J’AIME JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

F O O D & D R I N K
A new dawn for The Red Lion
ACCLAIMED STAFFORDSHIRE PUB THE RED LION AT BRADLEY IS TRIUMPHING
WITH A NEW KITCHEN TEAM AT THE HELM, AS AMY NORBURY DISCOVERS
Businesses the world over have endured
a torrid two years in the face of the
global coronavirus pandemic. And
no industry has been harder hit than
hospitality. Pubs, bars and restaurants
were forced to close their doors for
months, then jump through endless
hoops in order to continue serving
customers.
And just as it felt hospitality was seeing
brighter days, acclaimed Staffordshire
pub The Red Lion was hit with another
setback as it was forced to close its
kitchen unexpectedly once again in the
autumn when the newly-recruited head
chef opted - at the last minute - not to
take up the role.
But, happily, The Red Lion is back with a bang - and
an exciting new kitchen team to boot.
Nestled in the Staffordshire village of Bradley, not
far from the county town, The Red Lion is part of
the Lewis Partnership, whose flagship venue is the
renowned Moat House at Acton Trussell. And the
pub is not short of an accolade or two itself, having
featured in the Michelin Guide and awarded a
prestigious Michelin Plate for the past four years.
The Michelin inspectors praised the pub’s ‘hearty,
flavoursome dishes’, noting that it was worth
diverting off the M6 for a visit.
And I concur.
After a higgledy-piggledy drive through the
Staffordshire countryside, The Red Lion is a beacon
of hospitality, drawing diners from miles around to
this pretty little village. The pub itself is a tale of
two halves, with a beautiful oak-framed conservatory
creating a bright and airy bar area, before a quaint
and quirky snug - anyone taller than my five foot
three inches will need to mind their heads on the low
beams - leads through to the cosy dining room.
In the kitchen is new head chef Kris Redshaw, who
spent most of his early career in the Michelin-starred
kitchen of The Chester Grosvenor Hotel under
Simon Radley and Nick Brodie and has staged in
some of Britain’s top restaurants owned by the likes
of Tom Kitchin, Daniel Clifford and Tom Brown.
A keen forager, Kris is also passionate about
growing veg in his family’s allotment - both
influences which can be seen on The Red Lion’s
menu.
J’AIME was invited over to give Kris’s dishes a
try, and we jumped at the chance to venture out
for a bite to eat on a dreary January Saturday
evening.
We were greeted in the restaurant by manager
Sophie and shown to a cosy table tucked in the
corner. It was right at the start of evening service
but a handful of tables were already occupied,
and by the time we left the pub would be filled
36 www.jaimemagazine.com