Beaujolais Nouveau: The Ox Meets The Grape Escape Cheltenham

Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!

Beaujolais Nouveau Day is something I look forward to every year (as if I don't celebrate wine enough on a weekly basis). It always falls on the third Thursday of November, where traditionally Beaujolais winemakers would race to Paris carrying the first bottles of the new vintage, releasing it at 12:01am just weeks after the grapes have been harvested and crushed. The sprightly cherry red Gamay, that's often served chilled, is still celebrated in this way with nouveau parties going on until the wee hours of the morning - hooray for wine!

This year, albeit a few days late, we marked the 2016 vintage with a very special evening of fine food and wine with two of the best independents in town; The Ox restaurant and The Grape Escape wine bar.

Ant and Zoe from The Grape had picked a selection of the best Beaujolais' - one nouveau, one white, one rose, and three other reds - whilst Head Chef Piotr pieced together a five course menu to accompany the wines. Not the usual way you'd do food pairings but hey, this is wine day!

As the thirsty folk of Cheltenham arrived at The Ox on Cambray Place, arrival drinks sure were flowing; Domaine de Grandmont Beaujolais Villages Nouveau 2016. Apparently earlier in the year, things weren't looking so rosy for the growers in Beaujolais. A damp, grey May was followed by an unseasonably colder June, and finished with a devastating hailstorm that laid waste to numerous vineyards in Fleurie, Chiroubles and Morgon. However, the late flowering and a warm and sunny July and August, turned everything around and resulted in excellent ripeness.

This years wine is fresh, clean and precise, with adolescent flavours of bubblegum and blueberries lurking behind the initial black fruitiness. A good year after all, and it's bonkers to think that the grapes for this wine were only picked on September 20th!

We sat on long communal tables - in true celebration style - and out came our first course of the night; Game & pistachio terrine, chutney and pickles paired with the beautiful Jean-Paul Thévenet Morgon 'Tradition Le Clachet' 2015.

Made from 75 year old vines that are cultivated organically, this wine has been fermented au naturel with naturally occurring yeasts and without the addition of sulphur. It's aged in used oak barrels (which are from the more famous Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) for 6 - 8 months, giving it a wonderful flavour. It has crunchy ripe red berry fruit, cherries, herbs and spice. Definitely my favourite wine of the night, and the terrine - made with venison, chicken livers, partridge and pigeon - was a cracking match too. The red fruits lifted the gaminess, whilst the charred sourdough and the earthy beetroot and tomato chutney played with the spice.

Next we ventured to a more unusual Beaujolais - a white! Only 1% of the wines made in the region are white, and this one was a winner; Chateau Thivin Beaujolais Villages Blanc 'Cuvée Marguerite' 2015 matched to The Ox smoked salmon, cucumber and wasabi yoghurt.

This Beaujo Blanc is 100% Chardonnay, grown on clay-chalk soil, and hand harvested with minimal intervention. It's casked directly after pressing, and left to ferment entirely before the wine is aged on the lees for nine months. This has given it a full, complex mouthfeel, reminiscent of a 1er Cru Chablis - ooh err! Lovely elderflower and white peach notes complimented the subtly smoked salmon, with the citrus edge heightening the tang of the yoghurt and the saltiness of the rock samphire. The wasabi was quite a punch at times, but being a mustard-fiend I didn't care.

The best pairing of the night had to be the roasted partridge, pearl barley, parsley root puree, crispy curly kale together with Paul-Henri Thillardon Chenas 'Les Boccards' 2013.

Made by a talented young winemaker, using parcels of vines in Chenas and Chiroubles, this is everything you'd expect from a decent Beaujolais. Strawberries, redcurrants and violet on the nose, with a burst of juicy red berries as you take your first sip. Its soft tannins and long length made it the ideal wine to have with our tender partridge, which came two ways. The breasts of the bird had been wrapped in parma ham to make a ballotine, whilst the confit leg meat was rolled together with herbs, coated in panko breadcrumbs and fried. The barley, puree and crisp kale added to the all the interesting textures, and it felt truly Autumnal.

The cheese course with house pickles, biscuits and chutney came with Chateau du Pavé Brouilly 2014. Made by English winemaker Chris Piper from a 3 hectare vineyard situated at the foot of Cote de Brouilly, this is another minimal intervention wine. The vines are cultivated using eco-friendly methods and the yields are kept low, creating delicious concentration. There's depth and structure with black cherries and raspberries, finishing with a touch of spice... Great for the brie and the cheddar, not so much for the stilton; gimme something sweet with that!

