The Lazy Trout, Meerbrook
I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve eaten at The Lazy Trout in the village of Meerbook since moving to the Staffordshire Moorlands in 2013.
Whether it’s just for a pint from their fine collection of real ales, a quick lunch after walking the dog at nearby Tittesworth Water or a three course meal, we know we’re going to get top-notch food with great, friendly service. So it’s no surprise that we turn up pretty regularly at this charming country pub some three or four miles north of Leek, our nearest town.
Because we go there so often, I’m going to move away from my regular reviewing format of looking in detail at a particular meal, and instead give you an overview of some of the dishes we’ve enjoyed over the years.
consistently great food
Our first visit to The Lazy Trout was before we’d even moved to the Moorlands. We’d previously spent a lot of time in this superb walking country to the south-west of the Peak District, particularly around The Roaches, so had traveled up for day trips and weekends away on many occasions while living in Leicester.
It was the year before we moved here that we spent a lovely week’s winter holiday at nearby Blackshaw Grange and found our way to the warming fires and delicious food at The Lazy Trout. In fact, I’m pretty sure that on that first visit both my partner and I ate a dish we’ve had several times since – ham hock with proper chips and fried eggs – which is perfect after a bracing and chilly walk on the moors.
Chunky, salty and delicious ham hock still turns up regularly on the menu and for a quick lunch their generously filled ham hock and mustard sandwich on good quality malted grain bread, a side order of those fantastic chips and a pint from the excellent Wincle Beer Company (just over the border in Cheshire), is hard to beat.
Their steaks are a pretty good bet too and it’s in pub classics like these where you’ll see that The Lazy Trout is more than just a cut above the average. Instead of the usual accompaniments to steak of tomato, mushrooms and onion rings, here you might find confit tomato and a perfectly cooked mushroom topped with soft onions delicately cooked to bring out their natural sweetness.
But don’t go thinking it’s just hearty, warming food served up at The Lazy Trout. Equally good were a beautiful summertime salad of tomatoes with feta, rocket, olives and fennel oil and a memorable starter of whipped goats cheese on bruschetta with prosciutto ham, perfectly ripe figs, tomatoes and basil oil. Both dishes exhibited skillful combinations of texture and flavour.
Battered, deep-fried dishes, in the wrong hands, can turn out stodgy and unappetizing, but at The Lazy Trout a simple-sounding dish of halloumi in batter was unexpectedly good; the coating light and crispy and the accompanying tomato and chilli jam suitably lip-tinglingly spicy.
Sunday lunch
I’m not one for eating the traditional Sunday roast all that often, but at The Lazy Trout you know it will be good and so one Sunday lunchtime I couldn’t resist the menu item that read ‘Roasted Leg of Shropshire Breed Lamb (Troutsdale Farm, Blackshaw Moor), Yorkshire pudding, mashed and ‘dripping’ roast potatoes, root vegetables and greens. Thyme and red wine gravy.’ As I’d expected, this was a great lunch, and star of the show was the superb leg of lamb, expertly cooked of course, and which was tender, full of flavour and quite easily the best lamb I’ve tasted in a good while. The Lazy Trout proudly states that it’s passionate about local food and you couldn’t get much more local than that lamb, Troutsdale Farm being not much more than a pleasant stroll way from the pub.
The kitchen is no slouch when it comes to puddings either, but be aware that with portions usually on the rather generous side, by the time dessert comes around you might need to loosen your belt a little.
After that magnificent lamb, we enjoyed an apple and plum crumble with an oat and almond topping (lots of well-cooked but still firm and not-too-sweet fruit, plenty of crumble on top) and a beautifully-presented pear, perfectly poached in red wine syrup, flavoured with star anise and orange, served with honeycomb ice cream.
winning combination
The Lazy Trout has recently been extended but the original, cosy feel of a traditional pub has been maintained. There’s also outside seating at the front and a large rear beer garden with spectacular views of The Roaches and Hen Cloud, plus swings and play equipment for children too. Extremely dog-friendly, dogs are allowed almost everywhere in the pub except for one carpeted area.
Unsurprisingly, The Lazy Trout is extremely popular with locals and visitors alike, so it’s best to book ahead if you want to eat, especially at weekends.
No doubt we’ll continue to visit again and again and continue to enjoy The Lazy Trout‘s winning combination of traditional, friendly pub and great quality, imaginative food.
