I know I have already posted about the Harwood Arms, but we had such a good meal at the weekend that I thought I ought to write about it. I think we were lucky that we wanted to go on Sunday evening, and they therefore had space for the six of us, as they won Time Out new gastropub of the year last week.
There was a lot of negotiation going on as we chose what to eat, due to the rib of beef for two that was available. We all also seemed to go for the same starters, which really caught the eye.
I shared poached salmon with broken egg with my brother. There had been a lot of discussion as to what broken egg, in the context, would be. I think it was a soft boiled egg chopped up, so the yolk made a bit of a sauce. It went very well with the soft smokey salmon, and the shared portion was perfect to whet the appetite for the amount of meat to follow. The other starter we tried was a soft-boiled duck egg with English truffle soldiers. Again, this was a perfectly executed dish, with the egg still runny and the truffle providing a different, earthy, aspect to the dish.
Four of the group then shared the rib of beef, with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and vegetables. This arrived on two big wooden boards, and there was a serious amount of food. We could have just ordered these between the six of us, and still all been full! The beef was beautifully pink and tender, and the horseradish the perfect hit of spicy creaminess. The roast potatoes looked amazingly crispy too, although I never tried them since I was distracted by the arrival of my pork belly.
This was meltingly tender, with a hint of five-spice (we think). My only slight complaint would be that my preference would be for crisper crackling, as this was a little chewy. However, it seems churlish to complain when the dish was so delicious. It came with some stewed prunes for a sweet hit, and to-die-for mashed potatoes. I am ignoring the likely butter content!
By this point we were all stuffed, and yet couldn’t resist the lure of the puddings. My eton mess was spot on, with a large ration of meringue to cream, which is definitely my preference, and the blackcurrants providing a tart contrast. There was also a delicious jelly at the bottom, but my tastebuds had been blown by the blackcurrant (in a good way) and I couldn’t identify the subtle flavours.
My brother’s apple doughnuts had people moaning around the table, and his girlfriend’s burnt Trinty cream (like crème brulee, but slightly runnier cream) was also a hit. R had truffled Tunworth cheese with homemade oatcakes, which he seemed reluctant to share.
This was my parents’ treat, as it was their wedding anniversary, so I don’t know what the damage was. However, last time we went it was pretty good value, and for this quality of food the prices did not seem high.
The service was good too, and they dealt well with my request for gluten-free, coming back to change my order once someone noticed that the mutton I wanted originally had unadvertised breadcrumbs on it. They were also more than happy to bag up our leftover beef so that we could take it home with us.
We have eaten at one of the runner-up pubs in the Time Out competition, the Cadogan Arms, and I have to say that the Harwood is in a completely different class. This is a place that knows what it wants to achieve, and does so using seasonal, well-sourced produce, without being too expensive. I really can't recommend it highly enough.
On our way out we also noticed that they are offering a special grouse menu, if you order in advance. We might be back pretty soon!
There was a lot of negotiation going on as we chose what to eat, due to the rib of beef for two that was available. We all also seemed to go for the same starters, which really caught the eye.
I shared poached salmon with broken egg with my brother. There had been a lot of discussion as to what broken egg, in the context, would be. I think it was a soft boiled egg chopped up, so the yolk made a bit of a sauce. It went very well with the soft smokey salmon, and the shared portion was perfect to whet the appetite for the amount of meat to follow. The other starter we tried was a soft-boiled duck egg with English truffle soldiers. Again, this was a perfectly executed dish, with the egg still runny and the truffle providing a different, earthy, aspect to the dish.
Four of the group then shared the rib of beef, with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and vegetables. This arrived on two big wooden boards, and there was a serious amount of food. We could have just ordered these between the six of us, and still all been full! The beef was beautifully pink and tender, and the horseradish the perfect hit of spicy creaminess. The roast potatoes looked amazingly crispy too, although I never tried them since I was distracted by the arrival of my pork belly.
This was meltingly tender, with a hint of five-spice (we think). My only slight complaint would be that my preference would be for crisper crackling, as this was a little chewy. However, it seems churlish to complain when the dish was so delicious. It came with some stewed prunes for a sweet hit, and to-die-for mashed potatoes. I am ignoring the likely butter content!
By this point we were all stuffed, and yet couldn’t resist the lure of the puddings. My eton mess was spot on, with a large ration of meringue to cream, which is definitely my preference, and the blackcurrants providing a tart contrast. There was also a delicious jelly at the bottom, but my tastebuds had been blown by the blackcurrant (in a good way) and I couldn’t identify the subtle flavours.
My brother’s apple doughnuts had people moaning around the table, and his girlfriend’s burnt Trinty cream (like crème brulee, but slightly runnier cream) was also a hit. R had truffled Tunworth cheese with homemade oatcakes, which he seemed reluctant to share.
This was my parents’ treat, as it was their wedding anniversary, so I don’t know what the damage was. However, last time we went it was pretty good value, and for this quality of food the prices did not seem high.
The service was good too, and they dealt well with my request for gluten-free, coming back to change my order once someone noticed that the mutton I wanted originally had unadvertised breadcrumbs on it. They were also more than happy to bag up our leftover beef so that we could take it home with us.
We have eaten at one of the runner-up pubs in the Time Out competition, the Cadogan Arms, and I have to say that the Harwood is in a completely different class. This is a place that knows what it wants to achieve, and does so using seasonal, well-sourced produce, without being too expensive. I really can't recommend it highly enough.
On our way out we also noticed that they are offering a special grouse menu, if you order in advance. We might be back pretty soon!
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