The Fat Duck
20 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Eating out, Life's little extras Tags: Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal
‘I’ve got butterflies in my stomach’ I said…….’I feel nervous’. Why was that? After all, we were only going out for lunch.
Well the reason was this – our very discerning children had paid for us to have lunch at The Fat Duck as a ‘special birthday’ present. I had some slight misgivings – what if I didn’t like something? Could I make myself eat snail porridge?
We ate our way through about 16 different dishes and do you know, I left a clean plate every time! Even the snail porridge.
There are many, many reviews of the tasting menu around so I’m not going to go there! Anyway who am I to ‘review’ Heston Blumenthal? All I can say is this – the whole experience is out of this world. It’s an amazing blend of science and whimsy. Some of the dishes are scary – the frozen cocktail that you have to ‘down in one’ and dry ice comes out of your nose, some are spacy – like eating fish and foam while listening to the sound of seagulls and shingle.
Some are confusing….how can a drink be hot and cold at the same time?
Others are amazingly complex – a wafer of oaky taste that melts on your tongue to precede a dish of chicken liver parfait, quail jelly, crayfish cream and truffle toast…..oh, and a little lawn of green moss in front of you with a fog of oaky dry ice.
One of the desserts arrived with ‘Happy Birthday’ scribed along the plate which made me cry.
The bag of ‘Sweet Shop’ delights at the end which made me laugh!
Whoever can invent a chocolate that tastes like a jam tart deserves a gold watch when he retires. But if it’s a Heston gold watch it will dissolve into a bouillon to pour over the Mock Turtle soup! Mad as a Hatter………brillig!!
If that wasn’t enough, the recommended wines we chose were perfect, the service was impeccable and the bill was……….well who knows, we weren’t paying! All I know is that our children must love us very, very much!
A fine day out at Fallowfields
29 Nov 2011 1 Comment
in Eating out, Life's little extras, Out and about Tags: bloggers, EnergyPr, Fallowfields, food bloggers
What is the name for a group of bloggers….a flock….a pack….a swarm … .actually a chattering of bloggers would fit the bill if you’re talking about the group of us that met at Fallowfields Hotel in the Oxfordshire countryside last weekend.
We had been invited there by EnergyPr for a talk about the increasingly important relationship between bloggers and PR companies. We kicked off with a lively discussion with Louise and Susannah from EnergyPr ….. accompanied by coffee and home made cake of course. After this came a very warm welcome from Anthony, the extremely genial owner of Fallowfields who told us a little of his plans and aspirations for the hotel before we donned our wellies for a tour of the grounds.
I’ve always had a soft spot for pigs…and pigs there are in plenty! Pink ones, ginger ones, big ones, tiny ones, all happily rootling around. Destined for the pot but happy pigs nevertheless. Dexter cattle lazing around, ducks quacking by the pond and chickens and quail pecking about completed the scene. Oh, apart from the kitchen garden, an orchard full of old varieties of apples, pears, plums and medlars……and the falconry with regular displays of birds of prey. Back into the elegant conservatory restaurant for a glass of fizz and canapes – lighter than air tiny choux puffs with soft cheese, slivers of smoked salmon and squares of melt-in-the-mouth pork belly with apple sauce. We were then treated to an amazing 3 course lunch. Anthony’s vision for Fallowfields is for fine dining to rival any Michelin starred restaurant and as part of this plan he has recruited the talented Shaun Dickens who worked under Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir before spending time in kitchens such as Per Se in New York and nearer to home at L’Ortolan. Now he has his own kitchen from which he produced a Jerusalem artichoke Veloute, smooth and smoky with slivers of artichoke and a truffle cream. This was followed by local venison, cooked perfectly pink, and accompanied by potato puree, chestnuts, beetroot and a dark chocolate crisp.
A pre dessert of a shot glass of creamy merlot infused was followed by a dessert of walnut ice cream, honeycomb, candied walnuts and figs with a sweet red wine jus. Did I eat it all? Do you need to ask!!
The choice of Australian wines complimented the meal, a Semillon 2007 Mitchell Clare Valley followed by a Shiraz 2010 Bush Telegraph Petit Verdot. Why they had been chosen was ably explained to us by Restaurant Manager and Wine Master Benjamin Petit.
Much of the produce is home grown or local and seasonal – the venison, quail, pork and beef, the artichokes, figs and walnuts. It is important to Anthony to know the provenance of what he is putting on the table – what better way of doing this than rearing your own animals and growing your own fruit and veg.
