Farmers Arms

Went here before Christmas for Saturday lunch on the suggestion of my vegan dining companion. She hadn’t been here before and may have picked up this claim on their website: «The local vegetarians and vegans, who regularly eat in both the Bar and Southwell’s Restaurant, say we have the best selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes in the area.» As a vegetarian myself, and having cycled past the Farmers Arms on many occasions, it seemed worth a go.
We ate in the bar, but from a passing glance on the way in the restaurant looks very luxurious by any standards, let alone for a pub restaurant in these parts! The bar does the English pub ambience reasonably well, with a warm glow from the woodburning stove. Staff were friendly and welcoming throughout our visit.
We both ordered some sort of curry from the six or so choices on the vegan/​vegetarian menu. While my overall experience of Farmers Arms was OK, the food was definitely sub-​standard. The curry itself, both my companion and I thought had a strange after-​taste. I suggested at the time that this might come from some indian vegetable or herb, but it dawned on us later that a green potato was a likelier explanation. Which doesn’t really surprise me, as the veg was a hodge-​podge of roughly cut baby potatoes, julienne carrots, uncaramelised onions and nothing else outstanding. The curry sauce was thin and unappetising — even a scoop of a Patak’s jarred curry sauce would have been a big improvement. Poppadom on top (OK) and by far the highlight of the meal was the food service chips served as part of my friend’s half rice/​half chips. Coffee after the meal for the lady was «bog standard» in her words.
En route, we had passed from Fir Tree Farm Christmas Market into the farm shop and café itself. There don’t seem to be menus on the tables these days at Fir Tree, only a short, daily changing blackboard menu. If it were all about a safe bet for wholesome sustenance, a bowl of soup at Fir Tree would wins hands down every time. But one needs to take a chance, and here is hoping that the next throw of the dice turns out a bit luckier!
It wouldn’t surprise me to read a good review of vegetarian food served especially from the restaurant at Farmers Arms. But I feel it somebody else’s job to take a chance on that one!