Birthday Dinner at The Chef's Dozen, Chipping Campden

It's a rare occasion that I'll be going to dinner without any knowledge of where I'm going, or what sort of food I'll be eating. However, my birthday this year was just that. The Chap had planned a couple of months in advance to book into a restaurant that I'd previously mentioned, and for those that know me, I talk about a lot of restaurants. All I was told is that it was 45 minutes from our house…

Did I want to know? Yes. Did I want to spoil the surprise? No. I racked my brains but couldn't think, and it wasn't until that Friday evening that I was told where we were off to; The Chef's Dozen.

Set in the centre of the Cotswold town Chipping Campden, this is actually the The Chef's Dozen Mark II, with the first originally based in Alcester. Chef Richard Craven and his wife Solanche built up a great reputation, but decided to move on, and after a stint working at The Fuzzy Duck in Armscote, the pair found the opportunity to open their own restaurant again - in Richard's hometown. 

For local food followers, you may already be well versed with Richard's name thanks to his victory at the Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards last year, winning 'Chef of the Year' (he's also finalist this year too). His precise but unfussy food has melted the hearts of many a critic, as has his wife's passionate FOH charm. Within an instant you feel like you're old friends and longstanding customers, despite having never met before.

The seasons offerings have been almost poetically typed out and wrapped around our napkins, reminding me how lucky I am to have a birthday in June. Broad beans, cherries, lemon sole, rhubarb, watercress and wood pigeon... The menu is designed to allow customers to experience a selection of the best seasonal ingredients that the team at The Chef's Dozen are most excited about. They work closely with a small core of quality producers too, and together the menu is practically written for them.

And what a menu it is; four similar sized courses for £45.00, with a choice of three for each - hence the dozen. Even on paper you can see Richard's flair for flavour without over-complication. There are just four or five ingredients listed for each dish, and no technical terms either; his cooking is highly skilled yet stripped back at the same time. Pretty much the ideal scenario. 

The Chap and I were greeted with some birthday fizz - a Rhubarb Royale made with Deutz Classic Brut Champagne and a rhubarb syrup - followed by an appetiser which had tangy flavours of buttermilk and lime (… I can't remember what it was - my bad).

Out came a perfectly-formed mini loaf of wholemeal bread, which we're informed is made using flour milled at a friends farm, with homemade butter and a dollop of snow white whipped pork dripping. Melting into every crumb, each bite was a naughty piggy treat. Game changing.

Ox tongue was my first course, rich and tender, hidden beneath piquant goats curd, gremolata and superfine discs of courgette; the only clue to its presence being the beefy liquor drizzling down the plate. FYI, serious plate envy.

The Chap had ordered a Chef's Dozen signature; rabbit raviolo served in its own consommé. Like a magicians trick, the flat round of pasta wasn't what it seemed; the underside harboured a generous nugget of confit rabbit, sauced with the clear gamey stock.

Having shunned the veggie option without thought, the kitchen sent out two plates as an extra course. Bright heritage tomatoes in red, gold and green lurked under the canopy of nasturtium leaves, It looked the epitome of summer, and with a Wigmore cheese cigar, crunchy granola and elderflower dressing it's put every other tomato salad I've ever had to shame. And shame on us too for dismissing it so hastily.

Being such a robust fish, my wild turbot's flavour still shone through its poultry counterparts; chicken oyster and chicken gravy. with a creamy turnip puree, cubes of pickled turnip, hazelnuts and, to bring the dish back to the water, sea aster. The Chap had lamb sweetbreads, which would have totally been my first choice had I not have had them relatively recently. Lifted with fresh and green flavours from the peas and sweet cicely, then given more richness with lardo, he barely uttered a word until putting his knife and fork down, longing for more.

For the final savoury course, The Chap continued on his meaty marathon with guinea fowl. The juicy bird was made earthy with wild garlic, braised snails, pearl barley and bone marrow sauce; both hearty and wholesome.

