Blue Lion
A6108 between Masham and Leyburn
East Witton DL8 4SN
My partner and I visited the Blue Lion for lunch one Friday late in August 2009. We had not booked and arrived at noon, but we were given a nice table by the window. The Blue Lion has an ‘old pub’ atmosphere – lots of bare wood tables, settles and so on. The menus are written on blackboards around the walls and these were being updated as we waited to order.
The waiting staff are garbed out in long black aprons and lay the table out with linen napkins and good cutlery – a basket of warm home cooked bread rolls was also brought, along with a couple of slices of Melba toast which I have not seen served for donkey’s years!
My less hungry partner went for a plate of smoked salmon with walnut bread. A decent sized plateful of good salmon when it arrived, but a minuscule slice of bread to accompany it – lucky we had the rolls. I had fillet of pork, slow roasted crispy belly pork ,and a thick slice of black pudding topped with roast apple all accompanied by crushed rosemary potatoes and a decent rich sauce – absolutely excellent. I had a good pint of Black Sheep bitter and my partner a smooth glass of Pitchfork Shiraz.
We finished off with desserts – sticky toffee pudding, and apple tart tatin both served with homemade ice cream. These were also excellent and very large portions. There is also a very good selection of English cheeses available.
So overall a very pleasant dining experience, but a little expensive. My main course was £16.95 and the desserts were £6.75. Recommended: 4 out of 5, but you would do well to book as it was full within 20 minutes of arriving.