The Waterside
Fairwater Drive,
Woodley RG5 3EZ
0118 342 0171
watersidewoodley.co.uk
THE WATERSIDE is a beautiful pub in the heart of Woodley – the thatched roof says tradition, but the contemporary interior has comfort in mind.
And with a beautiful garden, which backs on to South Lake, it is the perfect place to relax on balmy summer evenings, to enjoy a family lunch or to catch up with friends for a gossip. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before we can do that again.
Having previously enjoyed a meal at the pub, which used to be known as The Thatchers, the prospect of a contactless takeaway was one to savour.
Business partners Albert and Greg took over the pub a year ago and have worked to put this place on the map as a fantastic place to drink and dine. They take great pride in delivering quality food, and know that quality ingredients is key to a delicious meal.
For the lockdown, Albert has put together a fantastic varied menu including some of the Waterside’s favourites to cater for a variety of palettes.
Choices include house specials such as the intriguing named Bangkok Bad Burger. Also on offer are Sausage and Mash, Peri Peri Half Chicken and Chips, Fish and Chips and a variety of Pizzas. There is also an option of starters such as Halloumi Sticks, and Buffalo Chicken Wings, as well as desserts.
And there is also a drinks takeaway service for those missing their favourite tipples.
Orders can be easily placed on the phone or social media platforms. Albert will then agree a time slot with you, and deliver the food to your car boot, so the whole process is contact-free.
Sunday lunches have to be pre-ordered, which we did on the Thursday before, but you have until noon on Saturday for this.
Collection was easy and the food parcels were neatly packaged up. Portion sizes are decent and the food enjoyable.
My husband and I both opted for a Sunday Roast, his was beef, mine chicken – lamb is also available.
Alongside a big mound of meat, there was a plentiful supply of roast potatoes, an enormous Yorkshire pudding, broccoli cheese, carrots and a lovely rich gravy.
It’s extremely reasonable at £10 for adults and £5 for children.
My ravenous 13-year-old son decided he would like the chicken wings for starter priced at £3, which he devoured.
His main was a Pollo ad Astra (£9). This was a lovely thick pizza base with chicken, sweet piquanté peppers, red onion and mozzarella and he felt it was better than ones he’d tried from a well-known delivery service
My daughter opted for the Margarita pizza (£9) which she equally enjoyed.
Moving on to desserts, three of us enjoyed a cheesecake. It came with a raspberry coulis topping in a separate container so you had the option to pour or not. It was totally delicious light and almost mousse-like.
However, my daughter let her sweet tooth guide her to an Eaton mess. Evidently it was delicious as she wouldn’t even let me try some.
Both were £4.50 per portion.
The Waterside has created a fantastic varied menu for these lockdown days, and offers excellent service and amazingly tasty food.
CLAIRE WORSFOLD
