Festive menu

Last Saturday we thought for a change to visit the Shy Horse on Leatherhead Road, a change from the sort of place we usually go to, and last visited just about two years ago, a visit noticed at reference 1. And then again two years before that. So although our meals there have been generally fine, not a place we seem to go to all that often. Perhaps because it is something of a seniors' place, with not much in the way of bright young things. On the other hand, the staff is mostly English sounding.

Having been caught out in Epsom a few times now, thought to book online, which involved saying whether we wanted the festive or the regular menu. We elected for festive, with part of it illustrated left. BH was concerned that maybe we should we going as far as selecting our festive meal but I held firm, holding to the line that a pub could hardly be said to be offering fine dining if it could not cope with a party of two making their selection on the spot.

Got there to choose a wine which turned out to be unavailable. But the sauvignon blanc from Oyster Bay which we did get was very reasonable and entirely drinkable. The very same bottle that can be obtained from Majestic Wine. Probably has been from time to time, before Wetherspoon's convinced us of the merits of Villa Maria.

For me, a mushroom in sauce starter. Highly flavoured and probably fresh out of a freezer via a microwave. It came with some better than average white bread. Satisfactory, although one would not want too much of it.

Short rib main course, with the short rib consisting of a thoroughly cooked block of beef, maybe a bit more than two inches by one inch by one inch, still attached to a rather larger bit of rib bone. Served as if it was sausages, on a bed of flavoured mash potatoes and highly flavoured red-tinged gravy. I had forgotten to ask for gravy on the side. Unusually generous about topping up the bread supplies. I suspected that the meat was also fresh out of a freezer via a microwave. Satisfactory.

Dessert was described as a relative of the Bakewell Tart and turned out to be a rather soft, sweet, spongy version of same. But at least I remembered to ask for the custard on the side, in the way of Wetherspoon's - with BH being rather a fan of neat catering custard. The waitress was quick enough to think that this remark about Wetherspoon's was the height of wit.

So food entirely pub grub, but the occasion was entirely satisfactory. The atmosphere, while a little old, was fine. We are, after all, rather old ourselves. The place was comfortably busy. The service was friendly and efficient. There was plenty of car parking and it was only five minutes in the car from where we live. We shall, no doubt, be back.

A member of the vintage inns family.

PS: I would not want to give the impression that I object to microwaves. They are essential ingredients of a modern commercial kitchen - and we even have one at home which we use occasionally, usually for warming up left-overs. But when eating out, we do make something of a sport of trying to spot the dish which has been delivered to the establishment in question as a ready meal, either of the boil in the bag or the pop in the microwave variety.

Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/part-one-of-three.html.

Reference 2: https://www.vintageinn.co.uk/.