Three Leicestershire pubs written up after a visit: two in the village of Shepshed, and a brewery taproom out at Castle Donington near the airport.
This is a short list, and it is short on purpose. Every pub on it has been visited and written up on this site, and nothing goes on it because of a recommendation, a press release or a good photograph on somebody else's website. Three pubs in Leicestershire have had that treatment so far, and here they are.
Two of the three are in Shepshed, a village on the western edge of the county, and the third is at Castle Donington a few miles further out. What that says about Leicestershire drinking is probably more about where we have been than about the county itself, but it does point at something real: the pubs worth the detour here are not in the city centre. They are in villages and on the edges, the sort of places you end up in because somebody who lives there told you to.
Leicester itself is not represented yet. That is a gap rather than a verdict, and it is the next thing to put right.
No. 1
Bull & Bush
Shepshed
A traditional pub in the village of Shepshed, with a beer garden, outdoor seating and parking, and space given over to pool and darts. The write-up spends most of its time on the food, which runs to pub standards done properly, and on the quiz nights and live music the pub puts on through the week. Children and dogs are both welcome.
No. 2
The Railway Shepshed
Shepshed
The second Shepshed entry, in the middle of the town, with a big screen for sport, a beer garden, outdoor seating, parking and step-free access. Sunday roasts get a particular mention, and the pub runs quizzes and live music alongside the sports screenings. Wifi and a dog friendly policy are both noted.
No. 3
Castle Rock Taproom & Kitchen
Castle Donington
A Castle Rock brewery taproom near East Midlands Airport, with indoor and outdoor seating including a terrace. The kitchen serves pub food with vegetarian and vegan options clearly marked, and there is private hire for groups. It is the one on this list built as much for people passing through as for locals.
Two pubs in one village
Shepshed has two entries on this list, which is unusual for a village of its size and worth saying plainly. The Bull & Bush and The Railway are both traditional pubs with beer gardens, parking and room set aside for pool and darts, and both put on quiz nights and live music.
They are not interchangeable. The Railway sits in the middle of the town and leans towards sport, with a big screen and step-free access, and its write-up singles out the Sunday roast. The Bull & Bush is the one with more written about its food menu and its charity nights. If you are in Shepshed for an evening there is no particular reason to choose between them; they are close enough to do both.
Out towards the airport
Castle Rock Taproom & Kitchen at Castle Donington is the odd one out, and useful for that reason. It is a brewery taproom rather than a village local, run by Castle Rock, and it sits close enough to East Midlands Airport to be a sensible place to spend an hour before a flight.
It has indoor and outdoor seating including a terrace, a kitchen with vegetarian and vegan options marked, and private hire for groups. Of the three it is the one aimed as much at people passing through as at people who live nearby, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Where to go next in Leicestershire
Three pubs is not a county. It is a start, and the honest thing to do is say so rather than pad the list out with places nobody here has been to.
If you want to see the whole of what the site has in the county, including anything added since this was written, the Leicestershire county page collects it. Shepshed and Castle Donington have pages of their own. And if you know a Leicestershire pub that ought to be on this list, the contact page is the way to say so, which is genuinely how several of these got visited in the first place.
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The Railway Shepshed
Pub in Shepshed, Leicestershire. Big screen sport, beer garden, dog friendly and five more.
Bull & Bush
Pub in Shepshed, Leicestershire. Family friendly, dog friendly, outdoor seating and four more.