I, on the other hand, went for something a little lighter; pork loin poached in soured milk. I know, pork's not usually a lighter choice, but Richard's managed it. Still pink, the delicately flavoured medallions came with wedges of salt baked celeriac, apple puree and pickled walnuts. For those that fear the fattiness of pork, this is how you'll be converted.

A pre-dessert palate cleanser arrived, not that I can remember what it was (The Chap was driving, so I was too busy drinking the beaut bottle of Rustenberg... and these things are never written down). No complaints; our sweet tooth's were awoken. 

And so we arrived at our final course. Sad times. Struggling to choose, we planned on sharing; I ordered 'rhubarb and custard' - duck egg custard, rosemary and Arlette pastry - and The Chap picked the dark chocolate option, with toasted hazelnuts, hazelnut ice cream and a warm beer caramel that was poured over table side. It melted and oozed like hot lava, and with that our sharing idea went out the window - typical. It didn't matter, my classic combo was heavenly, and we were even given the third dessert to try too; lemon curd soufflé with vanilla ice cream. Nice, but no matter how many times I try, I still can't get on with the poofy sweet egginess (it's become a bit of a running joke with the guys from Lumiere - whoops!). That said, we still polished it off.

With the last of the evening sun glimmering through the windows, we sat back and looked round at the other diners; a handful of couples - young and old - a family with children, and a few friends catching up over some food and a bottle of wine. The Chef's Dozen really is a place for all. Not only did we have one of our 'top dinners of 2016', but the service was probably the best we've ever experienced too. We left full, with smiles from ear to ear, desperately trying to think of an excuse to return.

All Smoke & Fire at Stockholm's Ekstedt

Back in June we went on a family holiday to Stockholm. Having booked it months before, The Chap and I, along with my parents, were seriously looking forward to sampling all the authentic Scandi style food; think proper meatballs - without even a hint of Ikea - coupled with lingonberries and pickled cucumber, herring galore, dill fronds fondling everything, and plenty of cardamom buns…

Low and behold, a month or so before our trip, Stockholm was featured in the finals of Masterchef. Now, as you could probably have guessed, food programmes are my thing, so getting this little foodie insight into the city got me extremely excited about the whole thing. The finalists first cooked at Gastrologik, which has a minimalist "new nordic" approach - along with a Michelin Star - and as such, is quite pricey. The second restaurant, Ekstedt, which also has a Michelin Star, seemed to be in a league of its own.

With no gas or electric appliances in the kitchen, every item of food is cooked over the restaurant’s beastly fire pit, in a wood-fired oven or on top of a wood burning stove. And whilst stripping back the kitchen might sound easier than tackling some sous-vide techniques, making gels and foams, or playing with liquid nitrogen, Masterchef showed us that it clearly isn't; the flustered finalists did provide some great TV entertainment though.

After watching it, I immediately urged my folks to do so too, and gaging their response - equally in awe - I decided to book us a table.

Ekstedt is one of those 'blink and you'll miss it' restaurants. Having no bells and whistles on the outside - the reputation is enough - there's just the faint scent of smoke to lure diners in. And once you're in, you'll find some of the best in Scandinavian design; birch, leather, copper and stone run throughout the timbered interior, and with some good tunes in the background, it's both rustic and relaxing. The open kitchen also gives you the privilege of seeing the super stylish tattooed chefs, in checked shirts and signature denim and leather aprons, executing every dish to perfection.

"Dinner at Ekstedt is more than a meal. It’s an experience for life." Using just heat, soot, ash, smoke and fire to infuse flavour, texture, and taste is as old school as you can get, yet here it seems fresh, inventive and exciting. The chefs swear by the Scandinavian wood they use in order to create "superior flames", giving the food a truly unique character – one, they assure us, that you can’t get anywhere else in the world.

With a menu based on ingredients from the sea, forests, meadows and fields, you can choose either the 4 course option (which is what we had) or 6 courses - easy - no tricky a la carte decisions to make! There's also a matching wine flight available, which is deemed "as ambitious as the food"; they buy small quantities of great wines, preferring them to be as natural as possible to compliment the natural flavours of the food. In other words, there are probably some very interesting and somewhat 'funky' wines being served. Trying not to blow all our Swedish Krona in one go, we decided to just get a bottle to share between us; I don't remember the specifics, but it was a cracking USA Pinot.

