Food review - One of the best Sunday roasts in the Stratford district

The Fuzzy Duck offers refined food, soothing surroundings and service that is attentive, yet has the air of being casual and unrushed.

It’s also relaxed enough to be the type of place where you can linger over a long lunch after an even longer country walk, secure in the knowledge that all of those calories you’ve just earned are going to be put to good use.

More about the food later, let’s instead start with the setting – the beautiful coaching inn which was lovingly restored and reopened in 2013 following the intervention by the family behind the Baylis & Harding brand of luxury hand wash and skin care products.

If you like those (and why wouldn’t you?) then you’re in for a treat at the Fuzzy Duck as the ethos of affordable luxury is still very much in evidence and has only been enhanced by the recent refurbishment. There are still plenty of wooden beams and a lovely flagstone floor while the stylish decor shows a high level of attention has been paid to every detail, from the comfortable dining seats to the carefully curated art on the walls and the trinkets on the window sills.

This is a place which aims to put customers (and their well-behaved dogs, as they are allowed in the dining area) at ease, and it’s a winning formula which is meticulously followed throughout. And that includes the menus. The food at the Fuzzy Duck is a celebration of seasonal British produce, with each dish showcasing the best local ingredients.

While the main menu, created by executive chef Andy Edwards, includes some pub classics (a cheeseburger in a brioche bun or fish and chips), the other main options offer tempting dishes such as fillet of beef with homemade hash brown, roasted vine cherry tomatoes, mushroom duxelle and red wine jus.

The pumpkin risotto (with spinach and roasted pumpkin seed) also sounds like it would be worthy of anyone’s attention, but we visited on a Sunday which means one thing: roast dinners (although, if you really want the risotto, then it’s still available).The main menu gets almost forsaken on a Sunday, replaced with the temptation of roast beef or lamb or a Cotswold chicken breast.

However, we shall start with some bread. I’m not one to usually worry too much about ordering bread before tucking into a Sunday lunch, but the Fuzzy Duck’s honey and oat mini loaf is stunningly good. It’s worthy of a Paul Hollywood handshake. I need say no more.

On to the starters. I have long been a fan of the Fuzzy Duck’s Scotch egg, so predictably I went for that. The egg is perfectly cooked, with a runny yolk while the delicious pork is covered in a crispy crumb and served with homemade tomato ketchup. You can see why it calls to me whenever we visit. It’s becoming a love affair.

My wife opted for the pan-seared scallops which come with smoked bacon butter and garlic and herb crumb. The scallops were cooked to perfection, and the bacon delicious. But for me, the Scotch egg won round one of our food championship (although I’m not sure my wife realises this is a contest. But it is).For the mains, I went for the South Devonshire sirloin of beef and Lisa chose the leg of lamb. These come served with duck fat roast potatoes, a large Yorkshire pudding, buttered vegetables, mashed swede and red wine gravy.

And without even asking, a jug of extra gravy was placed on the table in no-man’s land. In Lisa’s world, there can never be enough gravy and the Fuzzy Duck recognises this. That’s a big tick from us.

Another big tick is that the roasts are all available in half portions for children (or the Ducklings as they are referred to). As parents we like this a lot and we simply don’t see it enough on menus this side of the Channel.

The roasts themselves were as good as expected. I say that because the restaurant was buzzing with people who were, in the majority, tucking into roast dinners. Each table was filled with happy dinners who, when they left, were replaced with more hungry customers. The Fuzzy Duck Sunday lunch has a reputation.

Did it fulfil that reputation? Well, yes. The chunky slices of sirloin beef, covered in that red wine gravy were the star of the show. Tender and still pink, the beef was some of the best I’ve had at a pub’s Sunday offering.

The lamb went down well with Lisa, but I knew I'd won round two of the food ordering contest. An easy victory for the beef and the rather nice Australian Shiraz that helped it on its way.

After the mains – which are large portions – we asked for a break in the proceedings to see if we could muster some room for pudding. There’s some lovely touches on this section of the menu including Granny Baylis’s seasonal crumble, a choice of local cheeses and the crowd-pleasing sticky toffee pudding.

However, we opted to share a vanilla panna cotta with meringue and winter berries and both really enjoyed it.

The panna cotta was light and contrasted with the sharpness of the berries. We did fight over the meringues – they were gooey and simply irresistible. Throughout the meal one of the standout aspects of the Fuzzy Duck was the service.

From the moment you step through the door, the staff are warm, welcoming, and attentive without being intrusive. There’s passion among the well schooled team that makes dining at the Fuzzy Duck a special occasion which comes back around to that affordable luxury ethos.

It does make one tempted to try out one of those lovely-looking refurbished bedrooms, getting a taste of that affordable luxury with an overnight stay…I wonder if they do Scotch eggs for breakfast?