Food That Makes You Smile!

With the miserable weather we’ve been having in London this week, it’s normal to have pie on the mind, right? I personally think it’s okay to want pie any time of the year, so it’s quite fitting that I have to tell you all about the time I was invited to review the new pies on The Lexington’s menu. Keep an eye out for the number of times I actually mention pies in this post… it happens quite a lot.

Head Chef Nathan Perrin’s background is what intrigued me to try these pies. He used to work at The Lexington as Bar Staff, but actually made and sold pies at local markets in his spare time. So when he was appointed as Head Chef, the menu was completely changed to focus on quality and not just offering typical pub food. 

The Lexington is actually a pub AND a music venue. Funnily enough, I’ve actually been there before, but for a small gig that was held upstairs in their club room. I remember I managed to get my hands on some cheap tickets to see an up and coming band called Nimmo who had released a song I was obsessed with. It was one of those completely random but awesome nights. I’d never have thought to visit The Lexington for food, so I’m very glad I got this opportunity.

Normally this would be a ‘go to the bar and order your food’ type of situation, but it was really nice of Nathan to come and speak to us about the menu and the quality of the produce he uses in his food. One of his pies, the Beef Bourguignon, has even won a Bronze award at The British Pie Awards 2016!

I happened to visit mid-week, so it was pretty quite, but I kind of liked that. Comparing it to the last time I visited, it was nice to be able to sit and catch up with a friend over some good food.Now onto the food…

I was surprised how many veggie options there were to choose from. Normally with most pie places, you’ll be lucky to find one of two options, let alone 3! I felt spoilt for choice. My friend ended up going for the Beef Bourguignon Pie of course, and seemed to really enjoy it. I totally would’ve gone for that too if the meat had been halal. She said the chunky Carrot & Swede mash was absolutely delicious, and I think that helped balance out the dish as I can imagine the filling being quite rich.

The thing I loved about the meal was that there were four different types of mash to choose from:

Kale & New Potato Colcannon, Cheddar & Wholegrain Mustard, Olive Oil & Roast Garlic or Carrot & Swede. Who doesn’t love a good old mash? So many options make it hard to choose because I wanted to try them all! 

I ended up going for the Classic Lancashire Cheese & Onion with Jerusalem Artichoke & Sage Pie. I chose the Cheddar & Wholegrain Mustard Mash to go with it. I know, I know, cheese on cheese? But I felt like the mustard could add a bit of a kick and texture to the dish. 

The pastry was so good; buttery and the right level of flaky. The filling was tasty, but I absolutely loved the sauce it came with. Pie and mash can often feel a little stodgy at times, but this sauce lightened it up and kicked the flavour up a notch.

We had some sides of vegetables too; Baby Chantenay Carrots with Lemon and British Spring Greens with Garlic & Walnuts.

After eating that generous serving of pie and mash, there wasn’t much space to eat all of the veg, but they were really delicious. They tasted like they’d just been brought from the market and cooked fresh.If you take a look at their Instagram, you’ll also see that they also do an amazing looking Sunday roast, along with a vegan version too.

Islington/Angel has a lot of chain restaurants and cafés, so it’s nice to know that if you’re looking for a place for some good pub grub with friends, The Lexington would be a great option. It’s slightly away from the hustle and bustle of Upper Street, and although I’m sure it get’s pretty busy on gig nights, I know I will end up going back at some point.

*I was invited to review The Lexington, but as always, all opinions are my own.