Last Updated on March 13, 2025
The Ultimate Sunday Lunch at the Loch and the Tyne
Just as migratory birds instinctively head for warmer climes, Londoners seem compelled to flock to the countryside on weekends. Despite the abundance of green spaces within the capital, many residents venture into the Surrey wilderness or beyond for a dose of fresh air and relaxation. Pairing a scenic walk with a leisurely Sunday lunch is a popular choice, and the Loch and the Tyne in Old Windsor offers the perfect destination. This charming restaurant/gastropub with rooms by chef Adam Handling is ideally situated to cater for weekend visitors. Just an hour’s train ride from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside, followed by a picturesque hour-long walk, the Loch and the Tyne combines rustic charm with refined dining on the village outskirts.
We set off expecting wind and rain. Storm Bert was on the way. But, luck was on our side and the sky was a vibrant, autumnal blue scattered with fluffy cumulus clouds making their way briskly in the breeze.
From the railway station, walkers heading for The Loch and the Tyne can trace a route along the river or cut through the town, circumnavigate Windsor Castle, and then enjoy the famous Windsor Long Walk before following the A308 for a short while to the outskirts of Old Windsor.
The Long Walk option, ironically, is just a little shorter of the two options, and it’s a walk that everyone should do at least once in their life, a route that somehow makes you feel like royalty as you leave the castle and pass Frogmore cottage and other Windsor Estate properties
Nevertheless, in my book, the best part of any walk is the point when you reach your destination. As a die-hard Adam Handling fan, the prospect of that destination being one of his establishments was an excellent incentive.
Had I known that we’d be welcomed like old friends, with a glass of the house English sparkling wine, their own cuvee from Exton Park I’d have been even more enthusiastic. The wines were produced just like champagne by blending library wines to create the perfect cuvee. The brut is 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay and a great aperitif, while the Blanc de Blancs we tasted is 100% chardonnay.
I feel privileged to have met Kelvin McCabe, the Beverages Director of the Adam Handling Group who was on hand to make some truly innovative suggestions for pairings throughout our meal and whose passion for English Sparkling Wine could have been contagious if I wasn’t already obsessed myself!
On reflection, Kelvin’s attention to detail and creative thinking was mirrored throughout the meal by the food and by the beautiful plating. The devil is in the detail, so they say – and things started well at The Loch and the Tyne with a pretty autumnal place setting and dried flowers on the table. Somehow this is a venue that manages to feel classy without being stuffy. Accommodating everyone from families with small children to groups of friends to older couples could have been a challenge, but a happy, relaxed atmosphere made it work.
The Sunday Lunch menu at The Loch and the Tyne is a fusion of ‘All that is Adam’ with classic Sunday Roast expectations. I can remember my first taste of cheese doughnuts and chicken butter, probably ten years ago at a long-since-vanished Adam Handling restaurant in Spitalfields. Between us, my companion and I could have won a doughnut-eating competition (thankfully they are small!) and her effusive love of the chicken butter got her sent home with a piping bag full of the stuff (a gift from the restaurant!) Here they were, on the menu again, as mandatory (in my case) snacks.
Just as good as ever, the chicken butter came topped with a tiny crumble of chicken skin and served with well-flavoured sourdough. And, the doughnuts were exactly as I remember them, with a gooey cheese filling and a topping of finely grated parmesan. Simple pleasures, especially with a swig of the Exton Park Blanc de Blancs.
Moving on to ‘Smaller’ plates (starters), we ordered ‘Mother’ and Trout with Jalapeno and parsley. Mother is another Adam Handling classic. The story behind the dish is that as Adam was preparing to open his first restaurant his mum called as she was on her way – to tell him that she was now vegetarian. Mother, a dish made from celeriac, date and apple with what I believe was originally a black truffle cream, was the result and it appears regularly on every Adam Handling menu to this day. Needless to say, I’ve had it before and always enjoy it. The version served here doesn’t have the black truffle but is nonetheless delicious and I think rather better as a lunchtime option. And, of course you can add truffle for a supplement.
