So last Monday night we ate out at The Oyster Catcher pub in Polzeath, Cornwall. It’s a St Austell Brewery pub in a stunning cliff top location in North Cornwall. To be honest it was our choice simply because it was incredibly convenient to where we were staying. The menu is basic pub fare with an emphasis on burgers – I guess that’s what surfers like to eat after a day catching waves.
Since The Oyster Catcher is a standard UK pub the veggie options were limited. Either a blue cheese, walnut and pear salad or a butter bean and chickpea burger. I opted for the burger which was tasty enough but suffered from the pub tendency of serving portions that are far too big.
The kids menu is short and consists of exactly what you would expect. However, it was the staff’s treatment of us, as a family with allergies, that really stands out. The barman was lovely and took all our concerns seriously, getting back up from the chef at every opportunity. Little S was very happy with her (safe) freshly battered fish, chips and peas (classic British seaside fare after all!). Big S was rather disappointed that she couldn’t have a burger or chicken goujons, but relented to having fish too. The barman must have noticed Big S’s disappointment and came back a few minutes later with the offer that the chef could batter the chicken instead of using breadcrumbs to make if safe for us – how nice is that? The food wasn’t amazing but both girls loved having supper out in a pub, and we felt comfortable and relaxed thanks to the the staff’s sympathetic treatment of us.
So all in all a successful family meal out for all of us.
Also, it’s worth pointing out that should you be on holiday in Polzeath with a dairy allergy, the small local Spar sells Provamel soya puddings, yogurts and ‘milks’ – a godsend if you’re holidaying in the area.
