The Kingham Plough

There are a few places around the Cotswolds that I really want to visit, even if it’s just for a chilled glass of wine and a catch up with friends. But a friend of mine, has a bible to all the best places in the Cotswolds, and for the last couple of months we've been saying our aim will be to work through them, and enjoy every single one of them.

We started off a month or so back with a visit to The Green Dragon at Cockleford, near Cheltenham. I'd love to let you know what it is was like, but I failed on my part to sample all 3 courses, and so feel that I will need to go back again to have some more of their gorgeous food. Anyway, the other weekend, we decided, along with another friend, to take a trip over to Daylesford and partake in a spot of Sunday lunch at The Kingham Plough.

The Plough has been on our list for ages. Not having enough time to organise us all over to Bray to Helston Blumenthal's Fat Duck, we thought that sampling the ware's of Emily Watkins, previously Heston's Sous Chef at the Duck, would give us a taste of what we were missing with a more relaxed, country pub sort of way. So with the idea firmly implanted in our minds and a (advisable) Sunday lunch booking, we became the 'Ladies who (Sunday) Lunch'

Sat in the beautiful village of Kingham, once voted Country Life's Village of the Year, the Kingham Plough has everything a dream country pub should be. The converted tithe barn, with huge gabled ceilings, the mish mash of furniture, the huge fireplace and real ale on tap! There were a few give-aways that showed that the Plough was trying a little too hard to impress itself amongst the quintessentially English village surroundings; attempting to fake wooden panelling with trompe-l'œil painting, whilst highly skilled, is probably just not worth it. At the end of the day, we’ve come for the food; the beautiful interior is just nice to have.

Having done some homework, we made reservations for Sunday lunch, just in case we couldn't get a table. But when we got there, there wasn't an overwhelming number of people there. There was enough to keep the staff busy and on their toes, but all in all, it was nice and quiet. Admittedly, that may have been because I booked our table for 1.45pm, hoping that the majority of people would have been in and out, and we could have our lunch without the feeling that we were in the way, or be ushered out as soon as we were finished. What we did notice, was that although there was a mix of family’s lunching, friends getting together and the odd couple, small children were in a separate bar area. Although I don't mind children in restaurants, I'm not really a fan of them running around all over when I’m trying to eat. Please don't shoot me down over this, but it's nice that the pub had two areas, one with plenty of room for running around, and another for people having dinner, a chat and a glass of wine.

We arrived 30 minutes early, but not to be put off, the staff quickly had our table ready for us, a jug of iced water in the centre, without the need to ask, and we were left to look over the menu. Even the young staff looked as if they had been immaculately designed to fit in with the desired look and feel of the pub. They were polite, friendly and attentive and straight out of a Gap commercial!

Anyway, back to the menu. Some might have taken one look and said "is that it?", but what some may fail to appreciate is that Emily Watkins takes the using of only the freshest and most local ingredients in her dishes, all from within a 10 mile radius of the pub. So my quest to find a sample menu before we arrived would have failed every time, as the menus change daily dependent upon the season and availability.

With a brief menu, you'd be forgiven for thinking that a decision was easy to come by, think again! Between us, we were pretty resolute that it was Sunday lunch, and we were going to have a roast beef Sunday lunch, complete with Yorkshire pudding. On the other hand, we all choose different starters, and were all inquisitive to see what each other's was like.

I was drawn to the intriguing Crispy Bantam Egg with Home Cured Ham and Confit Jersey Royals. I wasn't disappointed either; a slightly more up-market version of ham and eggs, but with a bread-crumbed and deep-fried poached bantam egg. Perfectly poached so when sticking my knife into it, it yielded its gorgeous yolk all over my ham and Jersey Royals. The only criticism I have is that I’d quite happily of eaten two eggs, even 3; they were just as I like them! My fellow ladies tucked into Grilled Cornish Mackerel, Baby Spinach and Shallot Salad, with a warm Tomato Dressing and a Duck Terrine with Local Beets and Sourdough Toast. Both looking fantastically appetising from where I was sitting

There was one thing though, that sort of got to us a little. The bread! Between ordering and our first course arriving, we were given a board of fresh home-made mini breads, 4 of them to be precise. We'd seen them be put on the board and brought over to us. The bread was great, that’s not the problem, and it was the number. There were 3 of us sat down, and 4 breads. The question is why would you give a party of 3, 4 breads? Only for the last one to be sat there in the middle with all eyes on it, and everyone being too polite to ask if they could have it, knowing that ideally they should offer it to the others first, and the risk that they may want it! I was brave, and I asked. I wanted to mop up the rest of that egg yolk on my plate. One of us had sourdough bread with her terrine, so the other two split it, and I think we were all happy!

