Lunch in Ledbury - Verzon House Hotel

I'd booked a rare Monday off work this week for a belated Mother's Day outing, with my Mum (obviously) and my sister. We'd planned a trip to Cirencester for lunch and shopping but, for various reasons, we changed plans and ended up on the hunt to find somewhere to go for lunch. It had to be far enough away to still feel like a treat, but not too far as driving for hours just for lunch seemed a little pointless.

Following The Chap's Birthday Chase Distillery Trip last year, a group of us ended up at Verzon House and had a flippin' lovely dinner. Being in Tewkesbury, it dawned on me that Ledbury was only half an hour away, and considering none of us ever really venture that way, we decided to go.

I always panic when I'm put in charge of choosing where to eat; there's a lot of pressure! Thankfully, I needn't have worried; despite being the only people in there, it was lovely, and the food was just as good as I had remembered.. Though I'm surprised I could remember as I was more than half cut on all those tasty Chase Vodka samples!

A three course lunch at Verzon House is priced at £22, and considering their a la carte mains are around the £17+ mark, I think it's pretty reasonable. There are three options for each; one meat, one fish, one veggie, then a choice of two desserts or cheese.

To start I had a duck and peppercorn tagliatelle. It was deliciously rich, though with such a peppery punch, it wasn't overwhelming; the salty parmesan shavings and nasturtium leaves seemed to lift the whole dish and add a bit of freshness too. I would say though, the portion size was verging on being the size of a main! Good job I was hungry, eh?

My Ma and sister both chose the potted shrimp on toast, and although I didn't try any, their plates looked beautiful, and the addition of samphire was well received!

For mains, my sister had the wild mushroom risotto with chilli butter, whilst my mum went for the pork option; a massive grilled pork chop, presented with a puffed up strip of crackling, charred leeks and wild garlic mash that was piped onto the plate, all doused in a raisin jus. I should have taken a photo as it looked fantastic!

I thought I'd complete the set and go for the mighty fish and chips; haddock in a light but crisp batter, triple cooked chips the size of my arm, crushed peas, and a tangy tartare sauce, packed with piquant capers. All I needed was a beach, a wooden chip fork, and the sound of seagulls.

Despite feeling pretty full - I had to leave some chips, which is almost unheard of - we still thought it'd be rude not to have dessert. The pear and almond tart with clotted cream ice cream would've been my choice had I not just overdone it on pasta and potatoes; pastry might just have killed me off. All three of us then went for the hazelnut panna cotta with a chocolate mousse; no dessert envy, phew!

@WeWantPlates would've had a fit; not only was the panna cotta in a kilner jar, but it was also served on a slate! That aside, I think we made a good decision. An obvious nod to the famous hazelnut chocolate spread that seems to be all the rage at the moment, this was a more grown up, less sweet take.

Thick and creamy, with just a hint of nuttiness, the set panna cotta sat at the bottom of the jar (sometimes they're too much like jelly, which is not very enjoyable), with a milk chocolate mousse layer on top. Normally I'd be "dark chocolate or nothing", but that would've been way too bitter here. As it was, it wasn't overly sweet, and some chopped hazelnuts gave it texture. The little chocolate chip cookie on the side probably wasn't needed, but my coffee was ever so grateful for the dunking it allowed for!

With big windows that let the sunlight stream through into the dining room, Verzon House feels like a restorative and relaxing place to venture to for lunch, particularly with the likes of Ben Howard and Gregory Porter soothing your ears. Two and a half hours passed us by in a flash, and we left feeling like we'd had a grand afternoon out.

My only qualm would be that £2.50 is a princely sum for just a lime and soda - my coffee was the same price (!) - had I known, I'd have gone for a more interesting beverage to have with lunch. Nevertheless, it's still great value food-wise, and I'll definitely visit again... Probably for more Chase Vodka cocktails!

Chase me to Hotel du Vin

It was months ago that I spotted an advertisement for a Chase Distillery dinner at Hotel du Vin Cheltenham, though at £65 per person it seemed a litle steep. Nevertheless, bills and mortgage aside, the fact that Chase is responsible for making some of my favourite drinks meant that I had to go. After much anticipation, a few Thursday's ago, just before the last Bank Holiday of the year, it finally took place.

