The Pastures Lodge is a family pub/restaurant that my family and I have been visiting on a regular basis for a fair few years. Its situated on Pastures Road, Mexborough which is a few miles outside of Doncaster. We live quite near to the centre of Doncaster and it takes us about 15 minutes by car to get to the Pastures. The Pastures is owned by Paul Shane of Hi-De-Hi fame and occasionally he can be spotted propping up the bar.

The main reason we visit the Pastures is for a family meal out at a place where the children can let off some steam. The Pastures has an indoor play area and a smaller outdoor play area. The indoor play area is separate from the rest of the pub with its own seating area. The outside play area has lots of outdoor seating around and is great for the summer.

The majority of the pub is the family dining area. There are lots of tables of various sizes as well as some booths to the sides. There is a section near the bar where children are not allowed for those who want a drink or meal in peace.

Pastures offers a variety of meals. They have a carvery which is its main attraction for a lot of people who eat there. They also have a decent menu of a reasonable price as well as specials on a daily basis. The childrens menu is 'Ali Bongos' which is also the name of the indoor play area. This menu is the usual childrens food - eg fish fingers, beefburgers etc. They do offer quite a lot of choice and all options are available with a choice of chips, smiley faces, or potato wedges and beans, peas, spaghetti hoops or salad so the kids never bore of the options available. The most expensive choice costs £4.50. Children can of course choose from the main menu or have the carvery.

I have had a carvery in the past, but this is not something I tend to go for on a regular basis. But I have eaten at the Pastures many times and have always enjoyed the food. I quite often choose an item from the daily specials for a bit of variety. The main menu has over 20 choices of starter ranging from £2.95 - £7.50. There are over 45 choices for the main course, prices ranging from £6.25 - £16.95. Starting from £3.50 there are also a selection of hot and cold sandwiches, paninis, salads, burgers and jacket potatoes.

The Pastures do offer a good choice of desserts, some on the menu and some specials. I do recall a dessert trolley being rolled about in the past, but I can't say I've seen this for a while so maybe it went out with health and safety guidelines. Who knows! They still have plenty to choose from.

The restaurant does get quite busy and if you are going on a Sunday it is advisable to phone and book a table. You are never sent away, but we have had to wait for up to an hour for a table to become vacant. There is a server who greets you when you enter the restaurant, takes your name and gives an indication of how long the wait might be. If you advise that you will be waiting in either the indoor play area or outside they will note this down and shout when your table is ready. However there have been many other times when we have walked in and been seated immediately.

When you are eating at Pastures you need to note your table number and then order you food at the food order point on the bar. There can be quite a queue here at busy times. Food is then brought to your table. I have never had cause to complain about the service I have received from either the bar staff or the waiting staff. There is sometimes quite a wait for food but you are usually advised of this when you order.

Meals from the main menu are served between 11.45am - 9.30pm Mon to Sat and 11.45am - 9.00pm Sun. The Carvery is open Mon to Fri 11:45am - 2pm Sun 11:45am - 6.30pm.

The indoor play area is sectioned off from the rest of the building and no drinks are allowed in glasses in this area. Kids have to take there shoes off and there is an area of padded climbing and slides. There is also a smaller section for babies and toddlers. Aswell as the play there are arcade games and an air hockey table. There is supposed to be a £2 charge for playing in this area but I have never had to pay this once for my children, no-one ever approaches for payment or question whether we are eating in the restaurant. I this area you can also arrange to hold a childrens party which includes food and play. The price for this is £7.50 per child. I have never been to a party here or seen one taking place so cannot comment on how these work. Full details are available on the website.

The outdoor play area is aimed more at slightly older children. It is essentially a climbing frame with slides. Many of the ways up are quite challenging and very young children would struggle to get onto the frame to access the slides.

As well as the bar and restaurant they hold special events at the Pastures and there is usually a leaflet available with up and coming events. From what I have noted in the past these regularly feature comedians or tribute bands and have a set ticket price which includes food of some kind. They also cater for Weddings, Funerals and Christenings. They usually have special menus and evenings on the run up to
Christmas.

Next door to the Pastures Lodge is the Pastures Hotel so if you want to make a night of it there is accommodation near by. This is a Best Western hotel. In the same building as the hotel there is also Reeds Fine Dining if you are looking for an A-La-Carte menu. I believe that the 3 establishments work together to offer good deals on events.

There is a fairly large car park which is linked to all the buildings. It is often quite full but we have always been able to find a space no matter how busy the restaurant is.

There are toilet facilities available in both the main building and in Ali Bongos. These are usually quite clean and tidy.

Address and contact details:

Pastures Lodge,
Pastures Road,
Mexborough,
S64 0JJ

website: www.pastureslodge.co.uk

telephone: 01709 579599
fax: 01709 578756
email: info@pastureshotel.co.uk