REVIEW: Old Kings Head, Broughton

No hardship, then, to head out on a sunny May day in search of lunch. We decided to take a trip to Broughton, taking in the glorious views of the Duddon estuary en route.

So splendid did the countryside look that we were tempted just to keep on driving and see where we ended up. But time and food review deadlines wait for no man, so at 1.30pm, we pulled up in Broughton, outside the Old Kings Head pub.

Not looking at its best from the outside, with a faded sign of Henry VIII on wall, it's quite a different matter once inside the pub. For it has recently undergone a refurbishment - and all is smart, new and welcoming.

It being the tail end of the lunchtime session, customers were somewhat thin on the ground; some locals were finishing off what looked to be a hearty lunch, which they had clearly enjoyed.

We settled ourselves in the main bar area, having poked our heads in the newly-refurbished dining room at one end of the long pub. A lounge area with log burner and sofas occupies the other end, with the bar in the middle of the building.

The bar itself has been painted in a very smart heritage blue, which I liked a lot. Music was blaring from the speakers when we settled ourselves in our seats but a request to turn it down was dealt with immediately and cheerfully, which makes a nice change from so many pubs which think they are operating a disco on the side.

I think I am typical in that when I go into a pub, I want to be able to converse with my companions, not fight over intrusive music.

My husband chose a field mushroom and goats cheese (that Marmite of the cheese world) starter, which I shared, although as I don't like goats cheese, I merely had a nibble of the mushroom. It came with a rocket garnish and balsamic dressing - and Gordon thoroughly enjoyed it.

With virtually all of the specials on the blackboard having been sold out, we chose from the main pub menu for our main courses.

I couldn't resist the Cumberland sausage and champ mash, as the sausage came from the highly regarded butcher in the town. Great to see local produce on pub menus.

Gordon went for fish and chips.

Our mains arrived after a reasonable but not excessive wait. My sausage was large and thick, on a huge mound of mash and cabbage (which was a bit light on the cabbage for my taste) and a bowl of traditional veg.

A thick onion gravy completed the dish - and it was delicious. A seriously good sausage.

Gordon's fish and chips also went down well. He particularly liked the batter, which was very light and crispy.

The chips were golden and plentiful, and came alongside a home-made tartare sauce and garden peas (they'd run out of mushy).

The staff at the Old Kings Head were very friendly throughout. I got the impression that the makeover of the pub has yet to become well known; indeed, a local couple who were leaving as were arrived, seemed surprised by the refurb and were exhorting the woman whom I took to be the landlady to put some notices up outside to advertise the new look.

Smartening up the exterior - and a new sign - would do a lot more to draw in the punters, and I feel sure that this is well in hand.

Some window boxes filled with cheerful blooms would also add significantly to the kerb appeal of this historic and traditional pub. By the time we had finished our mains it was gone 3pm and we decided to eschew the puddings in order to head back out into the sunshine to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

All in, with some local beer for Gordon and a lime and soda for me, our meal came to just over £30. Prices are standard for good pub food and we were more than happy with the value. A good lunch then, in a well refurbished but still, thankfully, very traditional pub. Nice to see the Old Kings Head with a new look.

LOUISE ALLONBY

Food 4

Service 4

Value 4

Atmosphere 3.5

Pros

Pub classics

Local beers and produce

Plenty of free parking nearby

Cons

Outside needs smartening up

Lunch service finishes at 1.45pm

Lots of specials sold out