Chase away those chills
3:03pm Thursday 29th September 2011 in Eating Out
The Downgate, Park Street, Hungerford RG17 0ED
Tel: 01488 682708 www.the-downgate.co.uk
Food: Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm and 6pm-9pm; Sat noon-9pm; Sun noon-8.30pm
IT was a sunny Sunday in September and a friend and I decided to get out of town and enjoy a day in the country.
But we couldn’t decide what to do – something cultural? A bracing walk? Sunday lunch?
Eventually she suggested visiting the antiques centre in Hungerford followed by lunch at The Downgate pub on the edge of Hungerford Common. And a splendid idea it was too.
This popular Arkells pub is cosy (and packed!) inside, with tables outside looking over the common. We braved the by now slightly uncertain looking sky and sat outside while we mulled over the extensive menu.
Many pubs on a Sunday only offer a traditional roast, but not the Downgate. We were able to choose from a number of menus and could have had anything from the full roast to a burger.
My friend had her heart set on a roast. At £6.95, there is a choice of three, and on this day, the options were turkey, pork or beef.
She went for the roast beef, which came with Yorkshire pudding and a huge pile of home prepared vegetables, plus horseradish and mustard. The meat was excellent and the veggies so abundant she didn’t actually manage to finish them all.
I decided I couldn’t resist a spot of comfort food in the form of the luxury fish pie (£10.95). It was generously packed with salmon, smoked haddock, prawns and Alaskan pollock in a creamy leek sauce, topped with the most divine mash I’ve ever tasted. Both dishes were hearty and homemade and hit the spot perfectly.
We didn’t have room for pud, which was a shame because, at the bargain price of just £1.50, you can choose from apple pie, bread pudding and bread and butter pudding, all ideal for chasing away those autumnal chills.
We washed it down with a glass of wine each (which came to £7.70), although a bottle at £16 was a little steeply priced, we felt.
The extensive menu includes steak at an average of £12, ham or sausage, egg and chips at £7.95, dishes such as faggots, spaghetti Bolognese and chilli at about £7.50, and snacks such as jacket potatoes for under £6 and baguettes and sandwiches all under £5. From Monday to Friday, the pub offers meals from £5.50 and a two-course special for £7.
Having filled out boots and happily avoided the rain, we set off for a stroll across the downs to work off lunch and soak up some country air.
All in all, it was a perfect way to pass a Sunday – and we didn’t have to choose between culture, lunch or a walk as this was an ideal location to take in all three.
