The Lion Inn, Boreham

Save yourself the money, if you are thinking of going out for a meal at the lion inn in Boreham (near Chelmsford) as an alternative, why not pop along to a budget store, and buy some packs of processed frozen food, place in the microwave until it's not quiet cooked, then make sure you serve on cold plates some where noisy, and finally make sure your table is covered in dried food debris.

If I had known all this I could have saved my self £100.00 and an argument with the wife.

very expencive for what you get. sharing platters that could not feed one. waitress service but you have to go to the bar to order a bit much at these prices . food very bland and way overpriced for what mostley seemed warmed up stuff.

ON SUNDAY 2ND NOVEMBER 19 OF US CAME TO DINE. WE WERE VERY DISAPOINTED, THE FIRST THING WHICH WE THOUGHT WAS VERY UNPROFESSIONAL WAS WE HAD ON THE TABLE A NOTICE SAYING { THIS TABLE IS SOLD AT 4PM ) rOAST POTATOES WERNT GOOD, ROAST BEEF WAS EXCELLENT, THE CHEESE BOARD AND GRAPES WERE TO SOFT MUSHY, THE VARIETY OF CHEESE WAS AWFUL FOR £8.00 IT WASNT GOOD.

THE WAITRESS WAS VERY GOOD.

OVERALL THE MEAL WASNT GOOD.

What a lovely little pub, everything and English pub should be, great atmosphere, eclectic decorations and furniture, friendly staff and great food. My daughter and I ate there twice last week and it couldn't have been a better experience. The server was new and she was fantastic. There were many gluten free options and the chef even made up a special gluten free meal the second night. I had the duck which was delicious.

Went to The Lion Inn at Boreham today for the first time, celebrating a birthday, I was so disappointed with the food, I had Lamb and there was absolutely no flavour to the dinner whatsoever, my plate came with 5 small slices of lamb, a teaspoon size portion of rosemary stuffing and a few hard roast potatoes. The gravy was like water. Eventually had some vegetables brought out, in my opinion the serving of veg was ideal for 1 maybe 2 people but we had 12 people on our table!! Admittedly there were 2 bowls of veg but considering the cost of the food it was a poor effort. The wait between the starter and the main was ridiculous, I would say at least 45 minutes, we were beginning to feel like going home before the main came!! I did however have a lemon meringue dessert which I have to say was superb!

The Inn is a large place and was very busy so it must be popular but I wonder how many people there today would go back? I wouldn't!!

Even though the food is very good, it gets very noisy when full. I think the management need to sort this out as it can get very difficult to hear what anyone's saying on your table. Lunch time can be unbearable sometimes. Food is good quality and the staff are polite and professional.

Don't go here if you expect to have a quiet conversation!

We wanted to have Sunday lunch for 3 people - 2 of whom are vegan. We 'phoned the evening before and asked if they catered for vegans the reply was "Yes! we cater for everyone". When we arrived for Sunday lunch we were offered Greek salad without feta (or in other words a plate of salad leaves) or pasta and tomato sauce. If this is the best vegan meal they can come up with then their chef doesn't have much imagination. Walked out after complaining that they shouldn't say they cater for vegans if they don't. Woman who claimed to be restaurant manager shrugged. She obviously couldn't have cared less. I have given this one star as it is not possible to give it the nil stars that it deserves.

First started to use the Lion Inn about a year ago when it was fresh lively and the staff where very helpful, but how the mighty fall.

About nine months ago noticed that the meals were not served as hot as they could have been, but decided not to complain as it might have been a one off. Sadly it was not, as on our next visit, my wife two sons and myself ordered Mikes pie, I can only assume Mike likes his pie cold as ours was served very cold and we sent all four back. 20 minutes later were served another 4 straight from the microwave, I think someone was having a pop. To be honest we had a horrible meal served by hurried and unfriendly staff, we resolved not to return to the Lion.

