[food and drink ]
and very “ducky”, unlike the cheaper pumped up canards found all too often on the nation’s plates. Avoiding the suggested pairing, we found the £25 bottle of heavy duty Rioja to be excellent accompaniment. There are some very good English – and American – bottles on the list, but they lived to fight another day. The evening almost concluded with the divine dark chocolate mousse with a toasted slap of marshmallow
and Chantilly cream with overtures to the chef ’s American roots. And a fine conclusion it would have been. But Gianpaulo tempted us with delights from the Winter Warmer section of the menu. Mine was the ‘Smoking Bishop – a comforting Dickensian concoction of cognac, port and mulled syrup which is referenced in ‘A Christmas Carol’. ML-S Eggnog coffee with spiced rum and topped with a floating foam of crème ingles, also hit the spot.
All in all, Saltwood on the Green is up with the very best in Kent and I expect its reputation to spread much further afield throughout 2015. Opening hours Wednesday to Saturday 9am to 3pm and 6pm to 11.00pm; Sunday 11.30am to 5pm. Saltwood on the Green, The Green, Saltwood near Hythe, Kent CT21 4PS T: 01303 237 800 Tw: @SaltwoodGreen W: www.saltwoodrestaurant.co.uk
43