Food review: Why this little piggy will be returning to this country pub

Donna-Louise Bishop

25 June 2024 at 1:00 am·3-min read

I’m an absolute sucker for a decent foodie pic on the 'gram so as soon as the latest offerings from Pig at the Pub were shared, I was sold.

With the husband in tow, we drove to The Spread Eagle which is located in Erpingham between Aylsham and Cromer in north Norfolk.

To explain, Pig at the Pub is hosted by The Blind Pig, based in Aylsham, but located at The Spread Eagle.

As well as Sunday Roasts, it is currently offering a drool-worthy full lunch and dinner menu between Wednesdays and Sundays – always double-check online for opening hours though!

(Image: The Spread Eagle)

Making the most of a rare moment of sunshine, we took a quick lunch break to the eatery.

While the menu offers delicious-sounding sandwiches (from £9) – including an open smoked salmon and Cromer crab and sweet cured ham and Norfolk rocket to name a couple – we had our eyes on something else. The sharing platters.

Unable to decide between the ploughman’s (£20) or antipasti option (£22) we ordered one of each.

Each platter serves two comfortably for a lunch option, but wanting to indulge ourselves by being pigs in the pub we were happy to mix and match.

The ploughman’s came with demerara sweet-cured ham, true grit cheddar, a pork pie, red onion chutney, pickled onions, gherkins, quince jelly, toasted and untoasted sourdough, and locally grown salad leaves.

(Image: Pig in the Pub/The Spread Eagle)

(Image: Donna-Louise Bishop)

This cacophony of flavours beautiful complimented each other, with a highlight being the melt-in-the-mouth quince jelly that I liberally slathered on everything.

The antipasti was made up of sliced coppa, sliced bresaola, mozzarella bocconcini, more true grit cheddar, sundried tomatoes, balsamic onions, chorizo jam (wow), black olive tapenade (double wow!) olive oil and aged balsamic, and toasted sourdough.

Once again, this was a perfect dish that sang with a chorus of the most welcomed tastes and textures.

Both platters were a real treat of good grub. It was the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

SETTING

A rustic country pub set in rural Norfolk. What’s not to love?

(Image: Donna-Louise Bishop)

VALUE

The two platters, a pint of Guinness, and half a cider came to £51.90. There’s a variety of small plates to more gourmet meals to suit most budgets.

DRINKS

This pub has a great selection of real ales, as well as your usual spirits and pints. I was pleased to see Orchard Pig cider as an option.

TOILETS

Fully functionable and as you would expect.

SERVICE

We felt so welcomed on arrival and were treated like part of the furniture. There’s a really nice vibe here.

(Image: The Spread Eagle)

HIGHLIGHT

The food! It was amazing quality and looked and tasted as fresh as food comes. Compliments to the chef.

IN SUMMARY

It was an absolute joy to visit The Spread Eagle and an even bigger joy to enjoy the food from what is a great menu. We’ll be back!

Disclaimer

Our food reviews are always independent. They are the opinion of the reviewer based on their experience of the venue when they visited. The establishment is not aware of our visit, is not informed we intend to write a review and bills are paid by the reviewer. The choice of places reviewed is also independent and is not based on venues which do or do not advertise in our publications.

