Western Daily Press (Saturday)
MARK TAYLOR’S FAVOURITE MEALS OF 2018
Mark Taylor looks back at 2018 and picks his most memorable meals
ON a national level, it has been a gloomy year for restaurants and pubs. London restaurant closures have been the highest for 28 years and around 20 pubs a week are pulling their final pints and shutting up shop.
These are sobering figures for those of us who like to eat out but after reviewing 86 establishments for this paper since March - that’s 258 courses and the equivalent of a couple of extra belt holes - I can report that the West Country dining scene is in rude health whether you want to eat on a budget in a small, local gastropub or go for broke in one of the region’s more exclusive restaurants.
Here is a round-up of my 20 most memorable meals of 2018, covering everything from seafood beach shacks to fine dining Michelinstarred restaurants. Here’s to an equally greedy 2019.
The Bunch of Grapes, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire
Beyond its handsome Georgian facade, this former Wadworth pub is now the sort of Bohemian bistro you expect to find in the South of France, not West Wiltshire. Head chef Steve Carss uses local produce to conjure a range of timeless Gallic classics like coq au vin and apple tarte tatin, all backed up by West Country ales and excellent French wine.
Brassica, Beaminster, Dorset Overlooking the bustling town square at Beaminster, Brassica is run by Cass Titcombe and Louise Chidgey who relocated from London four years ago. The European-influenced food has a lightness of touch and a memorable early spring meal included grilled hake fillet with haricot beans, cavolo nero and anchovy, followed by Yorkshire rhubarb cheesecake Pavlova.
Roth Bar & Grill, Bruton, Somerset
Run by husband and wife team Steve and Jules Horrell, this restaurant at the Hauser & Wirth arts complex has built up a formidable reputation for its farm-to-fork dining. Enjoy a glass of Julian Temperley’s Burrow Hill cider as you tuck into chicken with chimichurri and chips or cumin and coriander-spiced koftas made with lamb from the farm outside the art-strewn dining room.
Made by Bob, Cirencester,
Gloucestershire
It’s eight years since James ‘Bob’ Parkinson opened this deli-restaurant in Cirencester’s old Corn Hall and it’s still very much the go-to place for locals. The menu is broadly Italian and French, with the occasional Asian influence, but this is assured, intelligent cooking whether you go for the deep-fried lamb sweetbreads and sauce gribiche or the red mullet with borlotti beans and olive relish.
The Compasses Inn, Lower
Chicksgrove, Wiltshire
A delightful thatched village pub dating from the 14th century, The Compasses Inn is run by Ben Maschler, son of legendary restaurant critic Fay, expect a high level of service and food. Still very much a pub serving a ploughman’s and ciabattas filled with hot roast beef, it also serves a daily-changing menu which might include an oxtail and ox cheek pie with mash and buttered greens.
The Club House, West Bexington, Dorset
Slap bang on Chesil Beach, this New England-style white bungalow is accessed via the organic farm that supplies the kitchen with its vegetables. Owned by the same team behind the more famous Hive Beach Cafe at Burton Bradstock, it specialises in local fish and seafood like baked scallops with wild garlic and hazelnut crumb butter. The set menu lunches are a serious bargain.
The Longs Arms, South Wraxall, Wiltshire
After six years of being licensees, Rob and Liz Allcock became owners of this charming village pub and they have stamped their personality all
over it. Grab a table near the woodburner in the bar and order jerk kid cutlets with peanut and chilli pickle or Cornish lamb rump with hazelnuts, feta and kale. Don’t leave without buying half a dozen of villager Bob’s eggs sold on the bar.
Olive Tree at The Queensberry, Bath
A June visit to the Olive Tree restaurant in the basement of The Queensberry hotel impressed me so much that I predicted a Michelin star could be around the corner - a prediction that came true a few months later. Head chef Chris Cleghorn deserves the accolade for innovative dishes such as duck breast with barbecued beetroot, sea beet, sweet cherry purée and hazelnut.
Three Tuns, Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire
James and Ashley Wilsey have gained a strong local following since taking over this smart rural pub six years ago after moving from London. Still the hub of the village with its regular charity pub quiz, foodies travel from afar for dishes like rump of lamb, braised lentils, purple sprouting broccoli and salsa verde. Leave room for the apple and rhubarb crumble with clotted cream.
