The Red Lion, East Haddon

Another full-on delivery day yesterday, this time over in Rutland, Northants and Cambridgeshire. I wasn’t going to get caught out like yesterday , and called a halt around 5.30 once I’d arrived at The Red Lion in East Haddon, near Northampton.  It’s a smart but by no means intimidatingly posh gastropub.  Co-proprietor Adam Gray recently returned to his roots having worked with the likes of Raymond Blanc and most recently as head chef at [Gary] Rhodes 24 in London. The pedigree shows – there’s nothing fancypants here rather a focus on doing simple things well.  My belly of pork was beautifully done – fat rendered, meat tender and very flavoursome, crackling extremely noisy. Even the mash was noteworthy, while the gravy was winey and so damned tasty I sneaked a glug from the little jug when no-one was watching.  An apple tart – heavily touted by my waitress was a bit ordinary – pureed fruit, no great depth of flavour – though the clotted cream ice-cream that came with it was fantastic.

Looking at the rest of the menu it seems admirably unfussy – pumpkin soup with oxford blue cheese fritter, slow-cooked lamb with turnip gratin and buttered leeks – and  I’m not surprised the Michelin crew  have already given it a Bib Gourmand.  There’s a small but smartly kitted out cookery school attached too.

Might be worth a drive for those in the South of Leicestershire and it’s certainly worth considering a small diversion if you’re travelling home on the M1 or A5 –  as the crow flies it’s about two miles from Watford Gap services.  I know where I’d rather go.