It was such a beautiful evening, and as we arrived we were informed that we would be dining al fresco in the hotel's 'secret garden'. Crisp white clothed tables were laid out in a semi circle with the pop-up style bar, lined up with Chase spirits, taking centre stage. There weren't many attendees, probably around 15, and with a 'Chasing Elder-bubble' cocktail in hand, we chatted whilst being served canapés and having photos taken by the Gloucestershire Echo.

Chasing Elder-Bubble: Muddled cucumber, William Chase Gin, lemon juice, elderflower syrup, topped with Prosecco. 

When seated, we were introduced to James Chase, son of William, the founder of the distillery, and the hotel's bar manager Ben, who was giving us various master-classes throughout the evening. We heard about how it all began, from farming to Tyrrell's crisps to making vodka, and how important it is to them to be producing hand-crafted spirits in the UK. This led nicely to our first course with cocktail pairing; smoked duck breast, black mission figs wrapped in prosciutto and a leafy salad, alongside 'Honey I Smoked the Kids'.

Honey I Smoked the Kids: Chase Smoked Vodka, fresh honey, créme de figue, vanilla syrup, pineapple juice topped with ginger ale.

The smoky salty food matched wonderfully with the refreshingly sweet drink; with so many flavour crossovers, it was clearly well thought out. Moving on, we heard more about the Herefordshire based Distillery, the processes that occur from field to bottle, and how they create their typically British single-estate spirits and liqueurs. Main course was an oven roast pave of stone bass, sat on a bed of herby risotto and a beurre blanc sauce, with 'The Passion of Lady Marmaduke'.

The Passion of Lady Marmaduke: Chase Marmalade Vodka, fresh orange juice, homemade orange marmalade, passion fruit syrup, lime juice and a white peach and passion fruit foam.

The making of this cocktail was quite tricky - a good ten minutes of shaking in order to transform an egg white and added extras, into a voluminous foam - so it seemed a bit of an odd choice considering it needed to be made for a large group of people. When they appeared at our tables, they didn't look as slick as the one that was demonstrated to us, instead, frothy white mountains piled high above the rims of each martini glass - however, comedy white tashes were enjoyed by all. This one, whilst rich in fruit flavours, was again pretty sweet, but an interesting contrast to the delicate fish/risotto combo, which unfortunately may have been sat out a little long, as the beurre blanc had a slight skin on top. That aside, it was still a pleasant dish.

The pre-dessert drink was the one which I was most looking forward to; 'Earl of Rhubarb' with a pear and lemon 'Naughty Jelly'.

Earl of Rhubarb: Chase Rhubarb Vodka, Earl Grey syrup, elderflower liqueur, fresh lemon juice and elderflower syrup.

Being a massive lover of the rhubarb vodka (I have been known to have a cheeky tipple over ice after a long day), with Earl Grey being my tea of choice, and elderflower being a Summer favourite, I knew it was going to be good, and being served in a cute little jam jar made it even better. I've got a high tolerence when it comes to sour things, so if I was being picky, I'd have preferred it to have a bit more lemon juice, but the addition of sharp edible apple blossom made up for it. The jelly was nice, but felt more like an accompinament to the lovely cocktail.

As darkness fell, and tables were lit only by candles in chic lanterns, our final course was served. 'It's not Terry's, it's William's' paired with Crepes Suzette generously sozzled in orange and cognac sauce.

It's not Terry's, it's Wlliam's: Chase Seville Orange Gin, Grand Marnier, double cream and Mozart Gold.

Reading the ingredients of this cocktail, and even watching it being made, with plenty of cream and chocolate liqueur, I expected it to be quite sickly. However, as I sipped it - from a cup and saucer no less - I was surprised to find that it was probably the strongest tasting drink of the night, packing a bitter orange gin punch. That, with the gorgeously marmalade-y crepes, was a match made in heaven.

After a very boozy dinner, we did what anyone else would do - drink more. Hours later, we meandered home with extra knowledge in our minds and goodie bags in hand. Next stop, Chase cocktails at home courtesy of the lovingly packaged miniatures we were given, and inspirational cocktail ideas.