The Spread Eagle, Gailey
A return after some years to one of your old haunts is usually a pleasant surprise and going back to the Spread Eagle pub in Gailey after 15-odd years away, was no different.
The last time I ate there, it was all prawn cocktails, mixed grills and banoffee pies. It was dark wood everywhere inside and there was a hideous raised floor eating area.
Now it's all open plan, tastefully kitted out and bright and airy as befitting any modern family eaterie - not to mention its vast playing area, and beer garden, allowing revellers to bask in the sunshine.
For main courses there was a huge variety of choice and I opted for a 10oz gammon steak served with both a fried egg and pineapple slice. When it arrived there was a side plate of salad which for £7.55 seemed very reasonable indeed.
Other main course choices were coconut chilli chicken and lemon chicken pasta, which went down well. Son Danny was excited to tuck into his garlic bread, which he enjoyed as a starter while the rest of us shared loaded potato skins.
However, the wait was a little on the long side, but we arrived just before the pre-6pm rush.
There were some complementary nachos with dips on offer - but he soon got through them, being a growing lad.
Then, just in the nick of time, his chicken nuggets meal arrived - and was easily enough for a grown-up, let alone a two-and-three-quarter year old.
Service was efficient and courteous and there was a real atmosphere of laid-backness about the whole affair.
And at a shade over £30, which included a round of drinks, it was a fair price for pretty decent food.
Perhaps the only minor gripe we had was when we arrived we went straight to the garden for Danny to play on the swings and alike, before I went off to get the drinks in.
But I had to traipse the full width and length of the fenced-off outside drinking area, in order to gain access on the opposite side of the large pub.
I'm sure there used to be better access available into and out of the pub at the back - if it's a decision made on the proviso of there being warm weather, well, it's now here with a vengeance, in case you hadn't noticed!
ADDRESS
The Spread Eagle, Watling Street, Gailey
Tel: 01902 711300
By Graeme Andrew
