The Red House Nether Broughton

Well I have to say that I was really looking forward to Sunday lunch out yesterday and had chosen the Red House at Nether Broughton (Leicestershire) to meet up with some old friends for an informal get together and some decent food.

We've been here a few times with the children and the food and service has always been great - in fact we went there for Mothers Day last year and I had a fab time!

So what has happened since?? This was the most disappointing meal out for a long time. we should have realized things were amiss when we discovered we were one of only 2 tables booked in for the entire lunch service. Previously we have always had to book in advance to secure a table.

The service was very friendly as normal and the menu, though limited, looked OK. I never have a problem with a limited menu because surely that means everything is cooked fresh as ordered?? The staff were friendly and made us feel welcome as well as welcoming children without a problem.

The starters looked great and we ordered 2 prawns tempura and a wild mushroom bruscetta. The prawns were OK but the bruscetta was lacking any depth of flavour whatsoever. It needed salt and pepper and the creamy sauce was bland with the wild mushrooms bizarrely adding nothing to the dish!

I'm not a big fan of roast Sunday dinner out so was delighted to see Steak & Kidney Pudding on the menu as well as the obligatory roast beef, pork and chicken. My husband & I both ordered the pudding whilst everyone else ordered a roast of some sort. The dauphinoise potatoes that came with the chicken were hard and tasted too garlicky (it was almost raw) and the vegetables were OK but a little dull. The biggest disappointment was the Steak & Kidney Pudding. Obviously heated up - dry filling and hard chewy pastry that was far too tough.

We skipped pudding but with 2 glasses of wine and a few soft drinks the bill for 4 children & 3 adults was just short of £100. What a disappointment and we won't be visiting again in a hurry!

Café Bleu, Newark

Yesterday I went to one of my favourite restaurants for a gorgeous lunch - Café Bleu in Newark, Nottinghamshire. The good news is that my husband actually works in Newark so we can usually wrangle a long leisurely lunch once in a while and with us all off on holiday tomorrow it didn't seem to be a problem!
This was my delayed (by my request) Mothers Day lunch treat so myself, Immy & Scarley trekked the 45 mins up to Newark and invited Grandpa (my father in law Richard) along too.
As always the food was completely delicious and I can't recommend this restaurant enough. The staff are always so welcoming and although pricey for a 3 course meal, for a light lunch it is almost affordable!
Imogen is now 10 and won't entertain childrens' portions (there is no childrens' menu which I always see as a good thing!) so promptly ordered herself the rack of lamb (at £17.50!!) served with a garlic mash and red wine jus. Heaven on a plate. Scarlett is only 7 but ordered the supreme roast chicken breast substituting the black pudding mash with some new potatoes instead. She ate most of this but enjoyed the complimentary freshly baked baguette and butter just as much!
Richard indulged with Moules Mariniere and frites which was delicious. The sauce was incredibly creamy and rich (sometimes at other restaurants the sauce can be a bit too brothy & watery for me) and delicious with the bread for dipping! My husband Jon had the roasted cod which I didn't get to taste and I had the most amazing beef bourgignonne which was served with pommes anna. The beef was all in one piece with the very rich sauce served on top. The beef was melt in the mouth and the flavour was out of this world! The fries are always great so we ordered a side just in case!
What I love about Café Bleu is that the portions aren't huge so there is always room for pudding!
So..the Creme Brule was served with a chocolate ice cream (almost as good as Jon's!), the vanilla pannacota was served with a passion fruit jelly and a choux bun (very delicious), the chocolate fondant pudding came with a pistachio icecream crumble and was swiftly finished off by Imogen!
The whole experience is great - relaxed, informal, great service and delicious freshly cooked food. Do yourself a favour - next time you are anywhere near Newark, pop in!

The Fat Duck Re-Opens

I'm pleased to report that the Fat Duck in Bray has now reopened, two and a half weeks after the closure due to a health scare.

Tests have ruled out food poisoning, and at present the cause is still unknown however Heston Blumenthal has confirmed that "the Health Protection Agency and the local environmental health office have given us the all clear to open the restaurant".

Despite this closure, the Fat Duck remains top of my list of Restaurants to visit before I die, but it will be interesting to see whether these last couple of week affects the restaurant's 2nd place in the World's 50 Best Restaurants when the new list is announced on 20th April 2009.

Fat Duck - 400 customers made ill

Following my previous post commenting on the temporary Closure of the Fat Duck, it would seem that the number of customers who have fallen ill has risen from 40 to 400 according to the BBC.

Rigorous testing of the kitchens and all items on the menu, but no health issues have been detected. Samples have been taken from all staff to establish whether one is unknowingly carrying a virus, but as yet, no link has been found.

The Fat Duck is one of only three restaurants in the UK to hold the coveted Michelin 3 Stars. The other restaurants being The Waterside Inn, also found in Bray and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London.

Out for dinner on a Monday!

