Today we celebrated the achievement of a milestone at work in our traditional manner – by going out for a meal (lunch). As per usual finding a venue proved to be difficult knowing the preferences of the team. We settled on The Roebuck, a gastro pub in Chiswick. It was quite funny to find out that we’d actually travelled past The Roebuck on a number of occasions before on the way to other dining venues, normally Nando’s, in Chiswick but never noticed it!

The Roebuck is large and spacious inside and out. Unfortunately it was too cold to go outside to enjoy the brilliant weather we were having, even if they did have giant heaters available, so we had to settle for a long table on the inside. The Roebuck has very high ceilings, dark wooden tables and chairs and at first look was immediately welcoming.

Despite being a gastro pub the offerings on the menu, though not stunningly adventurous, is suited to a wide variety of pockets and tastes – from the very reasonably priced lunch specials which included soups, sandwiches, baked chicken etc. (£5 each) to the more extravagant main meal offerings (including a very nice bit of steak – topping out at a reasonable £12-£13.) However, I knew what I wanted as soon as I saw the menu – the roast belly of pork. It proved to be a popular choice with four out of the seven of us going for it. It was, simply put, divine. Perfectly seasoned it was incredibly tender with fantastic crackling and even though I’m not the biggest fan of lentils was actually well complimented by this unusual accompaniment. Drinkers are also not forgotten with a wide variety of beers on tap, what seemed like a reasonable wine selection and plenty for those not wishing to partake in alcohol. Service too was friendly and efficient.

The only disappointment was in not being able to taste their dessert menu. However, as Jenny and Ray had been kind enough to bake us some (yummy) cakes for afternoon tea, we didn’t miss out on our puds.