Our "Battle of Britain"

The time has now come for us to unveil an event which we are very excited about and which you have probably not seen before, we are billing it as "The Battle of Britain". It is on Friday the 18th May at 7:30pm, and is essentially a beer and food pairing event with a bit of fun, some national pride and a lot of gentle rivalry. 

The three way, no holds barred, competition will be between three of the countries top brewers and their breweries.

Representing England is our very own Chiswick based Fullers, from Scotland is the Forth Valley's Harviestoun Brewery and thirdly we have South Wales' very own Otley Brewery.
As stated earlier it is not only their award winning beers which will be appearing here but more importantly their renowned Head Brewers too, this is really a unique event and a rare opportunity for you to witness the meeting of some great brewing minds. And, as if this was not enough, the evening will be compered by our favourite beer and food writer Melissa Cole who, I'm sure will be do her best to keep things fair and above board.

The evening's proceedings will be held outside in our beautiful garden and will involve a theatrical three course meal with varying array of flavours. The first course will be a collection of Dim Sum and dipping sauces from the far east, for mains we will go over to Spain for a giant Paella Carne, cooked outside in front of you, and for dessert there will be chocolate fountains on your tables. Each course will be accompanied with a beer from each brewery, it is your job to work out who's beer matches the food and pairs up with the flavours the best. There will be plenty of banter, plenty of beer and no doubt there will be a few more surprises thrown into the mix.
Tickets are on sale now at a price of £40 per head, Tables are limited to a minimum of 4 persons per table, if you want us to help you make up a four, just ask, we have plenty of friendly locals who don't normally bite. There are, of course, limited spaces, so it's probably best not to wait for too long before you book. If you require anymore information, please, do not hesitate to contact us. Finally we apologise to our Northern Irish brothers & sisters that there is no representation from over the sea, approaches we made but to no avail.

Burns Night 2012

Click to see our exciting menu....

Here we go again , now taking bookings for our second Burn's night. It will again be a 3 course dinner, proceedings will begin at 19:30. The menu is above (click on picture). There will be a piper & readings given by some professional actors. Whose faces you may recognise. As you can see by previous posts last year was a huge success and we were a full house. You will not be disappointed so best to book early. Once the local word gets out we will fill up fast. Don't delay.

I don't believe it....

I was doing such a good job at this pub blogging lark and then it all fell silent, once again this space will be filled with a promise not to be a stranger, in the mean time have a look at past posts for a taste of last year. Catch up with you soon. And thanks for your interest.

"Battle of The Sexes" THE RESULT

Warming Up !

 So, our inaugural beer & food match in the distinguished company of John Keeling & Melissa Cole (to whom we both owe a great big thank you) & under the heading of  "Battle of the sexes" has passed & ended up as a resounding success.

It was one of the more difficult functions we've ever catered for but it was not as if we slid into the beer & food match world gently in any way.

Getting in the flow....

We entered into it with a four course meal, the starter was made up of four separate components alone, the main was two plus each course was matched with two rival beers, which meant that the sixty people booked each had to be delivered sixteen different beers throughout the evening, (needless to say sobriety was not in much evidence come taxi time)



Pass the "Canopys" Mavis...



It also had to be timed such that the beers were at the correct temperature in the correct order at the correct point in the meal, to call it a logistical mind bender would be one description for it, although our poor assistant manager who's task this was had a more flowery version.! The food was not standard fare either there were some quite "challenging" dishes (again not a term our chefs used during service ) including a Fatt Putt , Lahmacun and Salt cod Brandade all made from scratch, Irish rock oysters to open as close to service as possible & not to mention caramel tarts & pear tatins all individually crafted. One of the main focuses from the chefs eye view was to deliver as much fine flavours as possible in the food to compliment & match all the excellent beers chosen by John & Melissa.

The man speaks !

It would have been easier to cook up a few sausages, serve a chocolate cake & bang out a cheese board but this was not what we were aiming for. We have set our own high bar for beer & food tasting here at The Red Lion and enjoyed it immensely, now watch out for the sequel in the Spring, It's going to be huge...trust us !

By the way forgot to mention, Melissa launched her new book "Let Me Tell You About Beer: A Beginner's Guide to All Things Brewed" well worth it. And finally if you wondered, yes, the stronger sex did win....... 

Thanksgiving in Barnes

Brits !! Please don't be shocked.....

Regulars, & those in the know, are aware of one of biggest success stories in the form of our now famous Thanksgiving Dinner, not a gimmick, but a bona fide night for our friends from "across the pond" to celebrate their holiday away from home in our beautiful pub in wonderful Barnes. Always a sellout night with bookings rolling over from year to year & a true family occasion. Whether your an expat, tourist, or somebody just caught temporarily here in London you are more than welcome to spend an evening in the company of your fellow Americans (of which there are quite a few)
 We are now taking bookings. The menu is as authentic as it can be with a British cook in charge, but with eleven years of hosting this event under our belts I can truly say we do not do a bad job. If you fancy it, BOOK NOW or you will be disappointed.....really, do not hesitate.

Fox hunting in Barnes !!

My favourite seasonal ale is currently available here at the moment in the form of "Red Fox" it is 4.8% abv & stunning in both appearance & taste with it's tawny red colour, & delicious malty flavours. It is brewed with toasted oats to give a deliciously distinctive biscuity note and rich mellow aftertaste. I would like to think that it's solely down to my moaning that Fuller's have decided to make it available for a touch longer than previous years, so I won't disappoint and I promise to keep it on as long as I can get hold of it because the poor beast is being pursued & hunted down by the current "teachers pet" of the brewery, in the shape of "Bengal Lancer" at 5% abv it is pale amber in colour & full-bodied with a distinctive hoppiness that marks it out as a true India Pale Ale. It is brewed using the finest English malt and Goldings hops to evoke memories of the first versions of this beer. It has a superb refreshing style & if you haven't tried it yet it will be here towards late October so make a mental note & don't miss out. There are also  some brand  new Ales on their way from the brewery very soon, watch this space to find out what they are & when you can sink a few pints !

"Battle of the Sexes".. A Beer & Food match with a difference.

Finally the time is here to unveil an event we have been planning for some time.


We are calling it "Battle of the Sexes" it is a beer and food matching event with a difference. It is an evening in the company of two great minds of the beer world and a fantastic chance to glean some valuable knowledge about the flavours of different beers and how they compliment a whole array of foods. It is an evening that will involve a carefully written 4 course menu all matched with different beers.
 The twist in this evening is that the beers will be chosen by two completely different representatives of the universe, yes, you've guessed it, one is a man and the other is..shock horror, (wait for it) ...a real life woman !


Your job is to decide who is right, if at all either.


The experts in question are old foes and sparring partners in the shape of, John Keeling, Fuller’s master brewer with over 40 years experience, and well respected the length and breadth of the country for his expert beer making skills, and Melissa Cole, the leading beer writer and journalist, author of girlsguidetobeer.blogspot.com and her up and coming book “Let Me Tell You About Beer: A Beginner's Guide to All Things Brewed”, Melissa also regularly writes for the Guardian, and is an expert on food and matching the hidden flavours that lurk beneath the surface.


Both John & Melissa will choose a beer to match each course of the dinner, both will have had time to consider flavours they are matching it with, but they will not know what each other has chosen right up until literally the last minute.
As you can, hopefully, tell it is going to be a tongue in cheek, good humoured night, plenty of banter and a few chances available to score a few points against the weaker sex, which one is the weaker ? well that’s for you to decide, but you better be sure, if you know what’s good for you.

The cost is £25 per head, tickets are now on sale and there really are limited spaces. Call in, call up or drop us an email now.