The Stags Head, Great Doddington, Northamptonshire

Last night I went out for a meal to celebrate my best friends birthday.  She booked The Stags Head in Great Doddington

http://www.stags-head.com/stags-head/


I rang them up to inform them of my allergies (Soya, Quorn, Lupin, Kiwi, Peas, Celery, and that I am unable to eat Gluten or Wheat) and it did not phase them at all.  The lady I spoke to, Gerry, said she would send me the GF menu via email, and then I could just let the chef know, via Kelly once I was there of my choice and they would make sure it was safe, however if I didn't think there was anything suitable was there something I would like prepared instead.  I said chicken breast or fish with rice/jacket potato or salad would be safe, but that I'd look at the menu and from the ordinary menu the sea bass looked safe anyway.

The email came through within minutes and there were a lot of choices, I decided upon either the oven baked cod (which I went for in the end) or the oven baked bass, I have decided that I need to start eating more fish when I'm out as it's easy to cook safely and cheaper than steak lol, and was pleased to see that there were some deserts that looked safe as well.  I thought I'd have either the warm pineapple skewers dusted with cinnamon, or the lemon sorbet, but in the end we were full and went back to my friends for drinks.  I emailed them back to let them know which dishes I would probably go for so the chef could be prepared.

Once we were there, the waiting staff knew about my allergies, bought me the GF menu without me needing to ask for it, double checked that they had my allergies down correctly, and told me if I wanted anything double checking just to let them know and they would ask the chef.  I said that everything on the dish I had ordered looked fine, but they popped back out to double check I could eat butter as there had been a confusion over whether I could eat dairy or not (I can), I said yes and off she went to inform the chef.  My dinner arrived and looked fab, it tasted delicious, very succulent and I enjoyed every mouthful, it came with sauted potatoes instead of mash (I've no idea why, but prefer them like that anyway :) ) broccoli, cauliflower and green beans all in a herby butter sauce.

I would definitely eat at The Stags Head in Great Doddington again and if, like me you find eating out difficult I recommend it, such a friendly atmosphere and I wasn't made to feel awkward or like I was being a nuisance.  The range of dishes available was brilliant, it was lovely to have a good choice when looking at the menu like the good old days rather than being stuck with one or two.

Rating 10/10