The STAR - West Leake

05/09/2026

Our local friends at... Chain Ferry - Normanton on Soar 🛥⚓

Crossing the river aboard the historic vessel costs just a £1 per person

02/09/2026

29/08/2026

Crazy thunderstorm last night in West Leake, we got some of it on this Reel. ⚡️Thought Thor was coming in for a pint! 🍺

28/08/2026

🐴 How are you getting to THE STAR this Bank Holiday?

Billy's already beaten you to it...

We had a lovely visit from our four-legged friend Billy, who arrived with his owner Sarah and very kindly posed for a photograph outside the pub. He's looking remarkably pleased with himself, don't you think?

And with the August Bank Holiday just around the corner, we thought we'd use Billy as our rather excellent countryside transport reminder. 😄

Whether you're arriving on horseback, two wheels, four wheels... or simply on foot, we've got a few things to tell you about the Bank Holiday weekend.

🍽️ Our brand new Sunday Menu is now live on the website, with plenty of reasons to join us for Sunday lunch.

https://thestarwestleake.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/The-Pit-House-Sunday-Lunch-End-August-2026.pdf

📅 Bank Holiday Monday: Food service will be available from 12pm–5pm, while the pub itself will be open as normal.

If you're planning to eat with us on Monday, we'd recommend booking ahead — especially if the weather decides to/not play ball!

As for Billy...

We're not entirely sure whether he's staying for lunch, but he certainly looks like he knows where the good stuff is. 🐴🍻

Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend, however you choose to travel!

27/08/2026

Love you guys (yum)! Thank you. 🍞 Couldn’t have said it better ourselves. 🥖🥯🥪

25/08/2026

🔎 We’ve found a little internet trend... and this one has made us smile.

Apparently, the challenge is to head to Google and type:

“Lunch in my [City / Town / Village]”

Then visit the first result that comes up.

It’s giving us lovely, warm, local, snow day / lockdown vibes — remember when everyone was suddenly discovering what was right on their doorstep? ❤️

So, naturally, we had to try it for ourselves.

“Lunch in West Leake”...

And guess who appeared at the top?

⭐ THE STAR! ⭐

Well, we can't argue with Google.

Especially now we've got our brand new Ciapaninis menu doing the rounds. Posh sandwiches, delicious fillings and plenty of reasons to make lunch a little more interesting. 🥪

Picture or it didn't happen.

Although in 2026...

Screenshot or it didn't happen. 😂📱

Happy Googling, West Leake! 🍻

15/08/2026

💛 A little charity box. A lot of kindness.

Leah has counted up the donations from our charity box on the bar, and we're delighted to share that £113.91 has been raised for Jasmine's Legacy of Dreams .

A huge thank you to everyone who has dropped a few coins in, added a donation, or simply taken the time to support this wonderful cause. Every contribution, however small, has helped make this possible.

Jasmine's Legacy of Dreams was created in memory of Jasmine Moseley, who was diagnosed with leukaemia at just 18. Despite undergoing significant treatment, including a bone marrow transplant, and fighting with incredible determination, Jasmine sadly lost her life shortly before her 20th birthday.

The charity was established in her memory to support teenagers and young adults living with cancer, helping to provide some of the practical and emotional support that can make such an enormous difference during an incredibly difficult time.

So today, it's simply a case of saying thank you.

£113.91 raised by lots of individual acts of kindness is something worth celebrating.

Well done, everyone. 💛

13/08/2026

We have good news, maybe not for the kitchen team but certainly for you lovely lot.
The kitchen issue has been fixed so we’ll be able to open this evening for food service.
Come along and make Dave and Lewis suffer for the easy afternoon they’ve had.

13/08/2026

Maybe it’s the after effects of last nights eclipse, maybe the gods are conspiring against us, maybe it’s just pure bad luck. Answers on a postcard please.
Anyway, we regretfully announce that we have a kitchen malfunction which is preventing us from being able to cook any food.
We do have a kitchen equipment specialist coming to assess the issue and will hopefully be open for evening service.
Apologies to anyone that was hoping to dine with us at lunch but we’re afraid it just won’t be possible.

Sorry once again, Dave & Leah.

12/08/2026

🥪 Oh, aren't we lucky duckies? A brand new Ciapaninis menu has just landed for August! 🦆

https://thestarwestleake.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/The-Pit-House-Ciapaninis-August-2026.pdf

And before you ask... yes, Ciapaninis is our rather posh word for sandwiches. 😄

Available in both the bar and restaurant, the new menu is packed with some seriously good-looking lunchtime contenders.

A few that have already caught our eye:

🐟 The Fish Finger — Panko fish goujons with tartare sauce.

🔥 Nashville Fried Chicken — our own home-blend Nashville-style spiced fried chicken, topped with pickles, house slaw and hot honey.

🌿 Charred Cauliflower — with romesco sauce, sliced tomato and rocket.

And yes... we are firmly on the hot honey wagon. 🍯🔥

They're brand new, so we don't have the glamour shots just yet... but we've got a little Over The Pass throwback to whet your appetite while we wait for the camera crew to catch up!

Take a look at the brand new August Ciapaninis menu, decide what you're having, and then come and tell us how good it was.

https://thestarwestleake.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/The-Pit-House-Ciapaninis-August-2026.pdf

Because sometimes a sandwich isn't just a sandwich.

Sometimes it's a Ciapanini. 😎🥪