November 09, 2004
Sunday Lunch London - The Old Dairy, Crouch Hill N4
Last Sunday, while cycling around being aghast at the price of property in London, the young lady and I found ourselves flying down Crouch Hill after working our way from Archway to Crouch End. We chose a route out of Crouch End of which we didn't know the destination.
So we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves at the end of Crouch Hill and at the top of Stroud Green Road, opposite the Old Dairy Pub. What with it being a Sunday and all that, we thought that fate had dealt us a good hand, and so we chose a comfortable sofa and ordered roast with our beers.
The Old Dairy pub really is an old dairy. It is a huge pub, with a number of different sections, including the main bar area, a front room type area which we guess is where the dairy shop was, and a tiled area round the back of the bar which leads to what seems to be a carpetted dining area. It is an exceptionally comfortable pub, with plenty of sofas, chairs and tables. The front room area gets lots of light from its large windows, the bar area offers big screen football action in a convivial atmosphere, and the back area feels darker and hidden. Something for everybody!
I can fully and definately recommend the Old Dairy for sunday lunch. At £7.50 it is a big dinner. It came after a reasonable amount of time (i.e. they had properly cooked it) and came with the offer of sauces needed - I chose mint to go with lamb. A large robust Yorkshire pudding had tasty gravy sitting within it. Green beans, roast and new potatoes, carrots, lots of meat, cauliflower. It was a big dinner and we had to sit for some time, supping our beers, until we could climb back on our bikes and wobble home.
The Young Lady writes:
I too was very impressed by the Old Dairy Sunday lunch, and I'd give it 9 out of 10 - the lack of full marks being simply due to a lack of mashed potato or cauliflower cheese - my personal faves - but everything present was delicious: perfectly cooked veg - a delightful rarity - and my choice of poussin was a welcome change from slices of dry chicken breast, and a surprise at the price of £7.50. I was too full to attempt a further course, but the steamed puddings arriving at neighbouring tables were eyed with envy before the main course arrived. All in all I would say this is one of the best Sunday lunches I've ever had in a London pub.