There are few things in life my dad enjoys more than good, wholesome British pub food. So on Father's Day, of course I had to treat him to just that.
Excellent freshly prepared pub food was the aim, and Old Royal Ship in Luckington was the game.
This fantastic, family run pub in the middle of the beautiful Cotswold countryside has parking at both the front and back of the pub, and more than ample seating inside and out. In the gorgeous summer weather, we opted for a table in the beer garden – under an umbrella because being British, the unexpected sun was far too much for us to handle.
Being a free house, Old Royal Ship has a fantastic range of local beers and ales, as well as a fully stocked bar with lovely, friendly bar staff.
Perusing the menu, we all immediately spotted at least three things that we wanted, and were therefore sat deliberating for at least 25 minutes, over two rounds of drinks, (yep, we’re those annoying people) before deciding on what we actually wanted.
Normally, I find it hard to find good vegetarian meals when we go to pubs as they tend to cater for towards the meat eaters in the community – but this isn't the case at Old Royal Ship. Their main menu, and specials board, has plenty of brilliant options for everyone, vegetarian or not –and if you have any special dietary requirements, you can just let them know and they will be happy to cater to your needs!
Not quite feeling the 28 degree heat, I opted for a cold option on the menu – Brie and onion marmalade in a granary baguette with a side salad (and a massive portion of chips… You can't eat healthily all the time!) Needless to say, it went down a treat.
The other members of my party were equally as impressed with their lunch; two 8oz cheese burgers with home cooked chips and “chip shop” curry sauce, beer battered halloumi with a bowl of cheesy chips and a Wiltshire ham and salad white baguette. Rest assured, there were empty plates and full stomachs all round.
But of course, for those of us who can handle eating in this obscene heat, no lunch is complete without a pudding. Two enormous slices of banoffee pie with ice cream and a mouthwatering slice of pecan pie were all that was needed (along with another round of drinks) to complete the day.
Old Royal Ship is an excellent place for the whole family to stop of for lunch or dinner - there's a lovely little play area for children with a climbing frame and slide - and whilst they aren't allowed inside the pub, dogs are more than welcome in the beer garden.
All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better place to take my dad for Father's Day. Here's to hoping that when Daughter’s Day becomes more widely acknowledged, he'll be paying for my meal.
