The Autumn Menu at the Brewers Fayre

We try and eat out as a family at least once every couple of months. It is a nice treat not to have to cook and lovely to sit down as a family and have a chance to chat. Recently we tried the Brewers Fayre at Dunelm Ridge for Sunday lunch and really enjoyed visiting. When Brewers Fayre invited us to come along and try their new Autumn menu we were happy to. This time we opted to try a Brewers Fayre which was much closer to home, The Stonebrook in Holystone.
We had never visited The Stonebrook before but found it easily; it is just off the main road situated next to a Premier Inn. There are plenty of parking spaces in the car park. We opted to visit on a Monday evening to take advantage of the Daytime Value offer. This runs from 12 – 6pm Monday to Friday and offers two starters for £2.50, two mains for just £10.99 and two desserts for £2.50. Another great touch is that the soft drinks are refillable which is great when you have a teenager. Overall the menu is great value and makes eating out as a family much more affordable.

Inside the Stonebrook was very modern with tables spaced well apart and the dining areas were separated into different sections. This was nice as it did not feel like you were being overlooked by other people who were also eating out. We were quickly shown to our seats and given the menu which showed the offers clearly as well as the range of other foods. We were spoiled for choice; there were plenty of different options to choose from.

Highlights of the Autumn menu are the Ultimate Sausage and Mash, with a larger Yorkshire pudding, Chicken and Ham Pie and four different curry options including Chicken Balti, Beef Rendang and Vegetable or Chicken Biriyani. We also noticed a new Family Sharer Dessert which looked lovely. Called the sharing fondue it has mini doughnuts, to chocolate brownies, strawberries, waffles and marshmallows served with a pot of chocolate fudge sauce and caramel sauce. We finally made our choices and ordered.

To start with we chose the Garlic and Parsley Breaded Mushrooms. We opted for two plates between the three of us which was more than sufficient. Garlic mushrooms are one of my favourite starters and these were lovely and crispy on the outside. They came with two dipping sauces, sour cream and barbeque. I personally prefer the sour cream but both were nice. Even my son, who is not a big mushroom fan, liked them and they soon disappeared.

The main courses arrived swiftly. My husband decided to try the Chicken and Ham Pie which came with chips, garden peas and gravy. He said it was really nice, although he would have preferred mash instead of chips.

I chose The South Western, which is a burger with a breaded chicken fillet and spicy mayo served with coleslaw and chips.

My son chose a pulled pork and refried bean burrito which he liked but said it was a little spicy. The pulled pork came with burrito sauce, refried beans, red onion, green peppers, rice, chilli and salsa mix and chipotle chilli sauce which explains why it was spicy. It did not stop him eating it all.

By now we were pleasantly full but my son managed to have a dessert as well. He chose an apple and berry crumble with ice cream which was pronounced delicious.

What I liked about the Stonebrook was the large beer garden outside. I can imagine on a summer’s day it would be lovely to sit outside in the sun with a drink and a meal.

Our meals with drinks came to less than £50 which is great value. There was plenty of choice so everyone in the family was happy and we were able to enjoy our meal without feeling rushed. The service was very good; we were able to order at the table rather than the bar. Our meals came quickly and we were asked if we needed another drink or anything else at frequent intervals. The service never felt intrusive, it was always timed just right.The Brewers Fayre is a good choice for a family meal and with Halloween and bonfires night coming up it would definitely be somewhere I would visit again.

We were given a voucher for our meal but I was not obliged to say anything nice and my opinions are my own.

Read more: Beefeater Spring Menu