Reepham – The Crown Pub
This was a bit of a random visit, it was a pub that was open and had a beer garden, so we went for it. I normally have more exacting requirements for a pub, but we were just pleased to find somewhere that we could visit. It’s the Crown in Reepham and the owners saved it from being turned into a residential property a few years ago, and congratulations to the council for refusing that application. The plans are on the council’s web-site and it would have a been a huge loss for the community for the owners to have gotten away with turning a viable pub into a residential property.
The beer garden was open and the pub had taken what I’m becoming sure is the right decision and that’s not to take reservations. Pubs offering those seem to have a lot of dead table time waiting for their customers, even assuming that they turned up. Anyway, we didn’t have a wait here. The pub has also at some stage turned two store rooms into clean external toilets, which makes this an ideal venue given the current lockdown situation.
Nicely done, a list of the real ales is chalked up on the board outside. As I’m a bit inept, I missed this and the staff member had to tell me what the pub had, but it’s clearly visible for customers paying attention. The beer selection was fine, nothing exceptional maybe, but there was a choice and an effort to buy locally.
The service was attentive throughout, it was timely and we were never left waiting. The servers were conversational, engaging and welcoming, so this felt a relaxed and comfortable environment. This pub feels like a venue for the local community and I know I use similar terminology to politely say that the pub looks like its locals are on the edge of starting a riot by the pool table, but here I mean that it is a location designed to be used by pub teams, diners, drinkers and indeed anyone. It had a laid-back atmosphere and I suspect that if someone was new to an area, they’d be able to find friends in a pub like this.
The beer was well-kept, at the appropriate temperature and tasted crisp. All good. The glasses were plastic, hence the branding, with the pub looking to use disposable items for the moment to keep things clean and safe.
As everything else was going well, we ordered food. Richard went for a lasagne and I went for fish and chips as I haven’t had them in nearly 48 hours. Again, all absolutely fine, the portion size is larger than in looks in the box and it was all cooked well. The batter had a pleasant taste, the chips were firm on the exterior and fluffy inside and the mushy peas had some texture to them. Individual sauce sachets were available and Covid-19 compliance was all excellent. The pub accepts cards, and I think encourages them, and we received a check back during the meal.
This little series of pictures tells its own story. The poor dog kept getting called back by its owners and by the time she had actually reached our table the food had all gone.
All told, I think this is a brilliant pub, it’s just got that vibe I like from a venue that serves its community. It’s rather delightful that this pub stayed opened a few years ago and wasn’t lost, and it’s the sort of pub I’d happily visit again. Although, when more normal times return, I’d say that a darker real ale choice such as a stout, mild or the like would be really lovely.
