Country Lounge, Oakham

We were staying in the highly glamourous Redwings Lodge for the night and decided to pop in this neighbouring bar for a quick nightcap before retiring for the evening. It’s a fairly large two-room set up, styled as a smart lounge bar to serve passing motorists and guests staying at both the lodge and neighbouring hotel. The left-hand room was closed on our late evening visit, so I was unable to explore, but it seemed to be quite a sizable space with lots of seating, perhaps geared a little more towards dining than the comfier looking lounge and bar area to the right. The lounge has nice modern floorboards and some folding front windows which initially look ideal for a warm summer’s day but in reality, open out to a car park with a pretty busy A-road beyond. The walls are mostly whitewashed, with a few bits of exposed brick visible here and there, and there’s a large Laurel & Hardy mural painted on the back wall for no apparent reason (other such murals could just about be glimpsed in the closed room to the left) and the light shades hanging from above are in the style of Charlie Chaplin hats. The servery is in the rear right corner and has a bare brick counter which is split in two to differentiate between food and drinks orders. A row of tables and chairs runs through the centre of the room, with high tables and stools to the front and some tub chairs to the left, surrounding old travel chests and suitcases that have been repurposed as tables. A nice stove on this side of the room was lit on a cold October evening, making it quite a pleasant spot to hunker down. Pop music was playing quietly in the background and there were only two other customers in on this late evening visit, both of whom I embarrassingly mistook for staff when I arrived. I fully expected to end up with a pint of lager or Guinness here, so it was great to instead spot two handpulls on the bar, one of which was dispensing Grainstore Witches Brew. I was pretty sceptical about trying a Halloween themed beer in an empty roadside hotel bar, but amazingly, it was in great shape and as good as anything I tried in Grainstore’s own pub in Oakham. Once located, the staff, who must’ve been thinking about shutting up shop and having an early finish until we arrived, were very friendly and welcoming. Whilst this place was pleasant enough and managed to serve up a very good pint of local ale, I struggle to recommend it, as it’s ultimately just a hotel bar and restaurant that lacks the ambiance and appeal of a ‘proper’ pub. Some credit is deserved for making this a nice spot to enjoy a quick pint in, but unless you’re passing by or staying locally, there are more satisfying pub options in close range.

Official site of Country Lounge - www.morcottcountrylounge.com

Official site of Country Lounge - www.morcottcountrylounge.com

A former Little Thief on the A47, this is a new bar/café. Two big rooms inside, the left is for functions, whilst the open-plan right room is for day-to-day business. Jumbo Laurel & Hardy and Charlie Chaplin images on the walls try to take the edge off what is otherwise a pretty functional space. Two pumps, one ale on - Grainstore Cooking (fair shape) and a keg of Grainstore Lager. We went on their first full day of re-opening and things were a little chaotic. It is what it is, good luck to them.