Shaun then demonstrated the preparation and cooking of a dish of Fallowfields quail with fondant potatoes and talked to us about the challenge that lies ahead to put this delightful country house hotel onto the culinary map. With a winning team like Anthony, Shaun and Benjamin it won’t be long before the Michelin man is knocking at the door.
Chocolate squares and lime and elderflower jellies……well I just had room for one!!!
A big thank you to Fallowfields and EnergyPr for the invitation. I stick with the bloggers with integrity code to post honest and open reviews.
Quod and chips!
03 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Eating out, Reviews Tags: Quod, Quod Brasserie
Had a lovely lunch today with two girlfriends….another birthday treat!! We went to Quod Brasserie which is in the Old Bank Hotel on Oxford’s High Street – or ‘The High’ as it’s usually called. It’s a busy, bustling place at lunchtime but the service was still fast and friendly.
I didn’t want a huge meal, having eaten rather well over the last few days, so I opted for the small cheeseburger. Actually, it was a tiny cheeseburger served on a wooden platter but with a side of crispy fries and a rocket and parmesan salad it was the ideal meal…..and it left me room for a rather good creme brulee!!
Saunton Sands Hotel
30 Oct 2011 1 Comment
in Eating out, Life's little extras, Out and about, Reviews Tags: Saunton Sands Hotel
The Saunton Sands Hotel on the North Devon coast is one of those amazing places that leaves you wanting to go back for more! It’s four star luxury and you pay handsomely for the privilege of staying there but well, it was a special occasion and one we will remember for years to come. Not only was it a triple birthday celebration but our son and his girlfriend announced their engagement on the first evening. Also, as this was our first hotel stay with our grandson it was good to be somewhere so ‘grown up’ but child friendly at the same time.
We were incredibly lucky with the weather so we spent the daytime on the beach and climbing the sand dunes as well as a bike ride down the beautiful Tarka Trail followed by a splash around in the indoor pool.
Just as well we worked up an appetite because the food was fabulous.The first night we ate at the Sands on the Beach bistro, just down the path from the hotel and on our second night we ate in the grand art deco restaurant. Believe me, the food tasted as good as it looks!
No.1 Folly Bridge, Oxford
30 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in Eating out, Reviews Tags: No.1 Folly Bridge, Oxford restaurants
No.1 Folly Bridge is a fairly new addition to the Oxford restaurant scene. It’s tucked away in an idyllic setting on the river at Folly Bridge, no parking but only 5 minutes walk back to the Westgate car park.
It’s a very welcoming modern space with big picture windows overlooking the river, a pity it was dark and drizzly – it would be lovely on a balmy summer evening when you can also dine out on the terrace.
The menu is fairly small but that’s not a bad thing, it was also nice to see more fish than meat on the main courses. Two of us started with the Coquille Saint Jacques, a very tasty creamy sauce over scallops, prawns & vegetables with a gratinéed cheese topping. The other two had the salmon gravadlax served with marinated beetroot, horseradish cream & celeriac remoulade, both said that the combination of salmon, beetroot and horseradish worked really well.
There were three fish choices and I opted for the swordfish with came with fondant potatoes and a wholegrain mustard sauce. Husband had the steak, cooked medium rare as he had asked, and a blue cheese and mushroom sauce. This was served with homemade chips that were declared to be excellent. Another of our party chose the vegetarian option which she said was delicious – a Mushroom and Chestnut Wellington. This was a perfectly formed puff pastry case stuffed with mushrooms, cashews, butternut squash and chestnuts, with a fresh herby sauce.
Some of us found room for desserts. Husband had the Apple Crumble, he’s a bit of an expert making these himself as we have several apple trees but he admitted the apples were nicely caramelised! They’d run out of my first choice so I opted for the Baked Alaska…..I’ll have to go back to try the Coffee Creme Brulee!
All the dishes were beautifully presented and a lot of attention given to detail.
So we’ll definitely be going again. Actually, I’m booked to go back with a group of girlfriends for a pre Christmas lunch….can’t wait!!