Almost as soon as we were seated, out came some appetisers; miniature pizzas! A thin, crispy sourdough base, topped with chanterelles, podded broad beans and goats cheese. I couldn't help but think that scaling this up to a full sized pizza would be an absolute dream, and I definitely didn't want to share these mini slices!

More breaded goods arrived at the table in the form of the springiest hunks of warm sourdough. That alone would've impressed me, but the butter it came with made it even better. Freshly churned in-house, it was served in a little dish along with a splash of tangy buttermilk (the by-product of the process of making butter). We were all banging our heads on the table wondering why we'd not thought of doing this before! Needless to say, we polished the bread and butter off pretty quickly - it was too good - and asked for more.

Apologies for the poor photography; we weren't near any windows and it was dimly lit, so my poor iPhone had no chance of being able to take any good snaps. However, our first course was smoked char with beans and Swedish seaweed. I think it shows an incredible amount of skill being able to cook something as delicate as a piece of fish purely on some ferocious flames; it would only take a matter of seconds for it to be overcooked. Smoky, salty, green and fresh, it highlighted the simplicity of the ingredients, allowing each to speak for themselves.

Next was an absolute stunner, beef baked in hay with salsify and ramson capers (seen above too). I consider myself to have had two exceptional beef experiences lately; firstly, that Galician beef at Kitty Fisher's in Mayfair, and secondly, this. A thick black crust around the outside framed the blushing red meat in the middle, and it was making eyes at me as it sat glistening on a separate 'sharing stone'. It was one of those moments when you take a bite and have to put your cutlery down to really think about how bloody good it is; even the strip of fat just melted in the mouth. The caramelised salsify and ramson (wild garlic) capers were an inspired touch, but the beef was obviously the star, and The Chap unashamedly licked his plate clean.

The last of the savoury dishes was controversially a veggie one; you'd usually expect the meaty course to be the 'main'. New potato with truffle and woodfired oven baked onion. The new potatoes weren't like any I'd had before; essentially a salty crispy shell with fluffy carb-y goodness inside - a little like mini jackets, but better - and the onion was succulently sweet. The shavings of zebra-esque truffle did it for me too.

Dessert was frozen yoghurt with raspberries and pistachio. Fresh and clean flavours, combined with a sweet nuttiness and deep, smoky honey notes, ended our dinner on a high, and we all proclaimed to have loved every inch of it.

I guess there's something very primitive about Ekstedt; man hunts food, man makes fire, man uses fire to cook food, etc. And with many restaurants now housing Josper Grills and Big Green Eggs to play with fire and smoke, is this really that different?... Yes, yes, a million times yes. To have nothing else in the kitchen other than fire is exactly what sets it apart, and the fact that it's not overdone is why it's so great. It'd be far too easy to char every ingredient, making the whole menu taste quite samey, but Ekstedt use their creative cooking skills to add delicacy and elegance to dishes, each one permeated with the essence of the restaurant. Just beautiful, and a real eye opener in the Swedish food scene. 

So, if you're cracking out the BBQ this week, crowning yourself king (or queen) of the flames, then you might want to rethink that status; Niklas Ekstedt owns it.

If you're planning on visiting Stockholm, why not take a look at my Vinspire blog post on the best bars to go to...

The Vineyard Stockcross with Daniel Galmiche

"Eating out is one of the greatest pleasures of life. I have made it my mission to communicate this."  

Daniel Galmiche

Last month saw The Chap and I mark our 6th Anniversary. In true Lucie & Scott fashion, a celebratory foodie jaunt was needed, and considering next year we'll probably be in full-on-wedding-saving-mode, we thought we'd be a bit extravagant.

Following a recommendation on good food and good wine, we found ourselves at The Vineyard in Stockcross, Newbury. It holds no Michelin Stars, but headed up by Daniel Galmiche (the French chef you might recognise from BBC's Saturday Kitchen, and whose quote above is one I wholeheartedly agree with), the food still gives you that fine dining, gastronomic experience you'd expect from such places. Described as being "the champion of classic cooking with a contemporary twist", and having seen him produce some intricate dishes on the TV, I was very much looking forward to seeing what was on the cards for dinner.

