The Hop Pole offers stunning food accompanied by stunning views

On my way to and from work every day I drive past the Hop Pole in Retford.
The Hop Pole in RetfordThe Hop Pole in Retford
The Hop Pole in Retford

And each time I have been tempted to go and try the food.

Over the last few weeks my dad has very kindly been doing a lot of DIY and landscaping at my house so I decided to thank him for all his hard work I would treat him to a slap up meal and what better way to kill two birds with one stone than to take him to the Hop Pole.

And I also invited my mum along to join as well.

So on a Monday night after we had all had a long day at work we met for a lovely meal and a catch up.

As I walked in I found my parents enjoying a drink in a lovely seating area which boasted big brightly coloured comfortable settees.

They had almost chosen a table outside to enjoy the stunning views of the River Trent but the temperature had dropped a bit too cool to make the most of it.

After I had got myself a drink we chose ourselves a table by the window and starting looking the menu which has recently been relaunched.

We decided to share the starter of Confit of Belly Pork (£7.50) between the three of us.

But as we were placing our order by dad also ordered us the Breaded and Deep Fried Goats Cheese Wheel (£6).

The pork was absolutely beautiful, falling apart off my fork and was perfectly accompanied by an apple, fennel and black pudding salad.

My mum claimed the crackling which was atop the pork and my dad started divided the cheese wheel into three portions.

The Goats Cheese Wheel was accompanied by a beetroot and orange salad.

Out of the two starters I would have to favour the pork but my dad preferred the Goats Cheese Wheel.

But that just meant more of the pork dish for me.

For a main course I went for the Venison Meat Balls Fettucinne (£12.50) and when they arrived there were three large meatballs with lovely soft pasta.

Normally my mum goes straight for a steak but fancying a change she opted for the Pan Seared Salmon Fillet (£15) which came with a perfectly cooked poached egg on a bed of greens and hollandaise sauce.

And my dad went for something which also caught my eye which was the Meat Board (£14.50) which can be main course or a starter for two.

When it arrived it was served on a block of wood and boasted an array of meat including pork, ham and haslet, a very generous portion of pate, a scotch egg, a pork pie, pickled onions, a pork and black pudding sausage and plenty of crusty bread.

He asked for a chutney to go with this and they brought a warm pear chutney which he said topped off the dish perfectly.

Unfortunately the dish proved too much for my dad’s appetitie but he said it was absolutely delicious.

But it gave my mum a chance to have a try of what was left.

All three of us were too full for a dessert but the menu boasted a great selection including Bakewell Pudding and Lemon Meringue Pie.

To finish off our meal my mum and I ordered a cup of tea (£2) while my dad enjoyed another drink.

We had no complaints about our Hop Pole experience.

All the staff were really polite and helpful.

The setting is perfect and on a warm summer evening I can’t think of a better way to spend it than out on the decking taking in the stunning views.

I don’t think this will be our last visit.

Shelley Marriott

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