We Be Gammon'

Oh Gawd, I am seriously slacking. It has been weeks since I put anything on the blog. I wouldn't want you all to think I'd somehow given up, quit, gone and left you for some other blog somewhere, it's just been a combination of factors - a deadly combination at that, of too much other stuff to fill my head, too many distractions (damn you Angry Birds!) and a serious case of can't-be-arsed.


So let's start off the New Year with a food review shall we?

Now, I've been to the White Lion a good few times since the blog's inception and made mention of it often. However, I am gonna do it again simply because I went there the other day and despite the 2 for £10 menu being conspicuous by its absence, we hooved heartily on some fine noms and it didn't break the bank.

This was on the 30th December and people were there in force, still having big get-togethers that they hadn't managed to squeeze into the rest of 2011, so the place was busy. We didn't have any trouble getting a table though, and so we perused our fine choices.

Now I am not the sort of person that decides ahead of time what I am in the mood for - I just know when I want to eat. I know some people will choose an eaterie purely based on what they feel like eating, but I cannot narrow it down like that. I'm wide open when it comes to making a dining choice. Wherever I go to eat, I look at the menu and can narrow it down to at least three or four options before the wait-person turns to me and gives me that look that says, "Whattya want mister?". The challenge then is to make a snap decision and not make them wait forever. Luckily, though, I had made my drink decision early, and ordered a pint of Redbreast Ale.

Laura had decided on a burger, but not just any burger. The Lion does two burgers - the Classic, which even though it's just a basic burger is no slouch - it's always frickin' huge for a start - and The Works, which has everything on it, including bacon and mature Cheddar, and comes with a side salad, chips, onion rings and onion relish. Massive, and she struggled with it a bit.

Myself, I had narrowed it down to three items and blindly picked one, which was a good move - the 10oz Horseshoe Gammon Steak, which comes with chips, a fried egg and a slice of roasted fresh pineapple. Now personally I like the pineapple, but I know some people loathe it. I am also aware, having lived in the States for a considerable number of years, that Americans may be scratching their heads and saying - "What is Gammon Steak?"

I know you can't see the chips, but trust me, there's a huge mound underneath that big slab of Gammon.

Well, as you might have guessed, the word Gammon comes from the old Northern French word  jambe, meaning leg, referring to the hind leg of the pig. That's right, we're talking ham here. Gammon steak is a thick cut slice of whole ham, which in this case was grilled (to perfection, I might add) and laid on top of a big mound of fries (beautifully cooked also). The fried egg was just heavenly, not too done, nice runny yolk, and the roasting of the pineapple brought out the sweetness just nicely.

Now I know the Lion is in the habit of changing its menu quite often, but this baby is usually a mainstay. Unsurprisingly.

A definite four and three-quarter yums out of a possible 5!