Altrincham Duck

We visited the Stamford Pub, Bowdon one Sunday to celebrate a family birthday having been recommended the food on the basis of the Yorkshire puddings alone - they did not disappoint.

There were five adults, a 4 year old and a toddler at our lunchtime meal. This kids were welcomed with open arms, and our waitress, the wonderful Nicola, was so good with them – letting them choose cutlery, talking to them about what they were going to choose to eat and generally being engaging which is perfect when you have kids to entertain in an adult space. The only comment I’d make is that it would have been good to have an activity like colouring for them to do.

As we had the kids with us we ordered their food at the same time as we asked for drinks. The speed of service was superb and the kids were eating well by the time our starters arrived, and moved onto ice cream part way through our mains. Perfect. The quality of food that the kids ate was great too, they were no poor relation compared to the adults – fish and chips, and spaghetti Bolognese were demolished by them both.

We adults had starters – salmon fishcakes with hollandaise sauce and a poached egg, Welsh rarebit and Crispy squid. The presentation of these set the tone for the entire meal and the taste matched expectations. Not a morsel was left!

Then, came the main event – roast dinners all round, beef and lamb. We were asked how we wanted our beef serving, and unlike in many restaurants the question wasn’t just ‘window dressing’, the beef each of us received was cooked to our request and was melt in your mouth. The lamb was pretty good too! Each roast was accompanied by a menagerie of delicious vegetables. And, of course there was THE Yorkshire Puddings – amazing, massive and scrumdiddlyumptious. “The best gravy I’ve ever tasted” according to one of our group topped it all off. This, quite simply, was the best roast dinner that we’ve found in the Altrincham area, and beyond.

It was £17 for two courses which we thought was very good value, none of us could even think about a pudding, we were stuffed. The drinks however, were pricey and this bumped up our bill a fair bit.

So far we’ve talked about the food, which was exceptional, but also we should mention the atmosphere and the surroundings. The Stamford is a bright, airy, attractive and tastefully decorated pub. The main dining area houses the open plan kitchen from which tantalising aromas float by. You get a real feel of the buzz in the kitchen and the extraordinary organisation needed. All staff were welcoming, approachable and efficient.

We will certainly be returning. 

• Please note that our visit was incognito, we did not receive any incentive whatsoever to write this review. Altrincham Duck is run by volunteers and is designed to promote businesses and events in the area. Any promotion you see on our sites has never been paid for.

Visit the Stamford pub website HERE

And on twitter HERE