As we had left it too late to book a table at the Red Lion (Thorncliffe) and were limited for time, we went to the first establishment serving food on the way out of Leek. First impressions were not particularly good, with staff seeming preoccupied and reluctant to serve. The beer options were uninspiring, but as I was driving this was possibly not a bad thing.
The menu + specials (on the board) was well organised, and sensibly limited in number. Ordering was slightly tenuous with our (Australian?) waiter having to run off to the kitchen at any slight deviation from the menu that we requested.
I chose from the vegetarian menu a lasagne, whilst the others in our party chose Scampi, Cajun chicken, and (from the childrens menu) chicken nuggets. The meals were all declared to be delicious. It was apparent that all had been prepared and cooked on the premises.
I would certainly have given the White Lion 5 *s if the staff had been more welcoming (I exclude our Australian waiter from this comment).
I would further comment that the Beer Garden play area was described to me as a mud-bath, but as my own children have long passed that requirement it would be unfair to hold this against them!
My advice to any potential customers is to go to the White Lion for the food. read more