Eat My Words: We review the Horseshoe at Thurlby

Heavy traffic and hold-ups have to be the bane of every motorist's life.

So one of the last things that you need on a leisurely midweek drive is to get caught up in tail-backs...

It left us a little hot under the collar on a sweltering day as we arrived at the Horseshoe in Thurlby where we hoped our luck for the day would change.

Pulling into the well-sized car park, it was encouraging to see that it was littered with cars of diners to suggest that the arduous drive would be worth it.

The decorative floral baskets around the outside of the building gave it a welcoming and looked-after feel as well as the nicely-manicured garden which raised our hopes of striking it lucky at the Horseshoe.

More Eat My Words reviews here

Once inside, we weren't disappointed as the attractive decor gave off the traditional country pub vibes that we had been hoping for.

A warm and welcome greeting marked our arrival and the drinks quickly arrived once we had been seated at our table.

The price of £5.40 for a pint of Madri is a tad more than I'm used to paying but it was a welcoming sight on a baking hot summer's day.

Casting our eyes over the menu, there was plenty to choose from on the light bites option for lunchtime but, considering we didn't know how long it would take us to trek back through the pesky traffic on the way home, we opted for one of the main dishes.

Again, we were spoilt for choice but my wife opted for the £14 beef lasagne which came with parmesan rocket and garlic bread plus an extra side order of a portion of chips - it had been a long morning!

A self-proclaimed connoisseur of the Italian dish, it was described as ''one of the best I've had" and all of a sudden that hectic journey seemed worthwhile.

I opted for the £14.50 gammon (well I was in the Horseshoe) which covered the plate and was served with the usual accompaniment of chips, pineapple, eggs and peas.

While initially being slightly disappointed that there was only a £23 offering of ribeye steak rather than the less pricey alternatives, this more than made up for the lack of rump or sirloin on the menu.

It was a tasty cut of gammon and the home-made chips were an added bonus, before our attention turned to dessert.

While my wife plumped for the Belgian chocolate brownie (priced at £7) with honeycomb and salted caramel ice cream, I was more than tempted by the mango and passionfruit cheesecake.

However, my luck had run out on that occasion, as the popularity of the dish had led to it being sold out.

I instead went for the apple and mixed berry crumble (again priced at £7) with a serving of ice cream instead of the custard which was happily accommodated by the very willing and helpful staff.

Both desserts were first class with extra fruit toppings a welcome addition to top a thoroughly enjoyable lunchtime meal.

There was also an added incentive when you came to pay for the meal in a 20 per cent discount voucher that can be used at the Horseshoe or any of its sister pubs.

It is obviously aimed at getting customers back through their doors again and, from this experience, we would be more than happy to return very soon.

An alternative route home was even found to avoid any more delays as we arrived back in half the time of the outward journey - obviously that must have been down to the luck of the Horseshoe.

Out of five:

Food: A delicious, well-presented selection of meals at reasonable prices. *****

Drink: Good range of beverages available but slightly more expensive than I’m used to. ****

Decor: A cosy traditional country pub. ****

Staff: Engaging and attentive throughout our visit. *****

Price: High quality food at a reasonable price. *****

Overall: A lovely pub with quality food and great service. *****

Have you had a great meal? Share your own Eat My Words reviews or tell us where to try by emailing: news@lincsonline.co.uk