Pub of the Week: The Red Lion at Shadwell has old-school charm, darts and jazz nights

I’ve driven past this place countless times over the years so felt it was high time I popped in for a drink and a nosey around. Many pubs can feel like the Mary Celeste on a midweek afternoon so it was heartening to see a fair few punters in enjoying a quiet drink and a bite to eat.

The Red Lion at Shadwell to give it its full name has been at the heart of community life in the village for donkey’s years. Richard Hicks has just clocked up 19 year at the helm of this friendly establishment. There’s nothing flash about the place, just an old-school charm, from the dartboard in the dog-friendly tap room to the wood panelling along the bar, that carries more than a whiff of nostalgia.

There are quiz nights twice a week, monthly music events like ‘Jazz Sunday’ (who doesn’t like a bit of weekend jazz?) and a number of charity evenings.

There’s also a pleasant beer garden with views looking out towards the nearby fields which on a warm summer’s day with a nicely chilled drink in hand must be a delight.

The beer selection, including Tetley’s bitter, Leeds Pale, Ossett Brewery’s White Rat and the ever popular Timothy Taylor Landlord, is good without being spectacular, while the food menu reads like the pub equivalent of a greatest hits album serving classics like bangers and mash, scampi, and homemade steak and ale pie.

It’s all reassuringly familiar and it’s also what a good village pub should be like – welcoming and well used.

The Red Lion, 60 Main Street, Shadwell, Leeds. LS17 8HH. Tel: 0113 273 7463. The Red Lion at Shadwell