A\u2008traditional pub restaurant with a lovely friendly feel continues to impress all year round. And now there\u2019s a new offering too, with an excellent brunch menu. This month we enjoy a return visit to Frazer & Emma King\u2019s truly lovely Red Lion at West Deeping<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spring is on its way and with it comes a sense of optimism. We need it too. Driving to work recently and Radio 4\u2019s Today Programme reported that 2025 saw the warmest January on record. Really? Seems to me like winter has gone on for an entire ice age, with comparable temperatures, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Personally I reckon we\u2019re all in need of a bit of comfort, and a bit of cheering up. And so, we present for your satiation a reminder to enjoy dining out at West Deeping\u2019s Red Lion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s home to the genuinely lovely Frazer &\u2008Emma King, who are always cheery and welcoming… although their patience with winter was being tested during our visit too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We were originally scheduled to shoot our photos on Thursday, but were delayed by 24 hours as the couple needed to take their daughter to hospital for a X-ray after a little mishap in her PE\u2008lesson with a balance bar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was the last thing a busy chef or a busy publican needs, and to top it all off, Emma was having to stay out of the way, dosing herself up, trying to shake off a head cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wood burner wasn\u2019t playing ball either, although Emma\u2019s persistence paid off and soon we were sitting in a proper lovely old pub, with a pot of tea (well, Lemsip for Emma), talking about how we\u2019re all looking forward to new menus, a new season, blue skies and warmer weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Red Lion is one of those magical pub restaurants, just as appealing in the colder months as in spring and summer too. There\u2019s that real fire, low ceiling, low lighting, real ale and the bar snacks that locals are so fond of in winter. Then, next month will see the return of Picky Bits on the Patio when The Red Lion\u2019s garden, terrace and bar are available, popular with diners seeking to graze and enjoy fresh air and good company, both indoors and outside too. There\u2019s another treat for diners from this month too…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re usually busy in the evenings and during weekends,\u201d says Emma. \u201cIt\u2019s sometimes a little quieter in January and February but actually this year we\u2019ve been busier than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re always on the go, so in order to spend some time together we sometimes come back from the school run, any urgent jobs out of the way and then treat ourselves to brunch together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emma &\u2008Frazer found themselves seeking a really good farmhouse breakfast in the area. Though they usually have a tongue-in-cheek rule that talking about work is off-limits conversation, one morning turned to whether they could offer a similar proposition: brunch at The Red Lion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frazer immediately began to imagine how he could elevate a breakfast into an exceptional feel-good experience, ideal for those seeking to sit and enjoy a pot of tea, good coffee or a Bloody Mary with anything from a healthy granola with compote and natural yoghurt to Frazer\u2019s quality interpretation of a full English breakfast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not all breakfasts are created equally, and we reckon The Red Lion\u2019s example is the best in the area. Sausages are exclusive to the pub and created to Frazer\u2019s own recipe by Grasmere Farm. The couple\u2019s girls, 11-year old Rosie and seven-year old Bella, are in charge of The Red Lion\u2019s rare-breed chickens, who should begin laying again as Pride goes to press, providing lovely free-range eggs with dazzling yellow yolks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hambleton Bakery provides the sourdough and Fruit Pig provides black pudding \u2013 they\u2019re the last artisanal producer in Britain, not to mention a supplier to Fortnum & Mason. Even the baked beans served with Frazer\u2019s breakfast are haricot beans soaked and blanched by the chef in house, with shallots, brown sugar and a couple of other ingredients. This is breakfast, par excellence… highly recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elsewhere, The Red Lion will still be offering its exceptionally elevated provision of pub restaurant dining, with a relaxed, \u2018wish-it-was-my-local\u2019 feel and dishes that reflect Frazer\u2019s ethos of unfussy excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Grade II listed pub dates from 1632 and the couple have been in situ for about four years now. Frazer has worked at Clipsham\u2019s Olive Branch, Stamford\u2019s Paten & Co and what is now known as The Barnsdale, but he\u2019s definitely doing his best work at The Red Lion. Frazer favours local suppliers where possible and makes his own ice cream, his own beurre noisette butter and curates a kitchen garden which provides heritage rhubarb, chillies, herbs, nasturtium and salads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other suppliers for the pub restaurant\u2019s \u00e0 la carte dining include Grasmere Farm, Price & Fretwell, Lavinton lamb and fish landed at Grimsby Docks each day. Stamford-based Rennet & Rind provide artisan cheese whilst other ingredients are foraged by the family on nature walks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pub restaurant has its own golden ale, King Street, as well as gluten-free ale courtesy of Nene Valley. Jeremy Clarkson\u2019s Hawkstone ales and ciders are available at the bar and Father\u2019s Day will see a return of \u2018Pull Your Own Pint\u2019 where dad gets to take over the bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Otherwise, Amps Wine has worked with the couple to curate a good selection of wines with a well-chosen selection up to and including English sparkling wine. Our visit was the morning after the pub\u2019s successful monthly quiz night, held on the first Thursday of each month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Picky Bits on the Patio launches in early May, and the pub restaurant\u2019s new brunch menus are available now. Other highlights include a cheese-themed tasting menu evening in association with Rennet & Rind on Wednesday 9th April, plus a vegan-themed five-course tasting menu evening on 2nd July. Later in the year you can also enjoy a wild-and-wonderful dining experience featuring game and foraged ingredients from around the pub restaurant, which will be held on 8th October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No need to wait until then though. Whether it\u2019s still a little chilly or the sun decides to make an appearance, there\u2019s plenty to warm the heart and fill the belly of anyone at The Red Lion, where a warm welcome with Emma at front of house is matched only by the exceptional nature of Frazer\u2019s cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Red Lion, West Deeping, PE6 9HP. Call 07421 977661 or see\u00a0www.theredlionwestdeeping.co.uk<\/a>. To view more images of The Red Lion\u2019s dishes, see the April edition of Stamford Pride at\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/stamford\/view-magazines?magazine=April-2025<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A\u2008traditional pub restaurant with a lovely friendly feel continues to impress all year round. And now there\u2019s a new offering…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2868,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[25,27,28],"class_list":["post-2363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-and-drink","tag-restaurant","tag-rutland","tag-stamford"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}