Just the place to go when you want a day off from cooking
Warm and welcoming – Railway Inn, New Ellerby(Image: Deborah Hall/Hull Live)
It was a short break from work and a day off from “everything” – including cooking – that brought us to the Railway Inn at New Ellerby.
We’re not entirely strangers to this pub, but it had been a while since we’d darkened its doors. We thought, on a random Thursday, out of holiday season, we were probably going to be okay getting a table without booking … then we saw the car park.
While we managed to get a parking space, it was busy and there were patrons making their way inside as we pulled up. Slightly hesitantly, glancing around at the almost-full bar area, I asked the young woman manning the pumps if it was possible we might be able to have a table for two – and hurrah, the answer was “yes, of course, are you okay over there by the window?”.
We got our drinks first and had a lengthy menu to peruse (plus a separate chef’s specials of the day list). We were given plenty of time to make up our minds, which was good, because we did dither a bit, with all the choices.
In the end, I plumped for liver ‘n’ sausage in onion gravy, served on a bubble and squeak potato cake with tenderstem broccoli. My partner nearly wavered but remained true to type, with his love of pies, choosing the Railway’s “famous homemade steak pie”.
Our meals duly arrived – huge portions and piping hot. My other half’s main was a large slice of packed-to-the-crust pie, served with a selection of vegetables and new potatoes (creamy mash, chips or rice were also offered) and a separate boat of rich and thick gravy, just how he likes it.
I looked at my bowl of liver and sausage – the helping was enough for two, I’d say – but I tucked in, hoping my appetite could do it justice. Now, I always take a chance on having liver “out”, as although I love it, I can’t be doing with any “tubey” bits – I needn’t have worried.
It was delicious, tender, and with no rogue pipework in sight. The flavour was superb, a really nice savoury and possibly herby note to it, with lots of rich onion gravy, and nice slices of well-cooked sausage, with a crisp rasher of grilled bacon to top it off.
The only negative was, with the amount of gravy, the bubble and squeak “cake”, which I expected to be of the crispy pattie variety, had the texture of soft mash – but it was very tasty nonetheless. Helped by my partner (I swapped a piece of the liver for a chunk of his steak) I managed to almost clear my dish; his plate was clean.
Though we were both quite full, the dessert list was calling. After a break we ordered sticky toffee pudding with ice-cream for him (he’d seen a dish of it being brought to a neighbouring table) and lemon posset for me.
The pudding was declared “delicious”; the posset was a lovely, creamy pot of lemon luciousness, topped off with a berry compote and a heart-shaped shortbread. A cute little addition was an extra shortbread biscuit on the side, in the shape of a train, and stuffed as I was, it would have been rude to leave it.
We finished our meal with a cappuccino each as the other diners departed and we were all but last to leave after lunchtime service finished. But no one hurried us away.
The staff had been very attentive and pleasant throughout, some of our fellow patrons chatty and good company, and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. We enjoyed looking at some of the railway memorabilia and information that adorns the walls of the pub too.