But like fools a few months later we decided to give the lion another go as at one time it was well run with good food. This time there was 4 adults and 2 children, As it was a Sunday we rather hoped that there would be roast turkey on the menu unfortunately there was not only roast beef and having had a bad experience with the beef last time I ordered here at the Lion Inn decided not to take another chance and along with my wife and son went again for Mikes pie, surprise, surprise it was hot and rather nice. The 2 children went for chicken and chips which turned out to be absolutely ghastly. The chips very thin and over cooked, the chicken was cold and totally bland, and would have been more at home in a boot menders.

The very next day after our meal I'm sorry to say that the 3 of us who had Mikes pie where struck down with diarrhoea and upset stomach, whether it was the pie or something else is not for me to say, you dear reader must make your own assumptions, But I do know that I will never give the Lion Inn the benefit of the doubt again.

So execrable is this meal factory that reviewing it is like shooting fish in a barrel. Indeed, fish shot in a barrel would be an appetising alternative to the pap microwaved and slapped onto plates at The Lion.

But first to appearances, which after all is what this establishment is all about. A large car park, so that people who are as bad at finding a parking space as they are at choosing where to eat can manoeuvre their brash 4x4s with ease. An impressive entrance at the rear of the property leads into a large eating space, with satellite dining areas into which large parties can be crammed. The bar, the napkins, the well-attired staff and the general feel of affluence are a painting-by-numbers recreation of a posh restaurant.

I arrived late, and so added my order at the bar. By the time I had sat down and hello to half the table, my starter had arrived. An email from a distressed Nigerian minister seeking a home for his funds might take less time to arrive, and be more welcome when it did.

I had mushrooms, which were drenched in an oily sauce, with by a poached egg with its own dollop of hollandaise sauce. The egg had the perfect uniformity obtained of something microwaved in a pouch. There was no toast, or anything of texture at all, so that the whole dish had the effect of a loose and variegated stool.

My main course, pork belly sitting on some pappy accompaniment, was inedible. Of course it's a fatty dish - but there was a three-quarter inch block of un-denatured blubber, and the whole dish was so lacking in flavour that it was as though it came with its own serving of a bad cold.

My niece, eating from the child menu, was luck enough to hit on the fish and chips, which were perfectly palatable. Her brother was not so lucky. When his roast beef arrived, the Yorkshire pudding was so overdone that two of us did a double take, thinking it to be the end of of a huge slab of meat. In fact, under this burnt puff were some slithers of beef, doused in unappetising gravy. The roast potatoes had that gamey old flavour of the worst school dinners.

I swapped my meal for a chicken salad, and my nephew took refuge with the unscrewuppable fish and chips. Another member of the party had been so disgusted by his watery and luke-warm soup that he would have nothing more to do with the kitchen.

My salad was of the sort that fat people can order to make themselves feel healthy, while still enjoying a large slab of meat disguised by slicing, and a good dose of extraneous calories in the form of a drenching of oily dressing. Most of the rest of it was lettuce, with some cherry tomatoes and cucumber, but at least it was freshly cut.

Some mitigating circumstances. Those who had steaks were happy, and the chocolate cake with ice cream from the child menu was good as well. The service was speedy even on a busy day. The manager handled my complaints with complete professionalism and none of the grudging reluctance that you sometimes meet with.

But perhaps the best excuses for offering this sort of pap were the tables of satisfied customers. There are evidently lots of people who don't notice that they are eating meals on wheels provided the surroundings look good enough.

The whole restaurant was like one of those big, shiny apples you get in American supermarkets - alluring to look at, but utterly lacking in flavour on the inside. But it's giving the public what they want.

Good atmosphere but did not expect to go to a very busy bar to order drinks for the table and the starters and main courses.

Three people ordrerd steaks and three others other items from the expensive menu. Steaks were cold,sent back, replacements recieved 20 minutes later. In this time the other diners at the table had finished. The steaks were slightly warmed through, the waitress did advise us that if you have steaks cooked medium you cannot expect it to be hot!!

No apologies etc, very busy so why worry.

This is little more than a Vintage inn but double the price