It's not just the food that lures people to The Vineyard though - the name's a bit of a hint - there's a ridiculous wine selection to boot. 30,000 bottles, 3,000 bins and 100 wines by the glass. See, ridiculous! And with a glass floored wine vault taking pride of place at reception, leading to a huge painting depicting the Judgement of Paris wine tasting that took place in 1976, this is a wine-lover's paradise.

Also, every weekend, the sommelier team hand-pick a special bottle of wine to open for guests to sample. Each 'Iconic Wine' is chosen for its prestige and critical acclaim, and is available by the glass at cost price. Ok, so cost price is generally around the £30-40 mark per glass, but you're not going to splash out on the bottle when it's over £200 on the menu, so it gives you the chance to try something pretty special without hitting the 3 figures.

We had the Icon Wine included in our overnight package and, on the weekend we were there, it was the Joseph Phelps Insignia 2000, Napa Valley. 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc. A rich ruby purple colour, it was full of black fruits, cinnamon, spice, roasted espresso and tobacco. With soft, supple tannins showed off the sweet blackcurrants, and despite a bit of earthiness, it had no hard edges on the finish. A whole hour passed before we finished our glasses; it was clearly so good that we had to savour every sip! 

An afternoon spent in the '5 Bubbles Spa' - where I had a rather expensive, but enjoyable massage - and some unexpected macrons delivered to our room (my faves!) then we were ready for dinner.

The restaurant takes a slightly more unusual approach to your typical tasting menu; essentially, you create your own! Split up into your starters, fish, meats, and desserts, you can pick 4 or 5 dishes from the list, with a minimum of one dessert, and then you get your custom-made dream menu. Got a sweet tooth? Get a couple of desserts. Not a fan of fish? Pick out of the other options. Choose whatever you like! 

The Chap and I had two of the same dishes, but everything else different, which meant we got the best of both worlds; tried a good proportion of the menu, but didn't get too much food envy! And for the first time, we went for an accompanying wine flight.

Our amuse bouche sums The Vineyard up; it was simply a glass of wine. Crisp, fresh, and somewhat peachy, the Californian Honig Sauvignon Blanc 2013 set the tone for the evening. 

My first course seduced me with it's prettiness; confit foie gras, gariguette strawberry, sesame nougatine and hazelnuts. Foie gras and sweet strawberries is a combination I'd not had before, God knows why, it was amazing! Paired with a tart and flowery Franck Peillot Altesse, Roussette du Bugey, 2012. 

The Chap had pressed rabbit and parsley terrine, confit carrot and mustard, with a gorgeous German Riesling; Joh. Jos. Prüm Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, 2012. 

It was *snap* with our second course - both obsessed with scallops, both love the flavour of truffle - hand dived Orkney scallops, baby artichoke, black truffle. Plump, caramelised, and possibly erring on the 'under' side of caution, the scallops appreciated the gentle punch of truffle with the floral/mineral Tuscan white; Frescobaldi Vermentino Ammiraglia 2013.

We then doubled up on our fishy dishes; me with Brixham lemon sole, shellfish emulsion, pak choi salad and a delightful 10 year old Muscadet - Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet L D`Or 2005 - and The Chap with a much more striking plate of line caught halibut, tomato, shallots and aioli. His wine was a stunner too, a tropical white Rioja, Inspiración Valdemar Tempranillo Blanco 2013. 

The super seasonal rack of spring lamb with asparagus, celeriac and morels was an obvious choice for us both for main course. Surrounded by springtime ingredients - wild garlic, those firm green spears, root veg and earthy morels - the lamb was still glistening rouge in the middle; a sight that puts a smile on any carnivore's face. It's partner in wine-crime was the Prats + Symington Post Scriptum de Chryseia Douro, 2012; cherries, plum, black tea and spice shined bright from this tasty Portuguese number.

