The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
At the Hart of a pleasant night out
A treat you can Ufford
We arrived on a drizzly ( or mizzly, we couldn’t decide, it’s that fine rain...) Tuesday evening at the welcoming White Hart nestled in the village of Ufford situated halfway between Peterborough and Stamford. Ufford is only a 15 or so minute drive from the centre of Peterborough along the back roads just before Barnack. The White Hart, twinned with the nearby Crown and Exeter Arms, also has an Orangery catering for up to 40 guests and The Pantry area for private or business events. I was surprised no one from the PT had been for a review in years - my last visit may have been after a victorious John Wilcox Cup cricket final at nearby picturesque Barnack CC a couple of years before - so my wife and I staked our claim. It has a warm homely feel, all stone work and wooden beams, cosy seating, mismatched signs and local archived photography. We had been a few times for drinks and food although not recently but always enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. The bar is well stocked with four real ales including Adnams and Oakham Ales on our visit. I had a JHB while my wife went for a non- alcoholic ginger beer. An extensive wine list is also available. We surveyed the menu for some time, it’s a reasonably traditional list with plenty of locally sourced meat and in- gredients, I would have been happy with most of the starters or mains. Wewere taken through to the dining area, where there were a smattering of other couples already seated. The restaurant/ bar/ hotel has a good reputation so we were not surprised. As a side note, they have six individually styled character ensuite bedrooms available. We had some bread and butter to begin with, then our starters. I went for a goat’s cheese and beetroot salad, always a sucker for goat’s cheese, but the beetroot was a perfect foil, balancing the creamy cheese. My wife had the pork fritters and chilli mayo. All had good flavours, were attractively presented on simple plates. the accompanying salad was fresh and of good quality. The staff were friendly and helpful if a little slow at times, and could have asked if we wanted drinks earlier. For our mains, my wife had the salmon on a pea and mint risotto, which was generously portioned and visually easy on the eye. The salmon was well cooked and the risotto was quite creamy and maybe a little filling but that is not to detract from the quality of the flavours. My steak and ale pie was enjoyable, and I do like a good flaky pastry topping. the meat was tender, and the gravy not too runny. the thick twice cooked chips were decent, I prefer them crispier so I was pleased with my choice, all apart from the appearance of a Brussel sprout amongst the seasonal veg. Seasonal it may be, welcomed it is not. The devil’s work! The generous portions had
“Arelaxing atmosphere in the bar or restaurant”
filled us up, and we don’t like to waste food - so we shared a dessert. Despite the menu having some tempting delights on offer - the vanilla creme brulee was very pleasant, nice crunchy top, together with the fresh juicy raspberries and strawberries plus the soft shortbread biscuits was a light end to the meal. Overall a relaxing atmosphere in the bar or restaurant, a traditional menu with good food and beers to enjoy at reasonable prices. Well worth a stopoff or an evening visit if you are venturing out of town.