Dinner at The Three Horseshoes, Leek

Dinner at The Three Horseshoes, on the edge of the Staffordshire Peak District, is a regular treat for me.

Follow me on social media and you’ll often see their excellent cooking popping up.

But, after another great experience, I thought this country inn with its emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients deserved a full blog piece all to itself.

The Three Horseshoes Country Inn sits in the magnificent landscape of the Staffordshire Moorlands, just a few miles from the market town of Leek.

Given its setting and facilities (as well as the pub and restaurant there’s rooms and a spa too), it’s unsurprising that The Three Horseshoes is also a popular wedding venue and holiday spot.

I’m lucky enough to live just a fifteen-minute drive away so am something of a regular. And when Enjoy Staffordshire asked me to write about my top 10 Staffordshire restaurants, of course I had to include it.

But my last full review of the place was nearly three years ago now.

So, after my latest knockout dinner at The Three Horseshoes, I thought it was time I celebrated this great spot once again.

LAST MINUTE DECISION

I hadn’t planned to have dinner at The Three Horseshoes last Saturday night.

Partner ID and I had a long-standing booking at a very well-regarded gastropub up in the High Peak. But with snow forecast here in the Moorlands and up there, we decided we’d better not chance getting stuck. Not least due to the thought of our dog, home alone, waiting for us.

So, where to go that wasn’t very far but where we were pretty much guaranteed to have a great meal?

The Three Horseshoes of course. Luckily, they could fit us in at relatively short notice.

PUB CLASSIC OR MODERN BRITISH?

One of the things I love about this place is that whether you’re after pub classics or modern British dining you’ll find lots to take your fancy.

Here’s a couple of seafood dishes that should demonstrate the point.

First off, from my last full review, we have a memorable, delicate smoked haddock casserole.

Flecks of leek, cubes of just-cooked potato. Light golden haddock and egg peeping out from a foamy, snow-white broth, decorated with white pansies and snipped chives. Beautiful.

Compare that with the plate on a more recent visit, spurred by my overwhelming urge for fish and chips accompanied by beer.

As you can no doubt see, the HUGE fish in light, crispy batter, and triple cooked chips more than met my requirements!

Completely different types of dishes, but both utterly satisfying.

Oh, and The Three Horseshoes is also just about the only place I eat from a carvery. It’s absolutely cracking on a Sunday lunchtime.

And I mustn’t forget steak night either. Two steaks and a free bottle of house wine for just £33.

SATURDAY NIGHT DINNER AT THE THREE HORSESHOES

But last Saturday night, I was in the mood for something a little more detailed.

A little further in the direction of fine dining.

It’s worth noting that prices are very reasonable whatever you eat though.

Starters on the current menu, which runs until 20 January, range from £5.95 to £7.25. Mains are £13.95 to £22.95.

There’s also a children’s menu and, at the time of writing, a set price Christmas menu.

CRISPY PORK

To start, I chose Crispy Spiced Pork Belly Salad (£7.25, or £13.50 as a main course).

As you can probably see from my snap, even if you’re not having a classic pub starter like pâté or prawn cocktail, you won’t be going home hungry after dinner at The Three Horseshoes.

I had a very generous heap of crispy pork in my bowl. This sat atop plenty of slippery egg noodles and baby salad leaves.

The dish was subtly flavoured with soy sauce and mild chilli heat.

Further crispy and crunchy elements came in the form of puffed rice and sesame seeds.

For his starter, ID enjoyed the smooth Roasted Cauliflower & Smoked Applewood Soup (£5.95). It came with a generous hunk of good bread.

STAFFORDSHIRE LAMB

If, for brunch that day, I hadn’t eaten a bap of pulled beef brisket from Mill Street Kitchen, I’d probably have chosen the Braised Longhorn Ox Cheek (£19.95) for my main. ID did and loved it.

Instead, I went for Chargrilled Staffordshire Lamb Cutlet (£22.95).

This was a hugely appetizing looking (and aroma-filled) plate of food.

There were three neatly trimmed cutlets. All had good charring on the meat and fat which brought out their full flavour without overcooking. Small cuts had been made along the fat to stop it curling and ensure it came into proper contact with the grill.

We produce fantastic lamb here in Staffordshire and this was a great example. Robustly flavoured, beautifully tender.

Fine dining or not, I eventually put knife and fork down, picked up the bones and nibbled off every morsel.

Nothing else on the plate could be faulted either.

Particularly delightful was the lamb neck potato croquette. A crispy ball with a soft interior of meaty-potato goodness.

As someone with an almost superhuman capacity for eating potatoes (proven by my expanding girth), I was pleased that the croquette sat on a little pile of mash.

This was smooth, intensely and wonderfully potatoey. I wondered if it was made with baked potato. However they did it, please keep doing it!

The vegetable accompaniments were perfectly cooked. Tender, baby parsnips. The curly kale, often too chewy or damply overcooked, was soft and lovely. The baby leeks, with a surprisingly smoky edge, had presumably also been shown the grill.

Bringing all of that together was a jug of glossy, rich gravy, a dab of beetroot sauce and a sprinkle of beetroot powder.

In short, a thoroughly satisfying dish with lots of interest and unexpected touches.

Exactly what I’d gone there for.

DESSERT

There were five choices of dessert (£6.75 – £6.95) plus a British cheese selection (£8.95) or scoops of Dalton’s impeccable local ice cream (£3.50-£4.65).

ID enjoyed the rich Chocolate & Orange Frangipane Tart (£6.95) which came with a wonderful Grand Marnier sorbet.

I went for the Cinnamon Poached Plum Clafoutis (£6.95).

Getting off to a stupid start, I thought, ‘I wonder if that pan is hot?’ I touched it to find out. It was.

But my smarting fingertip was soon out of mind as I started eating this lovely pud.

Clafoutis is a classic French dessert of a baked batter most often containing cherries.

But here we had pieces of soft plum flavoured with cinnamon.

Dotted about were dabs of richly flavoured plum and cinnamon sauce.

I thought this was a lovely take and perfect for a stormy winter evening.

The batter was very light. Eggier and souffle-like rather than a Yorkshire pudding-like batter. I liked it very much.

As I ate, the generous scoop of velvety plum ripple ice cream that sat on top began to melt, providing a lovely contrasting coolness to the warmth.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I love new food experiences and new places to eat just as much as the next food writer.

But for me, it’s also important to have some regular favourites. Ideally not too far from home and where I’m pretty much guaranteed to eat well at a reasonable price.

And dinner at The Three Horseshoes is one such favourite.

Whether I want classic pub food done to a high standard, or something a little more imaginative, I’m never disappointed here.

Highly recommended.