I always find dessert a tricky option, mainly because I want ALL of the menu, or failing that, I'd ideally like to mix and match the various components. Having eaten and drank quite a lot, I surprised myself by choosing something light; confit apple, bergamot sorbet, arlette. So kind of like a "deconstructed" (yuck - I hate that word) tarte tatin - glossy caramelised apples and a piece of sugar crusted pastry - served with a fragrant, zesty sorbet, and a bit of cream that tied the whole dish together.

The wine match was a honey hued glass of Ferrari-Carano Eldorado Gold 2008, California. Never having dessert wines when we go out, this felt like a mega treat; oh how the other half live (.. I'm just jealous). Dried apricot, nutmeg, and maple aromas complimented the sticky apples, and the caramel, pear and vanilla flavours rightly out-sweetened the sorbet. Need I say more? Mmmm.

The Chap had the other dessert that I was contemplating - rhubarb and vanilla parfait, rhubarb roulade, tarragon dressing - a rhubarb riot! The contrast between sweet, sharp, and semi-savoury (thanks to the tarragon) was playful, and it's fun candy pink and white appearance suited it down to a tee. Paired with it was Justino's Madeira Colheita 1998, Portugal; dark brown sugar, dried fruits and toffee notes were balanced by a surprising acidity, making it slip down all the more easily.

Petit Fours arrived at our table; a lovely touch seeing as they're usually an additional cost. More macarons (not that I'd ever complain about that), intensely rich dark chocolate truffles, and chocolate shells filled with a tingly mint ice cream.

Having a lady tinkering on the keys of a grand piano throughout the night, and with the restaurant being full of people nattering away, having a great time, dinner at The Vineyard felt like a very relaxed affair. Not an ounce of stuffiness, not a single raised eyebrow, just service with a smile, and smiles that were very much reciprocated.

The next morning, we just about managed to drag ourselves out of our comfortable bed to check out the breakfast. That extra effort was duly rewarded with some crackin' Eggs Royale and a hefty continental spread.

Before saying farewell, we had a quick tour of the wine cellar, making us green with envy... The flat below ours surely wouldn't mind us knocking through their ceiling to create a snazzy cellar, would they? I really want one!

Anyway, one visit to The Vineyard is certainly not enough. As soon as we got into the car we discussed the possibility of returning the following week for their Californian Wine Weekend (though sadly we couldn't go). We have, however, agreed that the Judgement of Paris wine flight and dinner combo is something to be added to our bucket list, so we will make it back at some point. It is only an hour away after all...

Kitty Fisher's Mayfair

According to the age-old nursery rhyme, there may have been a bit of a rift between Lucy Locket and Kitty Fisher; slightly sinister meanings always lie behind those little ditties. This Lucie, however, has very different feelings towards dear Kitty; she bloody loves her!

Ok, it's not a 'her'. It's a restaurant in Mayfair's Shepherd Market, whose kitchen is headed up by Tomos Parry; so in that sense it'd probably be more like a 'he'. But like the 18th-century courtesan it's named after, a lady who apparently once ate a 1000 guinea note on a slice of bread and butter, Kitty Fisher's is just as lavish - though thankfully without the hefty Mayfair price tag!

This time last month I was feeling particularly smug. Not only were The Chap and I heading to London for a long weekend of food and drink fun, but we had a table booked at the hottest restaurant in town. In the weeks prior to our trip, new rave reviews of Kitty Fisher's kept popping up, and Twitter was rife with photos of the most delicious looking beef. This sneak preview felt almost perverse; we probably shouldn't have been scouring social media so intently, but it was addictive, and as a result, it simply made us more hungry and excited about our Saturday night dinner reservation.

Formally at Climpson's Arch in London Fields, Young British Foodie Chef of the Year 2014, Tomos Parry, has been joined by ex Pitt Cue Co sous-chef Chris Leach. Together, they create wonders on their wood-fired grill, so much so that they've been fully booked since they opened in December! With competitive prices - up to £9 for a starter, mains £15-£30, and desserts under £8 - it's easy to see why. The 40-seat restaurant that's split over two floors "prides itself on atmosphere", and since every who's-who has eaten here, its got the reputation to back it up. 

