Review: Red Lion at Madley's roast deserves top spot

The pub was recently reopened by a local farming family, in hope of restoring the site to its former glory. Joanna Cobb and her family embarked on their mission to save the Red Lion pub in Madley from wreck and ruin in the early months of 2024, and welcomed customers back last month.

Before we'd even arrived, we'd sufficiently scoured the menu for a few ideas of what we might have- it's safe to say this made us even more ravenous.

The pubs new menu offers a scrumptious roast, which allows guests to have their pick between a roasted rump of Herefordshire dry aged beef, roast turkey, confit shoulder of Raglan lamb, or for those wanting a veggie option, sweet potato, spinach and lentil pithivier pie.

We were immediately greeted by the charming exterior of the country pub, with a thriving beer garden at the back, it was no surprise to us why the pub was so popular.

The pub's dining room had clearly been lovingly restored, with oak beams and a wood burner, what's not to love? (Image: Julia Baker)

We were quickly whisked away to a quaint dining room, where we were promptly seated, and immediately began to relax.

The charming décor of the pub added to the traditional country feel, with wooden beams and a log burner within our view, it felt like a sizeable meal was most certainly in order.

Both of us were starving, so we decided to skip starters and head straight to the main event- the roast. However, we were rather envious of guests opposite us who had gone for a rather appetizing sharing platter.

 I quickly settled on the roasted rump of Herefordshire dry aged beef, which was to be served with a Yorkshire pudding- which immediately caught my eye!

My boyfriend, Conlan, decided to try out the confit shoulder of Raglan lamb. We were desperate to tuck in, as our roasts were also to be served with a platter of sides, which included cauliflower cheese, seasonal greens, and pan gravy.

Both our roasts, which also included crispy golden roast potatoes and roasted root vegetables, were reasonably priced, mine was £18.50, and Conlan's was £19.50.

We both settled for a simple drink of Pepsi, as we would be driving home soon after. However, we noted the pub had many interesting ciders and beers on offer that we would have happily trialled any other time!

The portion's were certainly not small, and were beautifully presented. (Image: Julia Baker)

As soon as our roasts arrived- we were immediately impressed. Although we were expecting a platter of side accompaniments, we didn’t expect the portions to be so well-sized! We certainly felt like we had got our moneys worth before even picking up our cutlery!

Both the local Herefordshire beef and the Raglan Lamb were extremely tender and juicy, and cooked to absolute perfection.

The giant Yorkshire pudding was definitely welcomed on the plate! (Image: Julia Baker)

The gravy, which neither of us were short of considering the extra portion provided on the platter, was clearly fresh and well-seasoned- pairing beautifully with meats.

The platter was filled with warming cauliflower cheese and succulent vegetables. (Image: Julia Baker)

Both the cauliflower cheese and the extra sides of braised and roasted vegetables were very welcomed, with both of us piling considerable amounts onto our plates- until we simply couldn’t manage anymore!

We both thoroughly enjoyed the meal, which didn’t take long to complete! The atmosphere was incredibly relaxed, which certainly helped when we were feeling full after!

If you're craving a local roast, the Red Lion is the place to go. (Image: Conlan Beech)

I would thoroughly recommend the roast to anyone who's looking for a Sunday meal, if you want good sized portions, mixed with well seasoned local meats, and a scenic adventure to the village- you should most definitely make the Red Lion your next spot.