Last but not least, we had Lemon meringue, creme fraiche ice cream, candied lemon and yuzu cracker.  Domaine de Grandmont Rosé 2015. It's a pretty rare occurrence to come across a pink Beaujolais, but here we have one! We're told that the Gamay grapes are harvested in the dew of the morning to capture them at their ultimate freshness - how romantic - and this has locked in the zesty citrus and strawberry flavours. There's a natural sweetness about it with an off-dry finish; terribly easy to drink, but unfortunately not such a good match for dessert.

The tartness of the lemon and lime curds were exactly what we all craved after quite a rich dinner, but unfortunately it just clashed with the wine. Individually; delightful (I love the twist on a classic lemon meringue pie). Together; not so much. You can't win them all.

This exclusive event, with five courses paired to five wines (plus the nouveau), was a miniscule price of £45. Ridiculous value, right?! The Ox know what they're doing in the kitchen - the food was spot on from start to finish - and as ever The Grape Escape picked out some wonderful wines. Let's hope we don't have to wait until next November for another Cheltenham indie collaboration *HINT*... Now, go forth and drink brilliant Beaujolais!

Burns Night Supper & Compass Box Whisky Pairing

Following on from my previous post about The Ox Cheltenham, The Chap and I were lucky enough to win tickets to go to their Burns Night Supper. Celebrating the original Master of Ceremony, Robert Burns, Monday 25th January saw the restaurant lay on a Scottish inspired four course menu perfectly matched with a flight of whisky. What a dream!

Having spent previous Burns Nights at home with haggis, neeps and tatties, followed by copious amounts of whisky and shortbread, it was a lovely change to be attending an event with a whole host of other Burns enthusiasts instead. All that was missing were bagpipes, kilts and the ode to a haggis!

Compass Box - specialist Scotch whiskymakers and craft blenders - supplied the drinks for the night. They're an innovative company, making whiskies that cover the spectrum of flavours Scotch whisky can offer; from light, delicate and elegant to big, smoky and peaty. With such a range of styles and flavour profiles, Compass Box can appeal to a variety of tastes, making whisky more approachable, even to those that don't normally drink it.

To kick things off, we had a classic Mamie Taylor cocktail made with Great King Street: a measure of whisky and the juice of half a lime, topped up with ginger beer. Easy to make and easy to drink! Despite resembling the recipe for a Moscow Mule, the Mamie Taylor actually predates it by about 65 years! Canapés accompanied our cocktails too - smoked salmon and horseradish cream blinis - which totally got our appetites going.

Before the first course was brought out, we received our whisky: Compass Box Oak Cross. Part of the Signature Range, the Oak Cross combines the best characteristics of both American and French oak ageing. It's quite a fruity number, which delivers vanilla, cloves and a sweet maltiness.

A great aperitif whisky, and therefore a great match to the first dish; Tandoori Scottish scallops, spiced yoghurt, crisp chick peas and pickled cucumber. The fragrant spices made sure that the scallops didn't get lost when eaten with the whisky, and the crisp chick peas not only added texture, but added a nuttiness which paired with the spirit too.

Next up was the Compass Box Spice Tree. Made from 100% malt whisky sourced from Highland distilleries, and aged in custom-made casks fitted with new French oak heads, this is a big whisky with spicy aromas of clove, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.

Photo Credit: The Ox Cheltenham

Its rich, round sweetness paired wonderfully with our main course; Charcoal roasted venison, haggis, charred onion purée and potato onion gratin. Not having the usual Burns Night fayre was a nice touch from The Ox - venison felt like a massive treat - and still including a little bit of haggis was a welcome nod to tradition. It was gorgeous.

If we didn't think it could get much better, we were wrong. The dessert course came with Compass Box Orangerie, a truly unique whisky which has been infused with fresh orange zest and aromatic spices. Although it's made from a soft, sweet blend of Highland single malt and single grain whisky from Fife, it can't actually be called Scotch whisky because it has taken on other flavours from the infusion.

Orangerie is an interesting one, it's probably not something I'd choose to drink - I prefer peaty/salty whiskies - but with the Rhubarb Cranachan that we were served, it really came into its own. Orange and rhubarb are a match made in heaven anyway, but the layers of sharp stewed fruit (I know it's technically a veg), overwhipped cream and crumbled shortbread really brought out the sweet orange-spiced nature of the whisky.

To end our supper, we were given my favourite glass of the night, the limited edition Compass Box Flaming Heart alongside some Dunshire Blue, Barway Original Cheddar, oatcakes and chutney. Smouldering, spicy and complex, Flaming Heart was the first whisky to combine the richness of Scotch aged in new French oak with the peat-fired smoke of Islay malt. This bottle, celebrating Compass Box's fifteenth anniversary, is a brooding, indulgent dram that's destined for late night drinking. Born of oak, smoke and fire, with an underlying sweetness, it's an after dinner drink that's a perfect partner for a cheeseboard… Out with the Port and in with the whisky (we've all had enough Port over Christmas anyway)!

