Review by Claire Whitehouse on 25th February, 2008

Add your review
What a find! I found The Woodman Inn whilst surfing the net looking for somewhere to go for my birthday. We like GOOD food but myself and my 2 yr old daughter are vegetarian and finding anywhere which provides decent veggie fayre is, well, frankly a nightmare and ruins many an outing. Not today though! I cannot fault our visit to The Woodman Inn. Surroundings. Cosy, warm and welcoming with an open log fire. Expect contemporary décor sympathetically styled in keeping with the age of the building. We felt most comfortable. The interior is definitely a surprise in comparison with the façade at the front. We have driven past this pub for 20 years and never once been inside, put off by the crusty old frontage – the exterior has been smartened up but definitely does not convey the lovely surroundings within (especially the line of different sized and coloured wellie boots by the door!) Service. Genuinely warm and friendly. We were greeted and served by the lady owner who was very accommodating towards my daughter, she was provided for with a sturdy highchair and tiddly glasses of lemonade with straw (most important!) My daughter’s meals were served on Peter Rabbit tableware too, which I thought was such a lovely touch. Food. The veggie option ravioli wasn’t available so I had the creamy mushroom tagliatelle - usually served with ham but adapted by the chef without a fuss to suit my vegetarian diet. It was rich and creamy with a deliciously intense mushroom flavour. It came plain and simple, garnished only with poppy or caraway seeds, not sure which and it was divine. I should have left some on my plate as I was full but I just couldn't bring myself to do it! My daughter tried some too and it went down a treat. She also had the breaded mushroom starter for her main course and we ordered a side of chips. The breaded mushrooms were heavenly - I was delighted by the fact they were most obviously homemade and NOT frozen! And it was so lovely to taste hand cut chips too instead of facing yet another bowl of anaemic frozen offerings. My hubby had the Beer Battered Cod with hand cut chips and minted mush peas; he demolished the lot and declared it wonderful. He followed this with the Chocolate Pot and was silent for the whole (short) time it took him to make it disappear. Good things most definitely come in small packages with this petit pud. Rich, bitter and sumptuous. My daughter and I shared the homemade Honeycomb Ice cream – smooth, creamy and delicately sweet with little bits of chocolate too – absolutely beautiful. I also had a coffee, which was nice and hot, rich and strong and came with little chunks of chocolate Tiffin to nibble on. Wine. We didn’t order wine with our meal but I did have a sprinter made with the offered Chardonnay. It was beautifully chilled, crisp and fresh and served in a very elegant wine glass too. Summary. All in all I had a wonderful birthday lunch and am positively over the moon, thrilled and delighted to have at LONG last found somewhere local that provides such a lovely dining experience. Standards are high and the attention to detail is thoughtful and considerate. We wish The Woodman Inn a long and prosperous future. I just hope the veggie options change from time to time – that is my only (teeny weeny) quibble.

Date visited: 25.02.2008