The Barn at Severn & Wye Smokery, Chaxhill, Gloucestershire
A contemporary restaurant above a world-class fishmongers and food store on the A48 from Gloucester to Chepstow, The Barn’s menu is designed around what’s on the fish counter that day. A typical meal might include Severn & Wye smoked sustainable eel with bacon, field mushrooms and poached egg or Cornish turbot roasted on the bone and served with béarnaise sauce.
Corkage, Bath
Occupying what for years was the Beaujolais restaurant, the second Corkage to open in Bath is larger and more central than its low-key Walcot Street original but equally as good. Marty Grant and Richard Knighting have made wine bars cool again with 70 wines by the glass and global small plates such as ham hock croquettes with pea purée and Vietnamese-style prawn salad.
Rachel’s, West Bay, Dorset
A white clapboard shack on the quayside at West Bay, people queue for one of the outdoor tables at this seasonal cafe. Owner John Kingston and his wife Rachel source the fish, lobsters, crabs and mussels from local fishermen and serve it simply. Eating fresh local lobster salad in the sun at Rachel’s was one of my happiest food memories of the long hot summer.
The George & Dragon, Rowde, Wiltshire
A 16th-century coaching inn in land-locked Wiltshire might be the last place you’d expect to find a truly outstanding fish and seafood restaurant but The George & Dragon has gained a formidable reputation for it. Whether it’s the dressed lobster, seafood platter or meatier options such as the devilled lambs’ kidneys with grainy mustard mash, this rural pub ticks all the boxes.
The Dower House at The Royal Crescent, Bath
In the opulent setting of this Grade I-listed hotel, The Dower House remains one of the region’s more refined dining experiences. Head chef David Campbell produces food that’s vibrant, full-flavoured and impeccably presented. English rose veal fillet with veal sweetbread and tongue, roasted globe artichoke, asparagus and confit potato was one of the best dishes I ate all year.
The Woolpack, Slad, Gloucestershire
Overlooking the breathtaking Slad Valley, this timeless 300-year-old pub was immortalised by Cider with Rosie writer Laurie Lee but it now serves modern British food worth travelling for. A favourite watering hole of ramblers, it also attracts a Bohemian crowd who pull up mismatched chairs to sup Coachman ale and tuck into bowls of bouillabaisse and plates of lamb chops.
Castle Bow, Taunton, Somerset In the latest edition of The Good Food Guide, Castle Bow scores six - the highest mark for any Somerset restaurant - and it’s not hard to see why. Head chef Liam Finnegan’s Modern British cooking is pitch perfect, whether it’s hand-dived scallops with smoked pork belly or local pigeon with sweet carrot puree, crisp Parma ham and sherry vinegar dressing.
The Ollerod, Beaminster, Dorset With Brassica across the town square, Beaminster is becoming something of a foodie destination now that former Michelin star chef Chris Staines has opened The Ollerod. This 13th-century former monastery makes for a tranquil setting to enjoy finely-tuned global dishes like flame-grilled mackerel with satay sauce, pickled Thai shallots, kimchi and ponzu jelly.
The Bell Inn, Langford, Gloucestershire
Peter Creed and Tom Noest have created something special in this tiny Cotswold village inn, where the dartboard and log fires set the scene for a menu of wood-fired pizzas, local steaks and the best devilled kidneys on toast I’ve had for years. If I had to pick my favourite place of 2018, it would be The Bell Inn, which encapsulates everything that a country gastropub should be.
Madam and Adam, Hereford
This under-the-radar 20-cover bistro on the bridge over the River Wye entered the prestigious Good Food Guide this year and with good reason. Beth Thompson and Swav Lewandowski use local growers to create exciting and creative ‘small plates’ including a stand-out beef rib-eye with Shropshire Blue gnocchi, roasted celeriac, wild mushrooms and horseradish mash.
Beckford Bottle Shop, Bath
This latest venture from the team behind a trio of award-winning gastropubs in the region combines a bottle shop with an all-day wine bar and restaurant. Excellent British charcuterie and artisan cheeses jostle for attention alongside small plates of Bath chaps with Bramley apple purée or rabbit, black pudding and celeriac pie. One of the most exciting West Country openings of 2018.