We don't go out that much but as it is a friend's birthday today we are going out to try a new local place for dinner! How exciting! It's a surprise of a curry like nature and it's our first visit so I will post a bit later what we think!
Well, what an interesting night! We ended up at a retaurant called Slate in Mountsorrel, near Loughborough. It used to be an old fashioned pub but has been revamped (as so many have!) into a light, airy, comfortable, young trendy restaurant with very friendly staff who made us feel very welcome.
We were there for a theme night of curry but they usually offer "traditional british food with a twist".. I was disappointed to see that their website was offering a Boxing Day brunch 3 months out of date - not a good reflection on the restaurant I always think!
So - on to the 4 course meal for the offer price of £10.95. We got a popadom each with a couple of chutneys for course 1, followed by a choice of 2 starters - we had one each. The samosa was mediocre and the meat option (I'm still not sure what meat it was!) was reconstituted so not entirely palatable! The main course offered a chicken dish and a slow cooked lamb option which were very tasty. Pudding were sweet dumpling things which none of us could eat as they were far too sweet!
Anyway - a nice bottle of wine and good company resulted in a good evening had by all but I would like to return to Slate to try their normal menu to see if that is where the chef's strengths are!

Restaurants to Visit Before I Die

It really is a constantly changing list, but some of the places that I'd love to eat in are....

In no particular order:

• The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire
• Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Great Milton, Oxford
• Harry's Bar, Venice
• The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow
• Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
  
• El Bulli, Roses, Spain
  

And some of those I've already been lucky enough to eat in:

• The Ivy, London
• The Three Chimneys, Isle of Skye
  
• The Hoste Arms, Burnham Market
• Criterion, Picadilly Circus, London
• Claridges, London
  
• The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny
• The Lanesborough, Knightsbridge
  
• Quaglino's, London
• On the Inlet, Port Douglas, Queensland
  

My favourites places to eat in and around Leicestershire:

• The Hammer and Pincers, Wymeswold, Leicestershire
• The Red Lion, Stathern, Leicestershire
• The Olive Branch, Clipsham
  
• Finch's Arms, Hambleton

I'm always welcome to receive suggestions of good places to eat, so feel free to add your comments if you feel that I have overlooked somewhere.

Fat Duck - Closed Due to a Health Scare

Heston Blumenthal's restaurant, the Fat Duck has been one of my "Restaurants to Visit before I Die" for some time.

However it is reported in the Telegraph and The Times that the restaurant has been closed by the chef / owner as a precaution following a number of customers falling ill, after dining in the 3 starred Michelin restaurant.

Despite the local Environmental Health officers not having found any problems at the Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal took what must have been an extremely difficult decision to make, while he carried out further investigations.

While reading the details of the closure, I was also surprised to learn that the Fat Duck had been knocked from its perch as the "Best Restaurant in the World" according to Restaurant Magazine. This title has been held by "El Bulli" in Spain, since 2006. The Fat Duck is now listed as the second best and I am sure that Heston will be hoping to regain the title when the latest awards are announced on April 20th 2009.

Despite the recent problem, which has been dealt with in a proactive way, the it remains one of my ambitions to eat at the Fat Duck at some point in the future.

Hoste Arms in Burnham Market

For the majority of the time I enjoy cooking at home and get a great deal of satisfaction from knowing where I source my ingredients and by combining them to delight my friends and family.

Occasionally though it is nice to eat out, if only to obtain new ideas and recipes.

Last weekend was spent (thanks to a very generous gift from Jacque and Donald) at the Hoste Arms in Burnham Market, Norfolk.

We arrived on Friday afternoon in a stressed state after a hectic period in the office, but were immediately put at ease by the efficient staff and I was soon tucking into a delicious warm salad of crispy parma ham, black pudding, sauté potatoes and poached egg, accompanied by a reasonably priced bottle of Semillon Chardonnay. All the cares of the previous week disappeared within minutes.

Our table in the evening was situated in a cosy dining room upstairs, looked after by the ever attentive staff. I started with a the Tempura Squid, red onion and chilli, wasabi mayonnaise while Jon chose a bowl of Brancaster mussels steamed in garlic, white wine and parsley cream sauce. Both were superb.

Our main course was the “Arthur Howells”, 21 day aged New York rib steak to share. Served medium-rare, we were able to cut the meat like butter, and the plates were soon emptied, into our now bulging, stomachs. I declined a dessert, however Jon somehow managed to find room for the vanilla créme brulée, shortbread biscuit and pistachio ice-cream. Glutton!

Saturday dawned and following an excellent breakfast we set off to explore the north Norfolk coastline. Despite being the middle of February, the sun shone down and
on our return to Burnham Market, we settled down with a bottle of wine at the front of the hotel to watch the world go by. An idyllic afternoon.

In the evening, we returned to the cosy dining room upstairs at the Hoste Arms, this time I choose a prawn cocktail to start, Jon opting for half a dozen oysters, with a red wine shallot vinegar. For the main course, I selected the home made steak and kidney pudding, served with glazed parsnips and Chantaney carrots. Jon chose the seared sea bream with roasted shallots, sauté potato and spinach together with a saffron and brown shrimp dressing. Again I felt that I wouldn't be able to do justice to a dessert, however Jon chose the sticky toffee pudding with a toffee sauce, roasted pecan nuts and nutmeg ice-cream and our waitress brought me a second spoon, with a knowing wink.

Throughout our stay at the Hoste Arms, the food was wonderful, the staff could not have been more helpful and our room was delightful. We are now looking forward to making another visit, when time allows.