Dating back to the 17th century, Chequers is very much a village pub but fitting well with the 21st century. It happily accommodates drinkers at one end of the building and eaters at the other. We were there to eat. And it was generally nice enough, although not without the occasional miss.
Brixham crab cakes had a good crabby flavour and came with an interesting salad of cucumber, spring onion, pink grapefruit and sesame seeds. The other starter was a cheese soufflé using Lincolnshire Poacher cheddar-esque cheese. There’s apple and hazelnuts for a bit of crunch. But the tastiest thing on plate was a pea cream – very fresh and, erm, pea-like.
The “pork supper” brought a mountain of delicious piggy. A slab of unctuous belly topped with really crisp crackling, a few slices of fillet and a croquette of pulled pork. You were not going away under porked. And some classic accompaniments, albeit with a twist. A potato fondant used sweet potato, cabbage in the form of cavolo nero, apple puree and a red wine sauce. Across the table, smoked tomato and bean “cassoulet” could have been a little belter of a veggie dish, accompanied by grilled courgettes and topped with a garlic crumb. But there had been a very heavy hand with the bottle of liquid smoke – and anyone who has used this at home (like me) will know that “a couple of extra splashes won’t harm it” is just wrong. It overpowers every other flavour.
Service is pleasant and on the ball. We’d had a nice evening in an area not overly endowed with good places.
