Poppy & Pint

Interesting… meant to be their gluten free weekend and they serve me gluten on a gluten free meal. It was sorted however, it’s not great when you have a gluten allergy. Not sure if I’d visit again

In the former West Bridgford branch of the Royal British Legion this refurbished building still retains traces of its former occupancy with photographs, plaques and memorabilia in this spacious, busy and vibrant pub. The bar staff are friendly and eager to serve the choice of drinks is extensive and a good selection whether you drink alcohol or non-alcoholic. Core Draught Ales and Cask Ales brewed by the local Castle Rock brewery who own and run the pub are favourites with some of the leading bottled beers and ciders in the country served as well as the award winners from Castle Rock and a varied and large selection of soft drinks in bottles and on tap. Food is served here and they have a separate dining area as well as space in the main bar room for diners, but on this busy evening (England v France World Cup Quarter Finals) the dining room was relatively quiet but the bar was full to bursting. As a party of 8 we were surprised to find there were no other diners. We had booked relatively easily for the Festive Christmas dinner menu at £24 for 3 courses and with it being a Saturday night we expected it to be busier than it actually was. The wait staff were excellent bringing each course promptly with enough time for us to eat and chatter before the next course arrived. We were not asked every five minutes "is everything is Okay?" which drives me potty especially when you have a mouth full of food and struggle to answer. We were allowed to just enjoy ourselves with someone discretely watching in case we needed anything. What was a surprise though was the dining area had a sign on it advising of a private function and the room was not in use although other diners did appear later in the evening. The food was hot and plentiful with a varied menu suitable for everyone included vegan, vegetarian and gluten intolerant. The starters were huge and could quite easily be served as a main dish themselves or a sharing dish. I only saw a few of the starters but each and every one was appetising. The prawn salad was clearly enough for two as a sharing starter as was the goats cheese salad with its whole goats cheese truckle, the blue cheese butternut squash and onion tartlet was around 4.5 inches diameter and much bigger than expected. The main courses were even bigger. The turkey roulade was the size of a man’s fist with curls of crispy parsnip crisps and roast potatoes and looked so delicious I wish I had chosen that. Then the beef balanced on the horseradish mash looked pretty and I decided I should have ordered that but I ordered the confit duck with dauphinoise potatoes and spiced red cabbage and was glad I had chosen that. The meat flaked away from the bone and the gravy was so thick and rich I wanted more. The mushroom tartlet took up the majority of the plate and so crispy you could hear the crunch as my friend cut into it, this too had baby roast potatoes. There was a lentil loaf and fish available but none of us chose those dishes. Each main was accompanied with a dish the size of a dinner plate of vegetables, brussels, cabbage, green beans, broccoli and carrots and despite us all having plenty of veg there was still a lot returned. Dessert time was cheese cake, sticky toffee pudding, Christmas Loaf and mince pie sundae served with custard or cream or cheese and biscuits with a nice choice of crackers and two big slabs of cheese. Again these desserts were massive but by the time we got around to them dessert we were already full to bursting with such good food. All in all we had an excellent evening and a lot of good food and drink. Should I be asked if I recommend Poppy and Pint I would shout out a definite YES. Easy to reach from the major transport facilities with Trent Barton and NCT buses on Davis Road or NCT 11 on Trent Boulevard both 5 mins walk away. There is a car park outside and only 10 minutes from Trent Bridge.