Betsy Smith

Ah Betsy Smith! What did you do, I wonder, to get a pub named after you? Whatever it was, I'm glad you did it!

Lamb Roast with steamed veggies

I ventured over to the Betsy Smith for a farewell roast for a friend from Oz who had popped by for a couple of weeks. On a Sunday afternoon, it was fairly empty and we had managed to reserve the entire raised section for our merry group. This also entailed having our own waiter (although since there were just a handful of people in the pub maybe it was just by default) who was incredibly friendly and helpful.I opted for the lamb roast (you can also get beef and I believe chicken) which consisted of two slices of lamb, a handful of potatoes, and some carrot slices and cauliflower. The Yorkshire pudding was more like a biscuit and had none of the soft fluffiness you'd expect for the soaking up of gravy. Rather, it was hard and chewy and not at all enjoyable. The lamb slices were tender with an excellent brown meaty sauce. The downside is that the few ounces of meat was not sufficient to satisfy my hunger. The potatoes and other veggies soon followed as did the Yorkshire pudding cracker. But still I was hungry. This is unusually as a proper Sunday roast typically puts me in a food coma. I even polished off the remains of a couple other peoples' food (one of my friends refuses to eat veggies...his loss) but eventually came to the conclusion that based on the portion size, Betsy Smith must have been a slight lass with a small appetite. 

Sticky Toffee Pudding with a mega serving of ice cream

Then we got to dessert. Wow. Each serving of sticky toffee pudding was enough to serve a group of 4. The pudding itself was incredible with soft airy cake soaked with sugary date sauce. The vanilla ice cream was similarly delightful although I remain puzzled why it was served in a thick cold pastry bowl. An interesting presentation but one that overall diminished the enjoyment of the dish. I was a bit disappointed in the roast but the dessert more than made up for it!Other thoughts: The drinks are creatively named (I had a Tequila Mockingbird) and in general are tasty. Prices aren't too bad with the roast, dessert, and a drink coming to around £20. The atmosphere and setting is brilliant and tends to cosy and comfortable with rich old woods. The location could be more accessible although since I live SE London pretty much anything in this area is "not easily accessible" as far as I'm concerned. Oh, there are bike racks right in front with is a definite plus.Overall, a good place to relax and catch up with friends but not if you are starving!