Gamston Lock, Nottingham by Marston's Inns

The vegetarian pie was the letdown. Mine had butternut squash, spinach, pumpkin seeds and a few other vegetables, but mostly tasted of dry crumbs, pastry and oil. There was little seasoning or vegetable flavour, and hardly any protein beyond a few seeds. It needed gravy because it was so dry, but then the gravy took over the dish. The vegetarian gravy was surprisingly hearty and good, assuming it really was vegetarian. It’s frustrating that vegetarian food can still amount to pastry, breadcrumbs and a few vegetables instead of a balanced meal with flavour and protein. I suspect someone who ate vegetarian food regularly might have reconsidered this pie. There were good parts to our family birthday meal. The beef was described as delicious, tender and flaky, and the roast potatoes, vegetables, red cabbage and gravy were all good. The greens were cooked nicely, the cabbage had a pleasant vinegary tang, and the potatoes were soft and well done. It seems a decent spot for traditional pub and carvery food, especially for meat eaters, but the vegetarian main needs serious work. The rest of the meal showed the kitchen could do better. Our draught lemonade tasted unpleasantly chemical, though they replaced it without a fuss. Dessert was a mixed bag: one order was wrong at first but corrected, the sticky toffee pudding was fine, and the crumble was reportedly too sweet with too little topping. Paying was a bit awkward too, since we had to go to the bar instead of paying separately at the table.