We venture out for walks in Lincolnshire visiting the local pubs for a well earned rest. On one of our walks we came across The Black Horse at Old Bolingbrooke. It is a great little pub.
First to get to Old Bolingbrooke you need to travel along the A.16 from Boston towards Keal Hill and Spilsby and turn off just before the hill towards Mavis Enderby. Some great names for this part of the country the, Lincolnshire Wolds. The area also had a great number of Air Force bases during the 2nd World War, due to the flatness and you can still see where the runways used to be if you look.
The Black Horse is in the centre of the village, and when we visited the air smelt of coal fires, something I have not smelt for years and took me straight back to my childhood.
You enter the pub by the door on the front of the building and the dining room is off to the left, and the bar off to the right. Neither are very big, but the welcome is very warm and friendly, always a plus.
We went on a Sunday and the menu is changed according to the vegetables that are available at any particular time of the year.
The choices for starters are as follows: Homemade Mushroom Soup Crayfish tails cocktail Homemade Pate Melon
Mains Fresh Lemon Sole Roast, Beef and trimmings Chilli Vegetarian option
Puddings Cheese Board, Brie, Stilton, Smoked and Lincolnshire Poacher. Home made Chocolate Mouse Home made Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble Home made Almond Tart All served with custard, home made, cream, ice cream
5 of us at the table and all agreed that you could not fault any of it.
We had been in the bar for a drink first before lunch and they have a changing assortment of real ales to choose from, all very well kept.
We booked in whilst there for the Fish and Chip night, most Friday's and the fish, Haddock is fetched from Grimsby on the day and cooked that evening.
To say it was great is not fitting, it was absolutely fabulous. Jeannie takes the orders and Nigel cooks, but the haddock is cooked in batches of 4, so it is always just cooked. The chips are proper chips and mushy peas.
The cost of this was £6-50 per head and well worth it.
They also had a beer festival on with an array of beers to sample at £2-00 a pint.
After our meal we went into the bar and Nigel came and brought us some cheese to sample with our beer. We had Smoked Lincolnshire Poacher, Vintage Poacher, Brie De Meaux and locally pickled shallots. All of which went down very well after the fish and chips and with the beer couldn't be faulted.
If you are out and about during the summer months and in Lincolnshire, make you way to Old Bolingbrooke, visit the castle ruins and most of all stay for a meal in The Black Horse.
