It had been a while since I last visited The Gedling Inn but recently managed an unplanned midweek visit to see if the recent feedback we had heard about the excellent food and service was accurate.
The pub is run by Beccy Webster, who had previously been landlady at The Elwes Arms and Blacks Head (Beacon Hill) in Carlton and has been responsible for The Gedling Inn since 2019.
The Gedling Inn – still referred to as The Chesterfield Arms, or ‘Cheggo’, by some locals –had changed hands several times in just a few years prior to Beccy’s arrival five years ago however, the pub now has an established identity as a great local pub with excellent food under Beccy’s management.
So less than two weeks before Christmas, we parked in the large car park around 5.00pm and went in to see if the food was as good as people were saying.
The pub was busy and the staff were busy setting up for Christmas parties and the arrival of Steve McGill, an extremely talented musician who plays at the pub during December on ‘Winter Wednesdays’.
We hadn’t booked, so waited to see if we could be seated and were swiftly greeted with a big smile by the boss herself who showed us to a table, took our drinks orders and showed us the menu.
It was evident from a quick look around as we reviewed the menu that there was a great buzz in the pub and the staff, of whom there were plenty, had a great relationship with each other as the banter and smiles between everyone was obvious for all to see.
The menu showed a large selection of dishes were available. The eight starters included breaded camembert and crispy salt and pepper squid as well as six sharing options. There were five grill items available including a large mixed grill, 8 oz rump steak and 10oz gammon steak. The burger offering of seven burgers included a vegan burger and halloumi burger as well as a range of chicken and beef burgers.
Just when you thought the decision on what to order was hard enough, you turn over the menu and there you find a large range of pizzas and pub favourites including seabass, lasagne, carbonara, fajitas, cottage pie and chili con carne.
We decided to skip starters and headed straight for the mains choosing The Gedling Inn Deluxe Burger (beef) at £18.95, Mexican Chicken Fajitas at £16.95 and the Jumbo Battered Cod with chunky chips at £18.95.
It was only at this stage that we realised it was ‘2 For 1’ on the Grill, Burgers and Pub ‘Faves’ options, available Monday to Saturday 12noon – 8.00pm – even the pizzas were 2 for £15.
A short time later while enjoying a drink our meals arrived and they looked and smelt amazing.
The fish, chips and mushy peas tasted as good as they looked, with crisp batter and crispy chunky chips. We could have chosen garden peas but I believe mushy peas are the only thing to have with fish and chips.
The Gedling Inn Deluxe Burger is not for the faint hearted. Two large beef burgers topped with cheese, bacon, lettuce, gherkin and onion rings, accompanied by fries, coleslaw and salad. Like the chunky chips, the fries were crispy and the burger scrumptious. It was a battle to finish but managed it and to be fair, we can’t say we were not warned about the size when we ordered.
The third dish was the chicken fajitas and it was as nice as the first two dishes – sliced grilled chicken with mushroom, aubergine, courgette, pepper and red onion with spiced tomato salsa, sour cream and guacamole and two large tortillas.
The staff were all very attentive with extra sour cream being delivered and drinks all arriving in a timely manner.
We found the food very nice and with the ‘2 For 1’ offer on grill, burgers and pub favourites meant the food was also really good value for money with each dish when ordered in a pair working out at less than a tenner.
We left the Gedling Inn full and promised ourselves that we would be returning again.
The popular local in Gedling Village is perfect for groups, a casual date night or a special occasion with a great atmosphere and lovely food. We recommend coming in pairs to take advantage of the great ‘2 For 1’ offer Monday to Saturday. We would also recommend booking in advance.
VERDICT: We’ll be back – sooner rather than later!
The Gedling Inn can be found at 50 Main Road, Gedling NG4 3HL Nottingham and can be contacted via email on info@gedlinginn.co.uk or by telephone on 0115 987 8686
Further information is available on their website https://gedlinginn.co.uk/ or on their social media HERE.
