Church Lane, Headley, Surrey KT18 6LE
New gastro pub by dynamic independent food and drink family Red Mist
The Upside: Great food and drink menu with a positive lean towards seasonal and local on both counts
The downside: A little inconsistency in dishes served on my recent visit
The flipside: This is a pub group with high standards so it’s likely that any teething problems will get swiftly sorted
Driving through some classic Surrey countryside the arrival at this newcomer to the Red Mist Group is full of anticipation! Some of you will already know the Queens Head in East Clandon (my local) and the Stag in Eashing Lane near Milford. If you do, it will come as no surprise that this venue has been treated to the same quality facelift as the other members of this growing family. A large working fireplace creates a focus to the bar room and the outside area has a deck for additional seating in good weather. They have shared menus within the chain but allow chefs to strut their own personal style with the ‘specials’. The PR team had told me that Head Chef, Mark Evans had spent a lot of his early career down-under so I was looking forward to an Antipodean influence on the menu.
I met up with fellow foodie Sally Iddles and as we perused the menu it felt familiar (we are both regulars at their other venues) but not identical. The specials menu, while lacking any promised Aussie vibe had fresh clams in white wine as a starter (my choice at £7.90) served with toasted Chalk Hills focaccia. We also selected the camembert and asparagus tart with roast tomato relish (£6.95). Fresh soup of the day was leek and potato (£5) served with bread and we already know the chicken liver paté with chutney (£7.90) is a winner. My clams were fresh, plump and cooked to perfection. They arrived at the table piping hot and with a surprise squeeze of fresh lemon. The bread on the side, although toasted, softened willingly in the clam broth. Whilst I was charmed with my starter the Camembert tart was failed to wow A moulded pastry case had been simply filled with camembert and left in the oven to melt. Topped with rocket leaves and served with a drizzle of basil oil and what seemed to be red onion jam and no sign of the asparagus.
For mains we ordered again one dish from the printed menu and the other from the specials board. My pork fillet with apricot and sage stuffing on fondant potato, stem broccoli, rhubarb chutney and Hazy Hog jus (£15.50) was a generous portion and plated with confidence. In contrast the fish from the specials board lacked finesse both in its presentation and execution. Torbay sole served with prawn and caper butter (£17.90) sounded like a great combination and the fish was served on the bone (which was good) but lacked the back-up attitude that capers can contribute. The poorest element was the crushed new potatoes that were overcooked. The fish itself was perfectly cooked, delicate and fresh and my pork dish was tender, tasty and melt-in-the-mouth.
Not deterred we moved on dessert selecting a baked cheesecake with vanilla ice-cream and a pannacotta (both £5.95). The cheesecake looked as though it could have been bought in but we were reassured that it had been made on site. Not oversweet it confirmed the ‘homemade’ label which was a definite ‘plus’ . The texture was firm and creamy but we both felt the accompanying ice-cream was an odd match. This was very sweet with a metallic twang and spoilt the overall taste profile. The panna cotta was served in its dish and too firm for my liking. Pannacotta is usually served out of its mould and should have real ‘wobble’ leading to a easily yielding creamy texture. We had coffee to finish and concluded that there had been some great elements to our meal.
Chatting to Chef Mark Evans it was clear they are finding their feet in their new venue. I really like this small independent chain and love the fact they have local beer, use local products like Norbury-Blue Cheese (the only cheese made in Surrey), and prepare the majority of food from scratch in each venue. Mark is keen to bring in some of his culinary creativity from down-under but feels the business has to consolidate before they shake things up. He is, in his own words ‘playing-it-safe’.
It’s early days for this pub-dining venture and if they can iron out the wrinkles I am sure it will become as popular as their other dining rooms.
01372 377258