Lunch at The Bear and Ragged Staff
13 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Eating out, Reviews Tags: Bear and Ragged Staff, Cumnor, eating out, restaurants, roast beef, Sunday Lunch
I was lucky enough to buy two amazing value Groupon vouchers for a meal at The Bear and Ragged Staff in Cumnor recently. So today we went for Sunday lunch. The best of the starters was a ham hock terrine with a tangy, five spice-y chutney. The two year old with us said ‘he would like toast’ and the very thoughtful waitress went off to the kitchen and came back with a plate of toast!! Three of us opted for the traditional roast beef – and what a good choice that was! The beef was thinly sliced and pink and very tasty, the Yorkshire pud was huge and fluffy, the roast potatoes were crispy and lightly flavoured with rosemary. I followed this with a pear and plum crumble which was extremely good. Chunks of fruit which tasted as though they had been poached first to enhance the flavour and crumble with a hint of coconut.
I would highly recommend you go there….even without the vouchers the Sunday lunch prices are very reasonable. The restaurant area has had a recent makeover and now has a more contemporary look with some great art on the walls by Ian Fraser at Virtual Archive.
The Magdalen Arms
08 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Eating out, Out and about, Reviews Tags: Magdalen Arms, Magdalen Arms Oxford, Oxford pubs, Oxford restaurants, pub grub Oxford
So one evening last week we caught a bus outside our house and hopped off on the other side of town, right outside The Magdalen Arms. This formerly down at heel pub in east Oxford has been transformed into an inviting, bustling eating place. I hesitate to call it a ‘gastropub – it’s a notch or two up from that! Some of the best food critics have given it glowing reviews so we were delighted to be given a Christmas present of a voucher to eat there.
The menu changes daily and much of the food is locally sourced and seasonal.
We started with a large bowl of moules mariniere in a creamy garlicky sauce, it would have been tempting to ask for more bread to mop this up with but I resisted!
For mains we ordered the braised venison shank and the wild rabbit with chorizo, fennel, lentils and aioli. The venison was my choice but when the plates arrived the shank was ENORMOUS so we swapped plates! I must say the combination of the spicy chorizo, earthy lentils and aioli with the rabbit was delicious so that was a good move. The venison – dark, sticky and gamey, was also much enjoyed.
We finished off with the caramelised apple and amaretti tart which was sublime. What could have been ‘just’ an apple tart was taken into another dimension by sprinkling the top with crushed amaretti bisciuts before it was caramelised….yummy!
There wasn’t a single empty table and this was on a weekday night, proving how popular this place is.
Six days in Italy
30 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
in Eating out Tags: Antiche Mura Arezzo, fritto misto, Hotel Duomo Orvieto, La Conchiglia Castiglioncello, ravioli, Ristorante Maurizio Orvieto, seafood
We’ve just had a six day trip to Italy – part work, part pleasure. And a great deal of the pleasure was the food and wine!
The ‘poshest’ meal we had was at Ristorante Maurizio in Orvieto, just near the Duomo. It had been recommended to us by a friend so when we looked through the windows onto a sea of empty tables we decided to brave it anyway! Needless to say, our starters didn’t take long to arrive – the ‘house’ antipasti which was a delicious assortment of cold meats, a puree which we decided was fennel – and delicious, a little pearl barley salad and an assortment of battered pieces of vegetable . We followed this with the tastiest plate of lamb chops cooked over the fire and a bottle of Nobile di Montepulciano! What could be better?
No pictures sorry….I think it was Giles Coren who said only sad people take photos of their food in restaurants!!!
The best meal we had was in a restaurant called La Conchiglia in Castiglioncello. We would have eaten at the hotel we were staying in (don’t go to the Hotel Rex near Livorno!)but it was fully booked with a wedding and christening. So we drove 25 minutes down the coast in a thunderstorm and found a tiny town FULL of Harley Davisons and leather clad bikers…hmmmmm.. We went to the restaurant they weren’t in and had the most fabulous seafood. A ravioli stuffed with ricotta in a piquant seafood sauce and a plate of ‘fritto misto’ – squid, octopus and prawns cooked to perfection. Topped off with the most amazing Tiramisu ever – I shall be working on a copy so watch this space! Actually we went back again the next night – Mr F had the ravioli again!
PS I would recommend the Hotel Duomo in Orvieto, absolutely perfect and Antiche Mura in Arezzo for something a bit quirky and different.
Millets Farm
26 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Eating out, Out and about, Reviews Tags: day out, Millets Farm
If you’re looking for somewhere to take the kids out for the day you can’t beat Millets Farm. Lots to do and the added bonus of a restaurant with good home cooked food. Or buy some of their freshly prepared sandwiches and baguettes and have a picnic by the lake….and I can highly recommend the lemon cake!
