Red Lion, Plawsworth

2:21pm Friday 18th July 2008

IT is undoubtedly true that it is much easier to fool someone who doesn't know what they're doing.

Given that, one wonders why so many people are scared of talking to journalists. Nevertheless, the truism can certainly be applied to food. When a chef attempts a popular meal, they balance the pro of offering something which many people will buy with the con of the risk of getting it wrong.

Roast beef Sunday lunch is a high-stakes dish. Achieve and you will have satisfied many, reminding them of simpler days when mother did the cooking, boys scratched their knees and summers were never-ending. Fail and you will have infuriated many, reminding them of a present when dad burns the burgers, boys carry knives and summer never comes.

Breathe a sigh of relief here if you are the chef at the Red Lion.

Your roast beef was succulent and delicious. Your Yorkshire pudding was crisp without being flaky and filling without being stodgy. Your roast and mashed potatoes and four varieties of vegetable were similarly good. The entire dish would not have suffered for being a little warmer, but it was not cold.

He who dares wins. Your highstakes dark horse won the derby.

The Red Lion is a popular spot for Sunday lunch. Standing alone on the A167 northbound to Chester-le-Street, it boasts a large restaurant, a similarly large bar area which can also cater for dining guests and a pleasant beer garden.

The decor throughout plays up the image of a traditional country pub. My guest and I were seated next to a Victorian-style fireplace, complete with iron kettle and faded photograph of Great Uncle what's-his-name. Not far away was a wicker basket, surrounded by the thrashings of the harvest season.

As I was regarding my main course order of roast beef (£6.95), my partner and I in our choice of eaterie were adopting a go with what you know approach. We had frequented the Red Lion, and been impressed, some eight weeks earlier.

My only criticism previously had been our table location. Although one part of the restaurant area is well lit with large windows giving a conservatory feel, our corner was very dark.

On this occasion, things only got worse. We were guided through the sun-drenched section, past the wicker basket and to the furthest corner.

One might think lighting a minor quibble, but when one spends the working week in an office seeing only the ceiling, one wants to spend one's Sunday seeing the sky.

Sadly, the service was also a disappointment.

Our drinks were brought promptly but after that, a long hiatus.

If it had not been for my guest - always the more forceful in our relationship - asking a waitress if we could order, please, we may still have been waiting.

The order made, the food was again prompt. It was by then long past lunch time and both of us were ready for nourishment. But few - even those who had starved themselves specially - could have finished my guest's order of Penne al Arrabiata (£6.25). We tried to calculate the volume of pasta supplied, and failed. Suffice to say, it was huge.

But, quitting at about the halfway stage, my guest confirmed it of excellent standard.

For dessert, I chose the sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and ice cream, while my guest enjoyed the warm fudge brownie topped with rum and raisin ice cream and chocolate fudge sauce (all desserts are £4.25). Both were superb. So much so, we felt it necessary to sample each other's choice. The Hollies' hit He Ain't Heavy played overhead. After that lot, they certainly weren't singing about me.

With the bill including drinks totalling a little under £30, Sunday lunch at the Red Lion is perhaps not as cheap as at many pub-style destinations. But the quality is high, the portions large and the surroundings - if you avoid the darkened corners - homely. Just like mother used to make.

Eating Out