Main was a traditional Sunday Roast of Slow-roasted Aberdeen Angus Beef, Roast Potatoes, Cauliflower Cheese, Alan’s Cabbage and Yorkshire pudding... Bliss! As for whom Alan is, I do not have a clue? There were no complaints about the roast. The cauliflower cheese was suitability cheesy with not just a standard cheddar in there but a mix, and presumably all sourced from the local cheese makers, including the rock-n-roll guy turned cheese-hero, Alex James of Blur. It certainly had a bit of a kick. The cabbage was perfectly steamed, with a bit of a crunch and not in any way stereotypical of how people assume cabbage will be served. The roasties must have been triple cooked, they were beautifully crispy on the outside and fluffy and light in the middle. Oh and the beef, just as I like it, a bit pink still in the middle, moist and tender and full of flavour from a good hanging beforehand. I have a thing about Yorkshire Puddings though; I can't eat them with anything else on the plate. They have to be savoured on their own, they are heaven! I could eat them forever and never tire of them. The only thing I need to do when I get my plate, is pour my gravy in the centre of the Yorkie and leave it marinade whilst I eat everything else. Strange I know, but I love them! Although the course was gorgeous, I'd be honest and say it probably wasn't any different to what you might get elsewhere. I know it might be difficult to do something exciting with a Sunday Roast, but still? I suppose the question is what were we expecting?

Going back to the bread thing, we had the same experience with the gravy, but this time we had to ask for more. Everything else arrived with plenty for all 3 of us, but the gravy arrived in a tiny milk jug that was barely enough for 2. Unfortunately, whilst we like our gravy made with the meat juices, we do like the fat to be skimmed off the top, not difficult or time consuming to do, it just makes the gravy allot more pleasant. Unluckily for one of us, who got in there first and had the joy of negotiating the fat of the gravy. It was the only thing we did feel the need to let them know about when we left.

One last gripe, apparently, homemade horseradish sauce was available, we saw it offered to other diners, but sadly not to us, and by the time we saw it, it was too late!

On to the desserts! Ooooh what to choose. One of the party is a bit of a cheese fan, and went with a selection of local cheeses. None on the menu came from Alex James, but most from Roger Crudge, a complete and utter cheese hero in these parts. We opted for a Little Wallop (a goat’s cheese with a soft rind), an Oxford Blue (a cow's milk Stilton style Blue), St Eadburgha (a soft Cotswold Brie, perfectly ripe) and a Sarsden (a mild and creamy sheep's cheese). Lady H and I partook in something a little sweeter. With my other friend going for a Chocolate Brownie, with Gunniess ice-cream and Hazelnut Biscuit. I gazed longingly at it; it looked fantastic, but stayed away due to the nutty-ness. And on the other hand I had the intriguing Cotswold Cream Tea, with Clotted Cream ice-cream. Thinking I was going to get a scone with some strawberry jam and clotted cream ice-cream, I was surprised when in front of me there was what I had been expecting from Emily, something a little different! The tea element was a slightly warm Lady Grey tea infused jelly. Odd but very pleasant, I ate some of it without anything else accompanying it so I could taste the delicate tea. Alongside was a beautiful strawberry sorbet, so sweet and juicy, and a homemade scone, completely with the strawberry jam and clotted cream ice-cream. Heaven!!

Feeling full but not stuffed, we decided not to head on to coffee, the lure of the sofa and the Sunday newspapers was beckoning. All in all we had a great meal, and apparently it's a really posh place, but it didn't come over as pretentious and stuffy. A job well done for the first Ladies’ who (Sunday) Lunch!

The Verdict: The food was excellent, with subtle twists and techniques that Emily has brought with her experience at the Fat Duck. I didn't sample the wine list as I was driving, but both my fellow diners enjoyed a glass or two of a very nice red. Overall, there was fantastic produce with high ethics close to my heart with a talented Head Chef.