable soup and the ‘classic’ prawn cocktail, which were served promptly. I would have described my soup as spicy rather than creamy. In fact the further down the bowl I got, the spicier it became. Quite smooth in texture, but clearly crammed full of vegetables, it was a hit with me.
The prawn cocktail lived up to its ‘classic’ billing, with Mrs E describing it as traditional, but not saying much more. Perhaps more indicative is the fact she polished if off.
For the main event, the meats on offer were turkey, pork loin and beef brisket, or a trio of the pork, the beef and chicken. The vegetarian offerings are a nut roast and a vegetable galette (a type of pie, I believe) with buttered potatoes and side salad.
If you’re a meat lover, you won’t feel deprived. The superthick slices of turkey on my plate and pork on Mrs E’s were filling indeed. They weren’t the only treats, either. Mrs E described the mashed potato as “perfection”, and I would agree. The gravy was thick and rich, and my Yorkshire pudding was my favourite of all my recent pub visits. It was light and flavoursome and made me realise just how bland a lot of pub Yorkshire puds can be.
A bowl placed between us contained three vegetables – some lovely buttery mashed swede along with carrots and broccoli which I found underwhelming, although Mrs Eats thought they were fine. The sausage-meat stuffing both our meals came with was superb and, like everything else, had a real taste of traditional home cooking.
Dessert choices included the intriguing-sounding ‘boozy’ Christmas sundae. Mrs E, though, had a brandy snap basket with mascarpone cheese and fruits of the forest ice cream, while I opted for the dark fruit crumble and custard. My custard arrived in a little jug rather than in the crumble dish, and I appreciated that as the crumble, made with apples and berries, turned out to be sweet enough not to need much of it. Mrs E’s pud brightened up a gloomy winter day in more ways than one, decorated as it was with strawberries and raspberries. She couldn’t have been happier with it, saying it was, to her surprise, the highlight of her meal. They were sensible-sized portions – no more than we needed after the previous courses.
If the quality of the grub isn’t enough to draw you to The Lambton Worm, there’s also reason to support it if you’re a real ale drinker. Its ales come from the award-winning Coxhoebased brewery Sonnet 43 and are well worth trying.