Certainly, it was paired for us with a Bodega Garzón viognier from Uruguay, a lovely fresh mouthful. We learnt that the dish had originally been paired with a Gewurztraminer but the new pairing was to reflect the current dish which was light and fresh.
Meanwhile, my companion’s dish of Trout, Jalepeño and Parsley was a ‘pretty as a picture’ concoction of finely sliced trout in a chilli-laced marinade with a parsley creme fraiche topping
With the trout, we enjoyed a glass of Terres Dorees Beaujolais Blanc from Jean Paul Brun. It’s an unoaked Chardonnay with lovely ripe fruit and citrus notes.
The ‘Roasts’ menu is quite refined, with options that will please everyone. For the pescatarian, there’s roast hake with white bean and butter sauce, while vegetarians can enjoy a carrot Wellington. Neither of us had any hesitation about ordering meat though, so it was just a question of beef, chicken or pork. The menu also includes a short range of steaks and the kind of gastropub classics that I imagine are popular throughout the week (mac & cheese, L&T burger, fish and chips and a pasta dish)
Beef Wellington doesn’t often appear on a Sunday lunch menu, perhaps because it’s complicated to keep perfect throughout service.
The Wellington at The Loch and the Tyne comes with a generous helping of haggis and stuffing, neatly arranged around the beef fillet, all wrapped in flaky pastry, an innovative offering that makes for a richer dish than the classic crepe and mushroom duxelles. Needless to say, the beef was perfectly cooked and the haggis and stuffing mix made an excellent complement to the well-flavoured meat. The pairing for the beef was a delicious Chateau Romassan Rouge Bandol, a blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Cinsault grapes, a deep ruby wine with notes of black cherry and blackberry.
My choice of half a roast chicken was probably the simplest dish we ordered. But, beautifully cooked, well-flavoured, firm and moist chicken is just such a temptation. With plenty of gravy and side dishes of cauliflower cheese, seasonal greens and deliciously crunchy roasties it hit the spot perfectly. Paired with a lighter red wine, Tenuta Larnianone Santa Virginia Chianti Superiore it was the perfect lunchtime wine.
There’s a good selection of desserts on offer and my only regret is that we didn’t check the menu through at the start so that we could enjoy the tarte tatin. Instead, my companion ordered the Bailey’s cheesecake with toffee apple soft serve which looked delicious and was pronounced the best he’d ever eaten. With it, he enjoyed a glass of classic Sauternes, Chateau Monteils, that made a great pairing
Sweet wine pairings are a weak spot for me. I’m seriously craving more of the Maculan Torcolato that I was offered to accompany dessert. It’s an almost toffee-like mouthful, made in the Veneto Italy from a blend of grapes. Delicious!
My sticky toffee pudding was just so, the light, spicy sponge swimming in its toffee sauce and topped with a fragrant vanilla ice cream. The great thing about taking a walk to your Sunday Roast and perhaps back to the station afterwards is that you can feel totally justified in enjoying a little naughtiness. In my case, that’s sticky toffee pudding and a dessert wine!
After a meal like that, what else is there to do but walk to the station? In reality, the Sunday Lunch at The Loch and the Tyne is just a bit more refined than your average pub Sunday Roast. We were left full but not at the stage where it felt like no return – and perfectly set up for a 40-minute walk. If you’ve walked there but prefer not to walk back to the station, the Loch and Tyne can order you a taxi
The Sunday Lunch menu at The Loch and the Tyne is £50 for two courses or £60 for three courses. Snacks cost from £6.50 to £21 (for hash browns with caviar!). Wine pairings are available and highly recommended.
We travelled from Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside to start our walk and returned via Datchet. Each walk took around an hour. There are plenty of other routes in the area if you are feeling more energetic including one that will take you past the Runnymede Magna Carta. The Loch and the Tyne has two bedrooms and is within 20 minutes of Heathrow Airport with various gastronomic packages if you are looking for a luxurious food-focused start or end to your trip to the UK.
The Loch and the Tyne
10 Crimp Hill,
Old Windsor,
Windsor SL4 2QY
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