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!

Ross & Ross Pop Up at The Straw Kitchen

A couple of weeks ago, Saturday 21st March, The Chap and I ventured up to the North Cotswolds for dinner. We wouldn't usually travel almost an hour for dinner without having somewhere to stay, but this was a bit different.

Ross & Ross, those lovely chaps who feed me their 10 hour slow roasted lamb shoulder with salsa verde every year at the Cheltenham Food & Drink Festival, were hosting a pop up. I managed to miss the first one so made every effort to get in quick on the tickets for the second event at a "secret location". Turns out, it was at the same venue as before, Whichford Pottery's Straw Kitchen, but I'm kind of glad about that; after seeing the gorgeous photos Dan Walker took at the last one, I was desperate to see the place for myself (and FYI their scrawled out blackboard menu sounds like it'd be worth a return trip!).

Photo Credit: Dan Walker

There were three "social eating tables" inside the Straw Kitchen, which is perfect for pop up supper club style things. However, two large groups had booked tickets, and there were only a handful of us who didn't know anyone else; sat on a table all together, it kind of felt as though we were gatecrashing someone's birthday party! It didn't matter too much, we made good conversation with another couple who were getting married, and had also enquired about Ross & Ross's wedding catering!

Photo Credit: Dan Walker

For £35 per person, we had a 5 courses and it was BYOB. The Chap got lucky and I was designated driver for the night, so we arrived armed with two bottles of already opened wine (oops) and a couple of Fentimans soft drinks to keep me entertained, though I was pretty envious every time I heard a prosecco cork pop!

The menu was 'Spring' themed, and each course sounded right up my street. That said, I'm still a little gutted that I didn't get to try the scotch egg that everyone was banging on about after the last event. Social media was full of pictures of those runny yolked beauties! And apologies for the crappy pictures - a single tea light was never going to produce a good photo.

Photo Credit: Ross & Ross

We started with Jerusalem Artichoke & Morel Soup; thick, earthy and its overall brown-ness was brightened up with a vivid orange nasturtium flower. Since Waitrose have started stocking those little knobbly artichokes, I've been buying them at every opportunity; thankfully I'm not sick of them, and this was a great start to the evening.

An intriguing 'Chicken Lollipop' was next, which was essentially like a refined, more flavoursome KFC. Big spices on the crispy coating were tamed down with an accompanying sweet-sticky-glazed chicken wing. I remember watching Rebecca Seal revealing how to eat a chicken wing in a clean, lady-like fashion. Alas, I couldn't remember how she did it, so I just went down the messy, all over my fingers and face route.

The Falafel with Tahini & Basil Dip was a favourite dish amongst many. Too often people try to unnecessarily pimp up falafel - if it ain't broke, don't fix it - I'm glad to report Ross & Ross' falafel were perfect.

Our main course was a plump piece of Grimsby Smoked Cod Loin, Brown Shrimp Butter Sauce, Purple Sprouting and Pea Puree. Excellent springtime fare, and my fave course of the night. With all this sustainable fish jazz that's been going on in recent years, I'd kind of fallen out of favour with cod in trying to buy a broader range, but I think I shouldn't shun ye olde faithful in future.

A duo of desserts rounded the evening off; first a Poached Rhubarb & Vanilla Custard Crunch, which was ACE. I only wish my little pot was twice the size, the firm but sweet pink rhubarb partnered with the vanilla flecked custard and crumble topping is my idea of heaven. The Hot Chocolate & Orange Pudding was tasty too, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I put my spoon in and the middle was still molten, but it really was all about the rhubarb.

We retired to the sofas in front of the log burner, with a coffee in hand, before hitting the road. It was such a lovely evening, and time went so quickly. Ross & Ross sure know how to host a decent pop up, and I'll be keeping an eye out for future events!

P.S. Did you notice the gorgeous crockery? I'd happily have some of those Whichford Pottery plates in my kitchen!
P.P.S. Check out the rural-chic toilet!...