4 minute read
DINING OUT As restaurants open
SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FORMED
They say first impressions count... well, the perfect first course is modest in size but bold in flavour, setting out a chef ’s intentions and dazzling with their presentation...
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They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. And it’s true.
We’ve all been to a restaurant for the first time and perused a menu, waiting in anticipation for the first dish to arrive.
Typically that dish is your starter. Quantity isn’t essential, but quality and presentation certainly is. It’s the chef ’s opportunity to make that all important first impression on their customer.
As a person who prefers savoury dishes to sweet ones, I’d rather enjoy a starter and forgo a dessert, and what I especially love about starters is their often intense and bold flavours. Happily, the days of gloopy prawn cocktails or melon are long gone. Today’s starters are as much about presentation as whacking flavours. If I’m honest, I rather mourn the disappearance of soup from restaurants’ menus, but the ineffable rise of the quality pub restaurant has lead to the happy reinvention of many old favourites from Scotch Eggs to scallops - all promising starter options.
With lockdown slowly retreating and restaurants due to reopen as Pride goes to press, we’re delighted be able to implore our readers to revisit independent pubs, restaurants and hotels to enjoy that long forgotten pleasure of dining out... beginning your meal with these absolutely belting starters! >>
Below: Some of the county’s most talented chefs, Fuel Tank’s Chris Ansell; Steph Barker of The Cross Keys Grasby; Marcus Franklin of Ye Olde Red Lion; Shelina Burford of The White Hart Hotel, Boston; Tom Hall of The Petwood Hotel; Michael Prescott, Head Chef of The Griffin Inn, Irnham; Mark Hines, Head Chef at The Black Horse, Gosberton Risegate; Tom Niblock, Head Chef of The Thatched Cottage Restaurant, Sutterton; David Bukowicki, Chef at Barnsdale Lodge.
“The hospitality sector employs 3.2m people and it contributes over £130bn to the economy, and yet 99% of the businesses within the sector are SMEs with fewer than 30 employees. For that reason, we’re all share a moral obligation to keep those businesses trading, by visiting them when lockdown is lifted...”
This Page: Hen’s Egg with asparagus in crispy potato basket at The Red Lion, Bicker.
OUR FEATURED RESTAURANTS
Please note, featured dishes are representative examples of our featured chefs’ skills... the menus of our featured restaurants change often, so dishes remain subject to availability. Check each restaurant’s website prior to your visit for a fresh menu to avoid disappointment.
Barnsdale Lodge Hotel: Exton, Rutland, LE15 8AH, 01572 724678, www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk.
The Black Horse: Gosberton Risegate, Spalding PE11 4ET, 01775 840995, www.theblackhorse-gr.co.uk .
The Cross Keys Inn: Grasby, DN38 6AQ, 01652 628247, www.crosskeys-grasby.co.uk.
The Fuel Tank: Engine Yard at Belvoir Castle NG32 1PA, 01476 247059, www.engineyardfueltank.co.uk.
The Petwood Hotel’s sweet potato and pear starter with walnuts and Stilton.
Charcoal squid with vanilla purée at The Cross Keys, Grasby.
A summer consommé at The Griffin Inn, Irnham.
Slow braised ham hock, soft cooked egg, with pea puree & bacon crumb at The White Hart in Boston. The Griffin Inn: Irnham, NG33 4JG, 01476 550201, www.thegriffinirnham.co.uk.
The Petwood Hotel: Woodhall Spa, LN10 6QG, 01526 352411, www.petwood.co.uk.
The Thatched Cottage: Sutterton, Boston PE20 2EZ, 01205 461006, www.thethatchedcottage restaurant.co.uk.
The White Hart Hotel: Boston, PE21 8SH, 01205 311900, www.whitehartboston.com.
Ye Olde Red Lion: Bicker, Boston, PE20 3EF, 01775 821200, www.redlionbicker.co.uk.
In the KITCHEN
Easy to create, delicious and satisfying, this avocado and artichoke salad is the perfect dish for a Saturday afternoon spent in the garden...
AVOCADO & ARTICHOKE SALAD with Crunchy Croutons
1 Ciabatta roll torn into bitesize pieces • 1 tbsp olive oil • ½ tsp sumac • 1 pack 2 avocados, peeled, stoned and cubed 1 cucumber diced • 175g artichokes to chargrill • 1 tbsp vinaigrette salad dressing • 1 romaine lettuce, torn into pieces 100g bag watercress • 2 tbsp Kalamata or other black olives
Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6. Place the ciabatta in a large bowl, add the oil and sumac and toss well together. Spread out on a baking sheet in a single layer, then bake for 10 minutes until crunchy and golden. Leave to cool. Chargrill the artichokes and toss together with the avocado, cucumber, with their dressing and the vinaigrette. Place the lettuce and watercress in a large salad bowl and spoon over the avocado and artichoke mixture. Scatter over the olives and croutons and serve swiftly. Enjoy in the garden with sunshine and a Sauvignon Blanc or unoaked Chardonnay. n