It’s Sunday lunchtime. There’s nothing in the fridge and you decide to head off and find a pub for lunch. As long as it’s not Mothers’ Day you’ve got a chance or have you? But you head off hopefully without any specific plan just looking for the perfect pub.
Chances are the first one you fancy the look of doesn’t do food and the next one’s full. You drive on and at maybe half past one you decide to take the next one that comes. This looks good, it does food and it’s not full but the landlord tells you you’re too late. Do you recognize the experience?
However last Sunday when I headed off with my daughter for lunch I did have a bit of a plan. I know where I was heading, I knew it did good food and I wasn’t going to be too late. Just fingers crossed that it wouldn’t be full. Bingo … success.
The Three Pickerels in Mepal is an object lesson in how to survive as a pub. It’s not in the centre of the village and since the building of what looks like the March by-pass it’s not even on a major road. It can’t get any passing trade and you really have to hunt to find it. However it’s signposted well, it does food and it also offers bed and breakfast. There’s clearly been recent investment with a deck overlooking the river and a spanking new coffee machine.
The food is good pub food if not exactly gastro-pub standard. I had lamb shank which fell off the bone whilst daughter had a lasagna. She’s been brought up to be critical but pronounced it just fine. The menu is ‘typical’ with most of the pub favourites but it might benefit to being shorter. And of course when we were there there was a Xmas set meal on offer. We skipped desert and went straight to coffee and were delighted by the sight of a new Jura coffee maker which delivered excellent espresso.
We stayed around until well after 3 and were pleased to see that as more people came in, it seems to be on the walking route, they were still taking orders and serving meals. Splendid commerce!
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