This week is British Pie Week,

It’s the kind of information I like to leak.

It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t let this occasion

end in a pie invasion!

So let us fill you with a pie

and then, thankfully, it won’t have slipped by.

this poem might be a no sale,

but Steak & Ale will prevail.

Pies

Warwickshire Steak & ale pie with a Double Gloucester suet, new potatoes & vegetables

Traditional fish pie with buttered peas

Curried Weston Under wetherley mutton & potato pie with a

coriander naan crust & vegetables

That is all.

Finally- I’ve got my arse into gear and we’ll be screening the multi oscar nominated Inglorious Basterds on Sunday evening. We’ll be flipping pancakes to belatedly celebrate Shrove Tuesday as well… Should be a giggle!

Click here- click me!! (and click again…)

Alright? The roads aren’t particularly bad around us so don’t be off put by the media’s vast misrepresentation of Warwickshire’s cold snap- Hunningham is fine thanks!!

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 vaguley 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.

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.

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)

Good afternoodle my cheeky cherubim & seraphim, tis’ now well after Christmas and I felt it was time that I interrupted your diets, general wailing (whaling?) and gnashing of teeth. Whilst thoroughly enjoying too much chocolate throughout the festive period I suddenly remembered that it was you delightful people who make this pub what it is (no, seriously, you do) and I thought, hey! We should do something for these people who might even class themselves as regulars. So after a couple of sleepless nights I thought why don’t we do a mulled wine and mince pie afternoon. (yeah they were sleepless actually!- I think it may have been too much coffee but nonetheless- they were without sleep!) But then minced pies are ‘all like old hat Christmas’ and I’ve missed the boat on that one and mulled wine is a bit ‘ooh yeah I’m delish if its freezing but it’ll be raining nicely by then so noone will drink me!’ So then it hit me- Burns Night is on the 25^th – which is a Monday (except when I was planning this I thought it was Sunday) Maybe we could do a Burns inspired ‘regulars afternoon on the Sunday’

So from about 4pm on Sunday 24^th January we’ll be forcing some Scottishy type nibbles and some drinky things on you. Yes that’s right there’ll be some free nibbles and free drink- yeah settle down- there’s no free bar or anything like that but just a little incentive to come down and let me say a big thank you for all your support since we’ve been playing Red Lions here in Hunningham. It’s okay it’s not a big deal- pop in for one, pop in for several- we’ll start at about 4 and carry on until about 8- It’s just an attempt to get everyone who considers themselves to be local or regular to come and have a jar together- just like people do in pubs….what a crazy idea!!

Premature Burns Afternoon

4pm Sunday 24^th January

Come down and be counted.

love and out of date crisps,

Sam

As ever should you wish to stop receiving this utter nonsense just send me a reply email with the subject “get lost four eyes” and I shall, indeed, get lost!

So thats it for another year/decade… We all drank far too much.

Thanks to everyone who has come and supported us throughout 2009- I’ve had a great time abusing you all and look forward to seeing you over the coming months. Happy New year! x x

here

Get this (literally) Johnny’s new album “Departures” has been named Best album of 2009- read all about it here

You can find more details there and then you can download the album and make him rich and then, in turn, I can sponge off him for the rest of my days! That said he’s playing here on New Year’s eve!!

Have a listen…

01 Let’s Run (MP4)

Alright ladies & gerblamen,

Season’s bleatings! I wanted to let you know that we are fully booked on Christmas day only have drinking tickets available for New Years Eve now- they’re £5.00 and include your glass of fizz for midnight! Thats pretty much it apart from the fact that my hand is mending nicely- the plaster is off- thanks for all the cards and flowers (Ha! bloody swans!) If you’re after pointless irrelevant updates about nothing follow me on twitter- redlionsam (imaginatively!)

Anyways Happy Christmas and I’ll see you down the pub!!

Hi Everyone

For the twentieth time today- we can’t answer the telephone because the delightful service provided by BT is under water…Yes folks when the water table is high- the phone simply rings and rings (should that be wrings?) we try to answer it but we cant and you all think we arent in! well we are I tell you!! email me if its urgent and I will do my bestest to appease…………laters

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