The Tunnel House Inn Burger

Review of The Tunnel House Inn Burger

Website: http://tunnelhouse.com/

What they say:

Tunnel House burger, chips, mixed leaves. Sample menu online says Gherkin, sliced Tomato, onion rings, skinny fries.

Price: £10.95. Stilton, Cheddar or Bacon can be added for £0.95 each.

In the past I have been called many things. A “Twitter whore”… a “page view sell out” but what I take great exception to is that I have no interest in “real” food.

So after a magnitude of limited time offer reviews it was time to go back to basics and where better than the Cotswold countryside and The Tunnel House Inn? If you look up “country pub” in a dictionary you will find a picture of this beautiful establishment.

This is a lovely pub, with a cracking interior and open fires and wood burners aplenty. Old Tobacco and Cigarette advertisements adorn the walls amongst stuffed animals and “Locals Bar” signs to give this a charming and rustic eating experience.

What I really loved about being in this bar and grill was all the nooks and crannies you can sit in to escape the world and spend a lazy afternoon sipping on real ales and snacking on their mixed menu.

Of course, I went with the burger and on this occasion it was served with home cooked chips, lettuce leaves and a creamy homemade slaw.

The Tunnel House Inn Burger Review
The Tunnel House Inn Burger…

The burger was cooked medium to well done and had cucumber and tomato on it. As I got closer to the middle though there was a slight pink to the interior. I was a bit perplexed with the cucumber and wondered if they were out of gherkins that day. The two bacon rashers were thick cut and excellent quality – well worth the additional 95p! I took my first bite and was hit with a salty, rich taste coming from the thick melted Cheddar cheese. It was really strong, not overbearing but a welcome change to actually have a burger where the cheese stood up to be counted.

The Tunnel House Inn Burger Review
At £13.00 some night argue this is expensive…

The patty was made up of “proper quality beef” I wrote on my iPad. It had a rich buttery taste and reminded me that paying extra for locally reared meat is always the better option when looking for a late lunch and pint on a semi-lazy Friday afternoon.

As I sat at the table making these notes I could smell burning wood as more logs were put on the open fire and I listened to the contented chatter from the busy but reserved lunch crowd. This was a good feeling and I imagined sitting here all afternoon next to the fire or spending a summer’s afternoon in the beer garden looking over the adjacent countryside.

The Tunnel House Inn Burger Review
The exterior of the Tunnel House Inn…

The chips served with the Tunnel House burger were quite frankly amazing. Truly a delight to eat as they were ultra-crispy on the outside and fluffy and soft on the inside leading me to believe they had been at least triple-cooked. Yeah good! Especially as given the option I would have gone with fries nine times out of ten. I also have come to the conclusion that one or two disappeared from my plate when I was pre-occupied.

The Tunnel House Inn Burger Review
A cosy and inviting environment…

Now cucumber on a burger is not completely unheard of. Personally I was craving its pickled incarnation but the fresh and coolness of it cut through the beef. I even tried the burger with the fresh tomato on so there’s hope for me yet… but yeah some thick cut pickles would be better in my opinion.

I tried the creamy slaw which was grand and the salad leaves had been tossed in a tasty vinaigrette. Overall this was a solid country pub burger. I’d not make a special trip just to have it again but would be back in a shot for the ambience, atmosphere and character of this charming place.

The Tunnel House Inn Burger Review
Plenty of places to hideaway…

The staff were amazing and friendly too so full marks on that score! My only grumble was that unfortunately the bottom bun was bordering on the burnt side but this really did not detract from my enjoyment of the Tunnel House burger. I cannot stress just how strong that Cheddar was and it left a creamy, salty aftertaste on my palate.

The Tunnel House Inn Burger Review
Inside the Tunnel House burger…

After our late lunch we set off to find the Butts Farm (home of The Tavern burger) and as I looked at the amazing selection of locally reared meats on the counter realised I was in “real food country”.

It is lovely in the surrounding area around Cirencester and there are definitely some further places on the burger radar. Having a local, independent burger has really given me the taste to try more gourmet burgers and I hope to focus on these in the upcoming months. In the meantime let’s take one last look at The Tunnel House Inn burger. Thanks for reading and I hope to be back “real” soon.

The Tunnel House Inn Burger Review
Bacon. Check. Cheddar. Check. Cucumber…?

Burger Lad®