The Griffin Inn, Swithland

Places like the Griffin Inn Swithland are the sorts of places I particularly missed in the depths of lockdown. Now things have eased slightly, I was able to return for lunch. But, not having a car really restricted what we were able to do when the whole country was closed down. The Griffin continued to do takeaways pretty much the whole time. I spent far too long enviously scrolling through their Facebook timeline. It made me weep to see pictures of the hearty Sunday dinners people who lived nearby were able to enjoy at home.

I loved being able to take Bam Bam for a walk in Bradgate Park to see deer for the first time. Finishing it off with some scran and a pint at the Griffin is now something I’m deeply grateful for. At least the Coronavirus pandemic really has helped us all to appreciate the small pleasures and not take our freedoms for granted quite as much as we once did… Although seeing people being vile about migrants on Twitter today, perhaps I’m being a little optimistic.

Seafood and eat it

If you haven’t visited The Griffin Inn, then I can wholeheartedly recommend this rural Everards pub. Every time I visit it seems to get smarter. Somehow it also gets more picturesque and more chocolate box-like all at the same time too. With a refreshing pint of Everards Golden Ale, we enjoyed crisp and sweet scampi. Plus a humongous pot of meltingly tender mussels in a cream and white wine sauce with plenty of lemon. Relatively simple fare but absolutely nailed in terms of quality.

Social distancing and hygiene practices are excellent too. There is a good, clear one way system and single use menus for example. Drinks orders are bussed out to tables to prevent guests congregating. An absolute pleasure to introduce Bam Bam to the place for the first time.

The Griffin Inn did not know I was going to write about my visit and we paid for our meal in full.