I can't leave you hanging on in suspense any longer.
I know you're just desperate to hear all about the lovely food I ate on my visit to the very beautiful Ox Pasture Hall on Saturday afternoon aren't you.
Well wait no more.
The (rather lengthy, picture-crammed) post is here.
As I stated in my previous post (see here), the staff at the hotel were all so lovely and friendly - they really made the three of us - myself, The Hubby and my eight year old son - feel very welcome from the moment we arrived.
We were seated in a very comfortable, leather chair adorned room, to relax whilst sipping on our (non-alcoholic) drinks and pondering over the beautiful looking menu.
The restaurant offers both a bistro menu and an A La Carte menu, and we were encouraged to pick what we wanted from either one, mixing or matching as we liked.
Now my son did try to get his head around some of the more "exotic" (to him) sounding dishes, but he was very kindly (and very helpfully) saved, and given a much more child friendly kiddies menu.
So we ordered, sat back and took in the beautiful views, whilst waiting to be seated.
We were then very quickly led into the beautiful, luxurious Courtyard Restaurant and were seated in the best possible seats ever - directly next to an open door leading straight onto the immaculate gardens.
Just how amazing were my table views eh!
And then the food extravaganza began, with us each being presented with a lovely appetiser.
(my son looked on in horror at the beetroot...but he managed to try the rest.)
Even the bread looked special.
Then came the starters.
I decided upon:
Smooth Duck Liver Parfait with Tea
Soaked Prunes & Duck Fat Toast
The Hubby fancied the Ham, Egg And Peas
(a very fancy version - he was desperate to try a quails egg)
And my son was extremely happy with his Cheese On Toast option
Everything was just beautiful, and I think we surprised our waitress by how quickly we polished everything off.
We don't mess about that's for sure.
Then, very suprisingly, we were presented with a palette cleanser - a very sweet Strawberry Consume... or "Strawberry Sippie" as my son named it.
It was very sweet and naturally my son loved it - he even wants us to find the recipe so we can make it at home.
Main course next, and I think I sighed in pure happiness when my Blade Of Beef arrived
Have you ever seen such a huge, tender hunk of meat before?
It was fantastic - everything tasted just amazing and all complimented each other perfectly.
However, the meat beat me and I couldn't finish it all...but the Hubby gladly helped me out with this...after he had devoured his Lamb that is:
Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb,
Braised Rump, Lamb & Kidney Faggot,
Sweet
Potato Dauphinoise, Butternut Squash Puree
And my son enjoyed his Bangers and Mash with gravy on the side...he even tried peas for the first time.
Once our tummies had had a few minutes to relax, we were again surprised by being presented with yet another in-between-course-treat, myself and The Hubby were given a Passion Fruit and Whiskey Sour.
Slightly iced and very much laced with whiskey.
We loved it, even though it was a tad strong.
My son thoroughly enjoyed his Mango With Passion Fruit Sorbet too - he couldn't get enough of it
And then, last but by no means least, we had our dessert.
Not sure I could fit anything else into my body, but I still couldn't pass on a sweet treat, and I opted for the Lemon Cheesecake.
I was delighted when it arrived
Yes, there was a square of beautiful cheesecake on my plate, but it was accompanied with lots of other lemon infused niceness.
There was sorbet, cream, a brandy snap - lots of lemon, which all complimented each other perfectly.
The little glass jar filled with yet more lemony-ness made me squeal a little too - it was just so cute.
Really beautiful.
The boys both opted for a lots of summer berries on their plate.
(No kids menu choices here for my little one - oh no - he's not daft!)
A strawberry jelly, fruity cake with cream, a raspberry sorbet with fresh fruits and a creme brûlée.
How amazing is the presentation.
And the taste was quite outstanding too.
Well...we certainly approved anyway!
I really can't praise Ox Pasture Hall enough.
The staff made jokes and conversation with us throughout our meal and the atmosphere wasn't stuffy or too "posh" or formal at all - it was really relaxed and laid back, which made the day even more enjoyable.
And then as we were leaving the hotel, a full wedding party turned up.
The staff and chef had catered especially for us, had made us feel so welcome and ensured we enjoyed our visit, all whilst trying to plan, cater for and accommodate a wedding party arriving.
And we were none the wiser at all.
How fab is that.
The hotel certainly deserves all of it's proudly displayed awards that's for sure.
I would send anyone and everyone in this direction - it would make a stunning wedding venue, but equally a lovely, calming place to get away to for a few days.
Everything - the service, the quality, the atmosphere, the attention detail - was simply amazing.
Can I go again please...?
*meal provided free of charge for consideration of a review - all thoughts, opinions and photographs are 100% my own
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