Eastern Daily Press
Converted barn set in three acres near Aylsham for sale at OIEO £950k
Whitefoot Lodge, a detached four-bedroom property set in three acres, is on the market n Corpusty, near Aylsham, for offers over £950,000.
Tasting Table
The 2 Ingredients Queen Elizabeth's Chef Always Used For Her Scrambled Eggs
Over her years as the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II had a few surprising food habits, one of which was her liking for two unusual items in scrambled eggs.
Manchester Evening News
I bought the Morrisons £10 meat pack shoppers say you get 10 meals from
It includes burgers, pork, steak and sausages
The Telegraph
What to buy in Lidl – and what to avoid
When Lidl launched in the UK in 1994, a shopping trip was like going abroad. The unfamiliar brands, the Germanic styling, the multilingual labels. It was all so foreign.
SWNS
Mum is left with 'a mullet' after getting her hair caught in an electric whisk
A mum was left with "a mullet" after getting her hair caught in an electric whisk. Natalie Walker, 38, suffered an unfortunate mishap last month when her long hair was caught in an electric whisk while she attempted to make pizza dough. The mum-of-two ended up having to cut the whisk blades from her elbow-length locks - leaving her with "tufts". The clips she posted garnered almost 10 million views on TikTok as she said the videos "went mental" - and said it's made her a 'local celebrity' as people recognise her wherever she goes. She says she gets stopped by people every time she leaves the house - asking if she is "the girl who got her hair caught in a whisk". Luckily Natalie sees the funny side - although she is now left debating whether to get her hair cut in a short pixie style as the incident left her with "a mullet".
BuzzFeed
21 Very Underutilized Cooking Hacks That Forever Transformed The Way People Cook
"This is how my family has been making it for years since they immigrated from Belgium."
The Telegraph
My week of drinking like a Boomer – and what it did to my body
It is 9am. I pour myself a generous measure of Fernet-Branca, the Italian liqueur much loved by British chefs including Fergus Henderson (co-founder of the Michelin-star St John), who famously likes a stiffener before breakfast.
allrecipes
My Grandma's 4-Ingredient Cucumber Salad Is Embarrassingly Simple
She says, "It's the easiest thing you can imagine."
INSIDER
My partner and I spend $40 a week at Aldi. Here are 17 things we love to buy and how we use them.
My fiancée and I shop at Aldi once a week and try to keep the bill under $40. From penne pasta to frozen veggies, here's what we buy to make meals.
The Telegraph
Cows are nature’s saviour, not its destroyer
Denmark is the latest EU country to hammer its livestock farmers, imposing a “meat tax” of up to £80 per dairy cow in order to help meet national net zero targets. It’s a step that makes this Remain voting farmer glad that we are out of the EU. The bloc seems in thrall to the anti-meat lobby, that unholy alliance between politicians, Big Food corporates and Leftist eco-modernists.
LoveFOOD
15 unexpected air-fryer dishes that are actually delicious
Forget the French fries and chicken nuggets – we've compiled 15 unexpected (and easy) recipes that will help you get more out of your air fryer.
Associated Press
This bean salad known as Cowboy Caviar is a protein-packed addition to any summer cookout
If you're looking for a bean salad with substance that can serve as a dip, a condiment, a side dish or even a vegetarian entrée, than you must make Cowboy Caviar a part of your summer cookout repertoire. Also called Texas Caviar, this protein-packed salad is amazing, and so very versatile. It has its origin in Texas, hence the alternate name.
Daily Meal
The Colorful Fruit You Need To Add To Your 4th Of July Charcuterie Board
For an Independence Day charcuterie board that looks festive and goes beyond the usual ingredient combos, use this patriotic-looking fruit as a centerpiece.
Simply Recipes
I Asked 4 Chefs To Name the Best Mayo—They All Said the Same Brand
As a Southerner, the answer didn't surprise me.
Robb Report
Why This Northern Italian Red Wine Varietal Is Worthy of Your Attention
It's time you get to know Corvina.
Daily Meal
This Simple Mistake Is Ruining Your Green Onions
You might think you're doing something good for your onions, but this one tiny step can render your green onions useless when it's actually time to use them.
The Telegraph
Britain is being tricked into becoming vegetarian
Consumer choice has never been bigger – except when it comes to meat products in hospitals and schools, councils and universities. This week, Quorn’s CEO announced that pork sausages will be blended with fake meat in NHS hospitals by the end of the year, in a bid to tackle climate change. But the hybrid bangers, which are partly made from mycoproteins (fermented fungi spores), will not be badged up as such – which means the NHS is effectively slashing the meat content from menus without warning.
allrecipes
Don’t Grill Your Chicken Without Doing This First
This simple technique makes all the difference.
BuzzFeed
People Say These "Essential" French Foods Are A Must-Eat For Anyone Visting Paris — So I Tried And Ranked Them All
My taste buds were not prepared for this.
The Telegraph
The faux pas Britons make when dining abroad
When I was about 10, my mother took a friend and me to France on the train. The journey involved a change at the Gare de Lyon and, with a bit of a wait before our train, we looked around for somewhere to pass the time. Like untold hordes before us, we alighted on Le Train Bleu, which must surely be the most famous station restaurant in the world. Certainly no other can claim to have appeared in Mr Bean’s Holiday as well as La Femme Nikita. It is the most elegant, too, a suite of grand rooms, ori

Disclaimer

Latest stories