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The Cleave Inn at Lustleigh food Review
The Cleave Inn at Lustleigh. March 1st 2009 Telephone 01647 277223
I get the feeling that the family who have taken over The cleave Inn at Lustleigh are committed to making it work well.
For one thing, there's a lively website in place of the old tired one, and when my husband Rob rang to make a table booking, the man who dealt with him ended the conversation with 'We're looking forward to seeing you' in such an agreeable manner that Rob thought of mentioning it to me.... Regulars to my website might remember that we did
visit The Cleave last year in August, with the express intention of reviewing the place, but as it was just
about to change hands, I felt it a little unfair to pass comment. Mind you we had thoroughly enjoyed our meal on
that day, but as a great many people had passed mixed comments about the landlady, I had been keen to
make her acquaintance in order to judge for myself. As it was; on the day that we called in, she was nothing
but geniality itself. So.... as promised, on March the 1st this year, a wonderfully sunny morning and
Kenneth's 82nd birthday we set forth to road test the pub's Sunday Lunch.
My review reads like a cat and mouse game.... As you can see in the first picture, you are greeted by 2 giant biffa bins which completely ruin the chocolate box appeal of this beautiful Dartmoor village. BUT look over the hedge of the car
park and you will see that the front garden is sheltered and sunny and busy with customers... good. We are greeted quickly and made to feel welcome. Gladly we arrive just before a party of 8 walkers, and then a family of 4 and then
a couple and then more and more and more people come spilling through the door. I suspect that along with their own customers, they were feeding visitors who had turned up expecting the Primrose Cafe to be open (not until 4th April following a re-fit), as well as all the walkers and day trippers who came out to enjoy the gorgeous sunshine. The place soon filled up, but that did not change the attitude of the waiting staff one jot. I have rarely met with such smiling countenances from bar staff. Each one of them eager to please. Nothing too much trouble. Great. 10/10 for the staff...
Now on to the food. The starters were fine; Kenneth, as you see opted for soup of the day, and declared it good. June, Rob and I all took the chicken liver pate and it too was good, although we had to ask for butter which came in seconds, despite the staff being run off their feet.. We all agreed that the flavour was great. For the main course we took what
the menu proudly proclaimed was Traditional Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding x1 and Roast Loin of Pork with Apple Compote x 3. I asked if June might be allowed a Yorkshire Pudding with her Pork and 'no problem' it arrived.
Vegetables also arrived in hot dishes. BUT and it's a BIG BUT....
What a disappointment the meat and roast potatoes were. Who in their right mind goes to the trouble of cooking roast potatoes to a crispy stage only to place them in the centre of a plate and cover them with wet meat and gravy?
Plus the pork had a spoonful of cooked apple to extra add to the sogginess of the roasties. Crazy. Why would
anyone do that ???? Why bother going to the trouble of roasting potatoes in the first place if you are going to put
them into the equivalent of a steamer for the time it takes to plate up and serve? If that wasn't enough, the meat was tough on both counts. My beef was chewy and the pork was dry and overcooked.
The vegetables were nothing to write home about either. Yes they were fresh and the cauliflower had not been ruined
by overcooking, but they were just vegetables cooked and presented. No flair whatsoever. I looked around to gauge
what other customers thought and yes, they too were having a hard time with the meat. We asked for and got, a doggie bag for almost all of June's pork. With 2 courses offered at £12.95 per head on the menu, the bill with one round of drinks came to £58.35. We decided not to add another £12 to it by taking the deserts. I would have been very cross
to spend £70 on a Sunday Lunch that had been such a disappointment. The redeeming factor was the friendly attitude
of the staff. The woman who had waited table for us was in the passage as we headed out. Full of smiles, she once more wished Kenneth a happy birthday. It wasn't her fault that the food had let her down.
Someone in the kitchen 'could do better'
"Hi, I'm Jill Pendleton, 
Extra care
What's 
5 day 