Regional & Seasonal: The Riverside at Aymestrey
Akingfisher PerChes ATOP a branch by the bank of a river, waiting for his lunch to swim by. He is hoping for a small fish, but would also be happy to snap up an aquatic insect or two. On the other side of the water, at a picturesque black and white 16th century inn, lunch of a much more tempting variety is already being served.
The Riverside is situated in the beautiful rural village of Aymestrey in North Herefordshire. Nestled in the River Lugg valley, it was originally built for coaches looking to cross the water. The area is one of both beauty and history, with the Battle of Mortimer Cross, which played a major part in the Wars of the Roses, taking place just a mile away. The Mortimer Trail, which extends 30 miles from Ludlow Castle in Shropshire to Kington in Herefordshire, runs through the village, and Puckhouse Wood, reputedly haunted by wood sprites, is on the doorstep.
The area is rich in wildlife, with otters, kingfishers and native crayfish in the river and red kites and buzzards soaring above. The timbered inn is managed by chef patron Andy Link, who joined The Riverside 15 years ago. Andy is in charge of everything from cooking to running the kitchen gardens. “I grew up on a farm less than five miles from the restaurant,” he says. “Most of my family background was in farming and food, so my aim has always been to support local sustainable businesses and promote the produce I grew up enjoying. Everything, from the beautiful landscapes to the people, make this part of Herefordshire a hidden gem.” The Riverside is a rustic country inn, and the restaurant has oak floors, original beams, hops hanging from the ceiling and a selection of diverse local art and photography on the walls. There are views of the meadows and the river opposite. “Our core ethos is to make everything here, from bread to ice cream. We prepare whole animals in our kitchen, make our own honey and tap our own trees for sap. A lot is grown on-site; everything else is sourced from local farms, smallholdings and producers. Even our trout comes from the River Lugg.” The kitchen gardens are planned, planted, maintained and harvested by the small team of chefs, so they need to remain low-maintenance and manageable. “In the last year or so, the acre of garden has been devoted to trying new techniques, from allotment style to perennial vegetables, and cottage style herbs to edible flowers, as well as a fruit orchard,” says Andy. “The ability to experiment with different ingredients and plant types is key for a chef in finding flavours and creating interesting new dishes. It enables us to have the freshest seasonal produce exactly when
we need it and allows us to play with a wide range of interesting ingredients, such as borage, salad burnet and lemon verbena.” There are plans to increase the yields from the garden in terms of plants per patch and to plant more produce for winter and the early spring harvest. Andy is aiming to be as environmentally friendly as he can by moving to organic gardening, encouraging beneficial wildlife, such as bees with their own hive, and edible flowers, and large-scale kitchen waste composting.
“The food we serve tends to be British in flavour, but is often prepared in a different way. For example, our Weobley Ash mutton comes from a local farm, and we serve it with wild herbs the chefs have foraged and artichokes from our garden. We also like to create interesting and unique dishes that really showcase local producers, such as our Stout Parfait. This uses Wye Valley stout and is a frozen mousse-like dessert made with our own honey and brown breadcrumbs.”
Andy’s approach seems to be working. “We’re getting busier and busier, which means we’re able to promote the region to more people. It’s great to walk out of the door and collect vegetables and fruit for that day’s menu or to visit local farms and hear them passionately talking about their produce. The following of a dish from seed to plate makes this job a real love.”
A kitchen garden at a Herefordshire inn provides chefs with the ingredients to create tantalising new recipes