Hole In The Wall Underwood Crown Carvery Review

There's something about a good hearty meal on a cold January day so when we were invited along to the Hole in the Wall in Underwood we were more than happy to come along to sample their winter menu, With a traditional menu featuring pub classics as well as traditional hand carved roast dinners there should be plenty of choice for all.

Whilst drawing in visitors for their renowned carvery, Crown Carveries offer more than just a carvery roast as part of their Winter Menu. With hearty pub favourites to keep the kids and a very fussy grandma more than happy. (We all seem to have one; Mines just started tell in us she doesn't eat Yorkshire Puddings despite years of filling up on them at Sunday Dinner)

Starters

Whilst visitors may often visit for just the carvery the Hole in the Wall also offers a nice selection of starters to satisfy all tastes. We opted for the Prawns in Garlic Butter (£3.19) and Hunters Gammon and Cheese Melt (£2.59) although we were spoilt for choice with the sharing platters sounding a good option if you're socialising in a group.

Prawns in Garlic Butter at the Hole in the Wall, Underwood, Nottingham

We love our prawns so opted for them in garlic butter. The prawn starter came out loving nicely presented with a sensible serving of 6 prawns swimming in a gentle garlic butter alongside 3 nice crusty pieces of baguette. The garlic butter worked exceptionally well with the bread and you could definitely tell that fresh garlic and herbs had been used as part of the dish.

Our only reservation was that the prawns were a little overdone. Not beyond the point of being edible, just on the rubbery side which detracted slightly from the dish.

Hunters Gammon and Cheese Melt

An interesting choice to us on the menu was the Hunters Gammon and Cheese Melt. Normally you see Hunters Chicken on a main menu and we always love a bit of piggy so we thought we'd give it a try. What came to our table was a fantastically put together starter with 3 good sized slices of crusty bread with a generous topping of succulent gammon strips with barbecue sauce coated in cheese. They were a real highlight of our visit to the Hole in the Wall and well worth £2.59.

Main Courses

The Half Roast Chicken

For main meals we opted for the winter warmer of a Balti Pie and the old favourite of Half a Roast

Chicken. Whilst most people with visit the Hole in the Wall for their carvery we'd been asked to come and taste the winter menu and whilst we both would have happily wolfed down the fantastic looking carvery we had a task at hand to take care of- The carvery can wait for the future!

As with any Crown Carvery your choice of main meal is only part of the decision making process. Hand your ticket in to the server and they'll dish up for you before you can choose the accompaniments you wish from the large selection. Once you've finished your plate you can even go back for more of what you fancy.

The Balti Pie

The Balti Pie sounded a nice alternative addition to the menu. A twist on the humble pub classic pie with a warming note. It was packed full of what we estimated to be 80% chicken so you get good value for money- there's no scrimping on the meat. The pie is also fully encrusted, not a pie topper on a ramekin so you get a generous amount of thick flaky pastry to help fill you up. The Balti Pie filling was warming without being particularly spicy and had a good consistency of filling so as not to run all over your plate whilst trying to slice into it

The Half Chick was beautiful. With a lightly crispy skin and succulent meat. Not dry in the slightest. The meat itself could easily rival something from the slow cooker it was that tender and moist. As an accompaniment I'd opted for a portion of barbecue sauce (49p) which had a warming glow to it with plenty of molasses, as well as a lovely fiery Peri Peri sauce (49p) which added a bit of fire to the chicken. Both worked very well with chips.

Accompiments a plenty. From swede to onion gravy there was something for all at the Hole in the Wall

The joy of a crown carvery in some ways is that you're in almost full control of what you can have to eat. Alongside the main carvery is a huge selection to choose alongside your meal. From stuffing and onion gravy to various vegetable options to get you up around that 5-a-day fresh hold.

The bowls had taken a hammering by the time we arrived on a busy Saturday evening with a the counter needing a little bit of TLC but there was a steady stream of fresh food coming out the kitchen and everything we chose was piping hot and ready to eat with nothing seeming like it had been rushed to prepare or boiled to within an inch of it's very existence. The chips were particularly good- crispy with a soft and fluffy centre making them good enough to go back for seconds.

Dessert

Usually we're beaten after a starter and main course and despite eating well from starter and main at the Hole in the Wall we managed to save room for dessert. We opted for the Bread and Butter Pudding (£2.99) and the Baileys Ice Cream Sundae (£3.79) which sounded fantastic on the menu.

Both Puddings came out looking fantastic. The Bailey's Sundae came drizzled with butterscotch source and a flake in the middle. Beneath the surface lies pieces of chocolate chip cookie to add more delight to the mix. A nice adult dessert with the inclusion of the Baileys liquor.

The Bailey's Ice Cream Sundae

We had the Bread and Butter Pudding served with piping hot custard which was lovely with a luscious hint of vanilla. Nice and fresh with the beautifully moist pudding. A great take on a British classic and well worth sampling.

Bread and Butter Pudding with Custard

We had a lovely meal at the Hole in the Wall. The food was well cooked with the only small exception being the slightly overcooked prawns in our starter. The extras to tuck into at dinner were great, the veg well cooked whilst the chips were crispy and fresh.

Having had some negative experiences over carvery type restaurants in the past the Hole in the Wall was a refreshing change. Very clean, very friendly and well worth a visit for the great value you get for your meal.

THE HOLE IN THE WALL

Main Road, Underwood, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG16 5GQ

01773 713936