The Hare & Hounds at Fulbeck is one of those picture-perfect Lincolnshire country pubs — all stone walls, hanging baskets, and an easy village charm. We were meeting a couple of friends for lunch and, unusually for us, actually arrived on time. Drinks were ordered (Peroni Zero for me, as I’d drawn the short straw on driving duty), and we settled down to study the menu.
It’s a decent enough line-up of classic pub comfort dishes — sausage and mash, steak and ale pie, fish and chips — with a few more refined offerings on the reverse side such as salmon or the “fish of the day”, which turned out to be sea bream.
Mrs Wanderer opted for the chicken with dauphinois potatoes and a lovely tangle of fine beans and sugar snaps. I, having already eyed it up online, went straight for the Steak Frites.
Now, the steak itself was spot-on — tender, sliced into ribbons, and cooked beautifully pink just as I like it. Absolutely superb. The “frites”, however, were less convincing — a bit of a lottery between decent lengths and odd inch-long stubs. But the biggest surprise was the mountain of mixed salad that dominated the plate: halved cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and red onion aplenty, yet somehow no dressing in sight. It all felt a bit… unfinished.
Steak Frites, to me, is a dish of simple harmony — rich meat, crisp fries, and just enough freshness to lift it. It wouldn’t take much to turn this into something really special in a Modern British way. Lose the undressed salad, perhaps, and bring in something with a bit of flair and purpose. Think Tenderstem broccoli with lemon and chilli butter, lightly charred for a touch of zing. Or maybe roasted carrots with honey and thyme for a sweet, earthy counterpoint. Even crispy kale or cavolo nero with garlic and sea salt would have added that salty crunch the dish was crying out for.
At £22.95, my Steak Frites wasn’t exactly cheap, and that made the salad misstep sting a little more.
Would I rush back? I’m not sure. The staff were lovely — friendly, attentive, and everything you’d hope for — but the food just didn’t quite deliver the wow factor the price promised. A pleasant lunch in a lovely setting, yes. But memorable? Not quite.
The Willoughton Wanderer 
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