Winsome describes its “thing” as being “Northern hospitality and thoughtful British cooking”. And I can’t think of a better phrase to describe it. I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten in these premises before – many, many years back when my recollection is that it was an all you can eat Indian buffet (or some such). The room is much bigger now – a long narrow room with tables against one wall and the open kitchen running along the other wall. As the fashion, it’s all hard surfaces and exposed pipework and, in that, lay a minor issue. It does mean the albeit very good soundtrack bounces off the walls and slightly intrudes on conversation. As for that Northern hospitality, it was bang on. Friendly and on the ball throughout.
It’s a short menu with just five or so items at each course. There’s a simple and very well dressed leaf salad to start for one of us. The leaves coming from down the road in Nantwich, from Cinderwood Farm which supplies niche vegetables to several local restaurants. There’s a little pickled cucumber in there to give it a twang. And big, very garlicky croutons which will guarantee avoidance by vampires and partners. For the other plate, there’s fried mixed mushrooms and shallots. They sit on thinned down pease pudding the texture of houmous. Everything works.
Duck breast was delicious as a main course, although disappointingly there’s no crispy skin. There’s a lovely sauce and thin slices cover the plate. Served separately, a small salad incorporating long cooked leg meat was possibly the best thing I ate all evening . Fillet of hake was perfectly cooked, the white flesh nicely coming away in big flakes. There’s some fried girolles and there needed to be more to make a proper contribution and sweetcorn.
Desserts were sort of a let down. There’s only four listed. Two of which we didn’t fancy and one was sold out. But, no problem. Rice pudding and plum jam is never a problem. Except there is. There’s only one portion left. So, we’ll just have to share. And it was pretty damn good. Sweetened rice and tangy jam. And they comp’d us a couple of cubes of the homemade fudge to make up for things.
We finished with decent coffee, albeit lukewarm.
