The Bull’s Head, Meriden | Review

Choosing where to go on a date night or mate-date night can be tricky enough at the best of times, once you’ve factored in everyone’s budgets, locations and the fact that one of your friends has a diet consisting mainly of toast (*cough* Jade *cough*). When eating and drinking are basically your number 1 hobby then this becomes even more difficult, as I usually feel like I’ve exhausted all of the local options and there aren’t many new or interesting places left to go.

This is why I was so excited to be invited along to the re-opening of The Bull’s Head in Meriden. Less than ten minutes from my house, I had been to this quaint country pub for Sunday lunches a couple of times in the past (and fun fact – it was also where James and I went for a drink on our first date two years ago)(okay ten, we had about ten drinks). This meant I knew I could expect lovely food and great service, but the recent refurbishment and new autumn menu added the feel of trying somewhere new.

  Before the refurbishment, I remember the decor of The Bull’s Head being nice and traditional, but fairly nondescript.  Now, it looks absolutely stunning. The mixture of botanical and damask patterns give a boujee, modern vibe, while the dusky pink and marble details are an Instagrammer’s dream.

The overall colour scheme, though – muted green, mustard and umber – keeps it super-sophisticated. We were shown around by the manager Ian, who said that keeping the traditional country-pub feel was important to them during the refurb, and they’ve definitely managed that.

So, onto the night we visited. First, we took a seat in the cosy bar area and enjoyed a gin and some tasters of the main menu. After James had ate more miniature fishcakes than is probably normal to consume in one go, we took our seat in the restaurant area and started the hard task of deciding what to eat.

For starters, I chose the deep fried brie (because whoever decided to make cheese even better by deep frying it is an all round tip top guy and deserves to be knighted), which came with a delicious chutney. James opted for the lamb koftas, which you could also have as a main. These came with small tortilla wraps and a side salad.

For our main course, we were truly spoiled for choice. The menu includes everything from scallops and steak to hand-stretched pizzas and burgers. I was impressed to see so many veggie options and, while I was tempted to go for a cheese-squared kind of night and get the battered halloumi, went for the butternut squash and sweet potato tart. This was absolutely delicious, and more like a filled pie than a light tart – though of course I managed a side order of sweet potato fries, too. Heaven.

James took one for the meat-eating team (tough job, but someone apparently has to do it) and had the 7oz fillet steak with beef dripping sauce. This came with the chunkiest, tastiest-looking twice-cooked chips I have ever seen in my life. If I hadn’t already been so full then I definitely would have helped polish these off, but I think it’s worth another trip back just to try them.

Finally, it was time for pudding. I was hugely tempted by an INCREDIBLE looking chocolate bomb that I saw a few other people ordering, but as mentioned I was close to rolling off my chair with fullness. Instead, we opted to share the New York style baked cheesecake, which was accompanied by whipped cream and a berry compote. This was so incredibly creamy and rich and every other good adjective you can use to describe the BEST cheesecake in the world.

Our experience at The Bull’s Head was faultless – the service was just as brilliant as I’ve always found it, the food was all amazingly tasty and perfectly portioned, and the new decor just enhanced the pleasantness of the evening.

One thing I actually didn’t know about the pub is that they also have 13 hotel rooms, which have also apparently been refurbished. While we didn’t get a chance to snoop around these, the photos show them to be the prettiest little boutique rooms, and a cosy night in one of these is definitely on my agenda for the new year.

So whether you live locally to Meriden or fancy staying overnight, paying a visit to The Bull’s Head is an absolute must.

*This meal was given for free in exchange for an honest review.*

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