Although we won our places at the event, tickets were only £40 per person, and that included everything - both food and drink. You could easily spend that amount of money on a four course dinner without drinks somewhere - it was such good value. And in the majority of restaurants, having a main course of venison usually means a price tag of up to £20 alone. So, £40 for the whole shebang seemed almost penny saving!

I'll certainly be looking out for future events at The Ox; we had a great night!

Sláinte!

Meaty Treats at The Ox Cheltenham

As we hit the end of January - that month where you have to accept that you've spent way too much over Christmas, and that you've eaten your way into your baggiest clothes - The Chap and I thought we should treat ourselves a little. Weeks of crap TV on the sofa had clearly taken its toll, and seeing as we'd not been to The Ox Cheltenham (other than for drinks) since the opening party, we decided Friday Night Steak & Chips was exactly what was necessary.

Oddly enough, that same day we had a reservation, The Chap was announced the winner of their Burns Night competition. So this is the first of a tale of two visits to The Ox - one on Friday, one on Monday - bookending our weekend in the best way possible… with meat and booze!

As with most restaurants these days, The Ox on Cambray Place are all about "creating exceptional food using local, seasonal produce which has been cooked to perfection by our expert chefs." Whilst steak is the main game here, with a choice of cuts at different prices (up to £65 for the 30oz T-bone to share), there's a good selection of small plates and side dishes to tuck into too. And although it'd obviously not be a veggies idea of a dream restaurant, the winter vegetable salad with poached egg, black truffle, pistachio dressing and pecorino (£8) does sound pretty tasty. Oh, and their Sunday Roast is rumoured to be one of the best in Cheltenham!

The Ox take their drinks list very seriously too. Not surprising when you realise that the people behind it also run award winning bars and restaurants in Bristol such as Hyde & Co, Milk Thistle and Pata Negra. Being known in town as 'the place for steak and cocktails', it was only fair that we tried a couple of their cocktails out. Split up into pre-steak, with-steak, post-steak and non-alcoholic (pah!), I went for the 'pre' Silver Bullet (£7). Beefeater London Dry Gin shaken with Kummel liqueur, Teeling’s single grain whiskey, fresh lemon & a touch of paprika. Gin, whiskey, citrus and an intriguing savoury spice… Right up my street.

Battling with a cold, The Chap asked for a Hot Toddy in the hope it might help restore his senses, and with two generous measures of whisky in there, I'm pretty sure it did! William, the bar manager, is a cocktail pro, so even if you don't see anything you fancy on the menu (the Hot Toddy wasn't listed), he's more than capable of rustling something up. Just ask.

Moving to our table, we ordered ourselves some bread, which I believe comes from The Sandwich Box around the corner (don't quote me on that), and had a quick look at the menu. Everything sounded amazing, but we already had our hearts set on trying the Early Bird Deal - 6oz D Rump, fries, a choice of béarnaise or peppercorn sauce and a glass of house wine, all for £12.50. Served Tuesday - Saturday from 5pm - 7pm, how can you say no to that?

It's a rare occasion that The Chap and I have the same dish at a restaurant, it only ever happens with tasting menus or set lunches, so it felt like quite a novelty. Both rare and both with a glass of Barbera, our only difference was our choice of sauce. We added on a couple of sides to share too; charcoal roasted mushrooms, persillade (£4.50) and the leeks & greens (£4).

A 6oz steak doesn't sound like a lot, which is why we bumped it up with tasty extras, but to be honest, I'd have been more than satisfied with it as it was. The Ox's charcoal Josper grill ensures that all steaks are permeated with deep smoky flavours; crisp and caramelised on the outside, whilst beautifully pink and juicy in the middle. Our plump rumps felt as luxurious as a piece of fillet steak.

The béarnaise had just the right amount of acidity to counter its richness (it's basically just butter!), but it was the peppercorn sauce that really stood out. A far cry from the grey speckled gloop that you often find alongside of your steak, this was more like a pimped up gravy; fiery and full of meat juices.

Considering the 6oz D Rump costs £14 at any other time, the Early Bird deal seems like an absolute steal for £12.50 including a glass of wine. That said, steaks come accompanied with triple cooked chips instead of fries outside the offer, so I'd say the extra pennies for going later in the evening can totally be justified.

With two cocktails, two glasses of wine each, bread, two side dishes, and two steak and chips, our bill came to just over £50. Visiting The Ox Cheltenham early means you can have a classy dinner and a few drinks on a budget, without feeling like you've scrimped on quality. We'll definitely be doing this again!

Keep your eyes peeled for my post on The Ox's Burn's Night dinner & whisky pairing event...