We started with the bread and butter (£3), and you'll be glad to hear that there was not a bank note in sight! Chunks of crusty sourdough had been drizzled in oil and grilled, then served with burnt onion butter; whipped to an almost cloud-like consistency, the butter was dusted with black onion ash, and was a thing of beauty. Some restaurants get bread so wrong, but the fact that The Chap and I were wrestling over the last smears of butter on the plate says it all.

Not being massively flush post Christmas, we decided that we'd go down the route of ordering three starters between us, and sharing a main, before deciding if we could manage dessert. And yes, we obviously had dessert.

The Beef Tartar (£10) was a peppery little number. On crisp rye, the chopped beef was fresh and fragrant with rosemary, peppery thanks to the nasturtium, and it had a punchy acidity coming from the shallots. It had great texture and ticked all the tartar boxes.

Lamb Cutlets, with anchovy, mint and parsley were our second starter (£10.50). Sat alone on the plate, there was nowhere to hide; they had to be good, and they were. Charred on the outside, blushing pink within, they were everything you'd want a piece of lamb to be. And there was just enough of the salty, herby sauce to amplify the flavour of the meat; any more and it'd be at risk of overpowering the little cutlets.

Red Mullet (£12) completed the set, firm white flesh and a clear, intensely fishy sauce. Delicate, delicious, and the charred cucumber was something I'd never tried before.

Every single person that's eaten at Kitty Fisher's has raved about the beef. I'm not sure they intended it to be their showstopping, signature dish, but it's all people are talking about.  At £30, it's not exactly a cheap dish, but it had to be done; and actually, it was plenty big enough for us two to share.

The Galician Beef Sirloin is a prime cut taken from an old dairy cow; something the Spanish do so I'm told. I'm going as far as to say that it was the best piece of beef I have ever had. EVER. Not pink, but crimson slices of meat had been laid out on the plate, dazzling us with black caramelized edges and rugged pieces of fat. Looking at my knife, which seemed like it'd only be good for butter, I had my doubts, but it slid through with ease, and the beef just melted in the mouth. It's actually ridiculous how good it tasted.

It's accompaniments shouldn't go unnoticed though; little cups of burnished onions, filled with rich, meaty juices, and the occasional pickled walnut. Waxy pink fir potatoes, coated in a mustard dressing and oozing Tunworth cheese; potatoes and cheese - yes please! And there were greens for good health too.

We had three options for dessert, but not wanting to over-do it, we just chose two (a decision that I still regret). Chocolate mousse, rhubarb, creme fraiche and hazelnuts (£8). It wasn't the prettiest of dishes, but I thoroughly enjoyed all the flavour/texture contrasts; velvety chocolate, sweet but sharp rhubarb, tangy creme fraiche and crunchy hazelnuts. A simple two-scoop serving of brown bread and marmalade ice cream (£6) was equally as good... But nothing will live up to that beef!

As if all of this isn't good enough as it is, the wine list is very reasonable too; in fact you can get a glass of the house red for a mere £4! If you're planning on going, firstly, good luck; I imagine it's pretty hard getting a table any time soon. And secondly, request a table downstairs; it's much more intimate, you get a view of the kitchen, and you won't get hit with unwanted cold air every time someone opens the door. 

All in all, a stellar supper from the team at Kitty Fisher's; I just fear that the old milkers have ruined beef for me forever.

Outlaw's in Rock: A Nathan Outlaw Restaurant

A weekend trip to Cornwall at the end of August prompted a sneaky booking for Nathan Outlaw's brasserie in Rock. Obviously, having seen all the amazing fishy foods that he creates on the TV etc, we'd have loved to go to his 2 Michelin Star restaurant at the St Enodoc Hotel, but as always money dictates us more than we'd like, so the more affordable fare we went... Luckily, Outlaw's in Rock is situated at the same hotel - a reception desk distance away - so with the same location and the same stunning views over the Camel Estuary, it didn't feel as though we were missing out too much.

