Some questions that seem to crop up rather regularly…

Frequently asked Questions

Please feel free to keep asking- keep them easy- I’m not very bright.

Why don’t you cater for children?

We do, we just don’t make a huge song and dance about it! We are predominantly an adults pub but that’s not to say that well behaved children arent welcome.

What does that mean, exactly?

It means that younglings are supervised and not allowed to run riot around other people who maybe just maybe don’t really want to watch/listen to little Jimmy scream his face off! I’m not some kind of kid Nazi I just remember that if I misbehaved in a pub when I was a kid then I was clipped round the ear and stuffed in the car until it was home time and there was no shandy bass for me!

Is there a children’s menu?

No, but we do serve half portions of the majority or our dishes- anything that you can logically shrink like Ham, egg & chips or fishcakes is fine & theres also a few other bits and bobs that we can do – ask a member of staff, we don’t bite… At least this way you know that the kids are eating freshly cooked stuff rather than some twizzler tat!.

Why don’t you allow pushchairs or prams in the pub?

Firstly, It can be rather constrictive for customers and staff alike surrounded by several pushchairs, certainly from a service point of view and secondly I’m afraid this comes back to being an adult environment and I understand that in doing so we risk alienating a lot of people but hopefully people understand.

Do you have High chairs?

No we don’t supply high chairs but you are welcome to bring your own. Car seats are also fine.

Youre not very child friendly are you ?

We are, first and foremost a relaxed pub for adults that welcomes non screamy children that keep vagueley still. We arent a childrens pub that tolerates adults.

Why did you get rid of the climbing frame?

Because I felt it was a great shame to come over a 14^th century bridge and almost see a rather nice 17^thcentury building but instead see a childrens climbing frame. It blocked a beautiful view of the river and I felt it wasn’t really the image I wanted.

There you go – I knew you didn’t like children!

We are currently restoring an original Massey Ferguson tractor that will be put in at the bottom of the garden for children to enjoy- hopefully in time for next summer. (Click Here)

I’ve noticed its raining a lot- are you worried about the river?

Yes, thanks.

Have you put in any flood defences?

Since we last flooded in 2007 and we bought the lease on the pub we have raised the car park by 18” and put in a couple of soakaways but really this wont stop the heavy flood waters- the fact is if we get lots of rain – we will get wet again!

Why don’t you sell alcopops?

Because it’s not that sort of show.

Does that mean you don’t do a carvery anymore?

Bingo!

You don’t really welcome drinkers do you?

Actually that’s complete ‘Bunkham’ (love that word!) Yes it’s true that many pubs need to serve food to survive but we’re a pub and not a restaurant so you can sit and have a pint and read the paper or you can stuff your face- it doesn’t bother us!

Why do I have to order everything at the bar?

Because it adds to the relaxed pubby atmosphere of The Red Lion. No one is hovering over you trying to top up your wine or push your chair in- you can pour it yourself. Crazy as it sounds- you can order when you like and pay when you like- If you want to order at the table go to a restaurant. We really try and avoid formality and stuffiness if we can.

Why do you stop serving food in the garden at 8pm?

Very simply because when the sun comes out we can be exceptionally busy and in order to maintain standards and keep waiting times to a minimum we have to make a compromise. At least you know that we care. aaah. The fact is we serve inside until 10pm (9.30 Sundays) so we’re not stopping you from eating- just making sure we can get it to you in good time and it’s up to our usual quality!

I see the pub’s changed hands again- how long has it been like this?

We first opened our doors in this guise on November 5th 2007

What’s with all the comic books on the walls?

Fortunately or unfortunately I’m a geek. I collect comic books and yes, I like Star Wars too. There was a time when I was younger when I wanted to draw comic books for a living, sadly abusing people behind a bar seemed to become more lucrative. Thus when I finally got to buy my own pub- I thought it would be a little bit different if I covered it in my comic book collection. (Hey it beats them being sat in a box that you never get to see!) So all of the 320 odd framed comic books I have read cover to cover several times over and are actually quite dear to me. Each frame contains a whole comic book apart from about forty which are made up from a book of covers- I added these because it was a little bit too much like a pre-pubescent teenagers bedroom!

Are any of them valuable?

To me they’re all priceless but to an auctioneer, not particularly. As I said before they’ve had a good reading and this devalues comics quite a lot- Proper collectors or pannapictagraphists often buy 2 copies- one to read and one to leave sealed. Having said that there are a couple amongst them that are quite rare and worth a few bob. (Tucked away safely is my copy of The Dark Knight Returns issue 1 signed by Lynn Varley and Frank Miller)