Here at H&N Magazine, there is one meal we love above all others – a Sunday roast. We have sampled many over the years and it has to be said that we feel a great sense of achievement when out of the blue we discover a local pub with great food, especially for that all important Sunday meal.
This was certainly the case when we visited The Woodlands, a fabulous family pub, located in the picturesque Yorkshire country village of Oakenshaw.
It was a stunning summer’s day when we visited, and their extensive beer garden was being well used by locals, cyclists and dog walkers. Inside were mainly families and couples, enjoying a relaxed afternoon. The atmosphere was really relaxed and very friendly and the smell of that roast was giving us the tummy rumbles!
We were greeted and shown to a table in the restaurant part of the pub by proud owner Steve, and drinks ordered we perused the menu. The first thing we noticed were the prices; 1 Course £9.95, 2 Courses £11.95, 3 Courses £13.95, Child’s Roast Dinner £4.95. These prices are so reasonable and in these financially difficult times, allow most people the opportunity to dine out at least once a month.
There was plenty of choice on the menu, in fact six dishes to choose from for starters and main courses and four for desserts. It was an easy choice for me and my husband; Garlic Mushrooms on toasted sourdough and Prawn Cocktail for starters, and it had to be the Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding and all the trimmings for our main courses.
The garlic mushrooms were (so I’m told) fabulous, extremely tasty and just the right portion size. I must admit I had food envy as although my prawn cocktail was good, those mushrooms really did look delicious. No such problem with the main courses as we were having the same.
Tender beef and plenty of it, a generous homemade Yorkshire pudding, perfect roasties, silky smooth mashed potato, plenty of seasonal vegetables and lots of lovely gravy. It was a stunning plate of food and a couple of glasses of crisp, perfectly chilled Sauvignon for me and a pint of Tetley’s for Dave went down well too, a bit too well. You know what it’s like when you are enjoying yourself, good food and surroundings, great company, all makes for a great day.
After a respectable rest, we were ready to sample the homemade desserts. It had to be Sticky Toffee Pudding with vanilla ice cream and Chocolate Brownie with vanilla ice cream, two of our favourite desserts and they were total perfection.
We had to say a few words to the chef, Jayden Raw. His food is delicious and all homemade, in fact on the usual menu, everything is cooked to order from scratch. We were very impressed, especially as this is top quality food at such reasonable prices. What a great team, we predict big things for them.
We highly recommend a visit to The Woodlands. We will definitely be going back and hope to see you there.
To make your reservation Call 01274 671800 and follow @thewoodlandshoteloakenshaw