Being a little hasty in our departure, we were too early for our reservation, so thought we'd have a look to see what Rock had to offer. As we soon found out, there's not really much there. It seems like Nathan Outlaw is the reason that people visit the little Cornish town, and what with the two restaurants in St Enodoc, and his Mariners Pub down the road (a collaboration with the local Sharp's Brewery), it would seem he's turned it into a foodie destination.. Somewhat similar to Simon Rogan's takeover in Cartmel.

It had been quite a long drive with very little breakfast, so our tummies were rumbling before we'd even parked up. The hotel itself, with its pale lemon yellow painted facade, looks pretty retro; not somewhere you'd think would house a Michelin Starred get up. Inside, Outlaws in Rock has a much more contemporary feel to it; a large bar, plenty of art, interesting wallpaper, and huge floor to ceiling windows and doors, leading out onto a terrace overlooking the landscape.

Seated in prime position at the window - I ignored the fact it was raining - we perused the menus with a bowl of beautifully plump olives, bright in colour and bursting with flavour. As August basically obliterated my bank balance, instead of going a la carte, we opted for the Celebration Lunch Menu. This menu - at £25pp - sees a selection of Nathan's recipes from his latest book 'Fish Kitchen'; the three courses are picked to suit the season, and it enables visitors to try dishes before going home to cook them for themselves.

With a summer inspired lunch, white wine was required, and Outlaw's has a gorgeous list; every wine (thereabouts) is available by the glass, carafe or bottle - almost unheard of in the majority of places. As I was playing designated driver and The Chap was hankering after more than just a glass, we went for a carafe of Montravel 2013, Domaine de Perreau, Bordeaux, France (Sauvignon Gris, Semillon), priced at £20.25. We patted ourselves on the back for our good decision whilst tucking into the biggest slices of homemade bread; one, a springy, perfectly porous sourdough, the other a dark, yeasty Doom Bar beer bread.

Our starter was Crispy Bass, Pickled Carrots, Sweet Vinegar Dressing and Jalapeño Mayonnaise. "This simple dish is always popular, working well with a variety of fish, and the mayonnaise adds a lovely kick." 

The crunchy pickled carrots cut through the deep fried crispy fish goujons, which were - as expected - perfectly flakey inside. They made for great dipping material into the peppery jalapeño mayo, and the little squeeze of lime brought together all elements - a gentle nod to Mexico maybe?  

Main Course: Cod, Pancetta, Pickled Mushrooms and Grape Dressing. "Cod is a lovely, but subtle fish and wrapping it in pancetta really enhances the flavour. I pan fry it first to colour the bacon then roast in the oven. Pickled mushrooms for acidic, together with the sweet freshness of the grapes, work brilliantly with the salty bacon."

White fish (or chicken) wrapped in pancetta is quite a staple in many pubs/restaurants these days, but this was something else. It was a big, robust piece of fish - no messing about - and the mushrooms and grapes not only added a sweet-sour vibe to the whole thing, but also some finesse. I did think that a sturdier vegetable might have suited the dish better though; delicious as they were, the courgettes soaked up quite a bit of the oil that it was dressed with. 

Dessert: Strawberry and Elderflower Sorbet, Meringues, Elderflower Cream and Lime. "For me it simply isn't summer without strawberries!" 

This really was summer personified; fresh, floral, creamy, zingy, and prettily presented to top it off. Need I say any more?

Not wanting our lunchtime retreat to end, we plonked ourselves in the lounge area with a cup of strong coffee for me and a Nikka from the Barrel Whisky for The Chap. If Outlaw's hadn't impressed us enough, they brought out some sublime fudge and ginger biscuits to go with our drinks; such old school teatime treats, it was as if I'd gone to my grandparents (just these hadn't been within an inch of a packet in their lives).

Feeling both full and content, we left with a promise that we'll definitely return for the 2 star experience. But as for the excellent value lunch we had here, I'd say Outlaw's Rocks.. *cringe*

Outlaw's in Rock, St. Enodoc Hotel, Rock Road, Rock, Cornwall

PL27 6LA