R E S TA U R A N T
FOOD
The Methuen Arms An inn with rooms in the quaint village of Corsham has reopened after an extensive transformation, offering a stylish country escape with creative, whimsical foodie credentials By L I SA E VA NS
L
ike the food, the décor at the handsome, newly renovated Methuen Arms – the latest opening from Butcombe Brewery – is anything but simple. Look one way and there’s exposed brickwork, age-old timber beams, Georgian windows, and traditional tapestries in muted tones, look the other, and you’re faced with an entire wall of modern, flamboyant artworks featuring bold pink flamingos and birds of every colour, plus velvet sofas in joyful shades of emerald and jade. It’s a country gem steeped in history, but it certainly has a kick of the contemporary. When it comes to the fare, there is a considered complexity in every forkful. The man leading the kitchen – Leigh Evans, formerly of Combe Grove Manor, The Chequers and The Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath – can cook, there’s no doubt about that. Leigh – who reached the quarter finals of BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals in 2008 – makes everything on site from scratch where possible, whether it’s for a simple pub snack or a more indulgent evening meal. Firmly renowned for its foodie credentials, The Methuen Arms created a new menu to sit alongside the refurbished restaurant, and it’s quite the showstopper. Even the side dishes – such as the kale, ham hock and caraway, and the chillibuttered, toasted almond-topped tenderstem – are exciting. And that’s not to mention the dessert, which is like something from a children’s book – but more on that later. While we mull over our menu decisions, a board of warm, chunky-cut sage and red onion bread is delivered to the table with accompanying marinated olives and pork crackling butter. Good start. I begin with a soft, runny-in-the middle duck egg with sage gnocchi and leeks on a celeriac purée that has been worked to a luscious smoothness. The golden dumplings are probably the best I’ve ever tried – they’re smooth rather than sticky, and give a comforting carby embrace on this cold night – and the verdant flourishes are ones which even vegetable-loathers would want to shovel down. The kale and sage leaves are salty and snappably crisp after frying, and the leeks have charred edges, giving them a savouriness and an unusual textural dimension. My comrade, although enticed by the crispy goose with plum and pancetta, goes for the braised brisket with
THE DESSERT IS LIKE
SOMETHING FROM A CHILDREN’S BOOK
parsley and piccalilli, which work in head-turning alchemy together. The richly flavoured meat arrives packaged inside a crisp pastry-like wrap atop a piquant green swirl, and is decorated with sunshine-yellow pickles and artful cucumber curls. On the main menu, there are two distinct sections. One has refined options such as venison haunch with smoked garlic dauphinoise and blackberries, or partridge with duck-fat chips and bacon and tarragon jus; and the other has pub favourites, including bacon cheeseburgers, beerbattered haddock with chips, and pie and mash. My dining partner opts for the latter – a turkey, ham and chestnut suet pudding served with creamy mashed potato, sticky parsnips and rich gravy. For me, it’s a curry that has an appreciation of the importance of texture. Unlike a standard curry – which is a medley of ingredients swimming in a sauce – this intriguing dish comes to the table laid out in a meatand-two-veg style (only there’s no meat, as this is a vegan option). There’s a course stack of crushed Bombay potatoes, cubes of tofu and butternut squash, and jazzed-up greens – including saag, fresh, sweet sprouts which are halved and charred on the flat sides, and purple kale florets – and it’s crowned with an onion bhaji and sprinkled with fat raisins. The not-too-spicy curry sauce comes separately in a jug, so you can add as much or as little as you like. I want the apple and blackberry crumble with brandy custard and clotted cream ice cream for pudding, but it’s only served as a ‘for two’ option, and my dining partner is being selfish, so, instead we both have the toffee apple cheesecake. It’s a fairytale on a plate, and it’s a dish you want to applaud for its imaginativeness before destroying it. The whipped white chocolate cheesecake is entirely enrobed in a chocolately coating, and a ‘stalk’ emerges from the top so that it resembles a toffee apple. It’s encircled by a moat of crumbly biscuit, and embellished with bright green spheres of eye-widening granny smith sharpness, wobbly cubes of red jelly, and mixed spice ice cream. The standout accompaniments, though, are the apple beignets (cinnamon sugar-coated puffed doughnut). This is a restaurant where you can either enjoy grown-up creations (with a dash of whimsy) or you can keep it a laid-back affair with hearty pub grub. We can thoroughly recommend this distinctly stylish escape to the country – nestled beside the beautiful grounds of Corsham Court – which successfully marries comfort with opulence. And, bonus, if you find yourself too stuffed to move afterwards, you’ll be glad that The Methuen is an inn with cosy rooms in which to sleep off all the indulgence.
DINING DETAILS The Methuen Arms, 2 High Street, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 0HB; 01249 717060; www.themethuenarms.com Prices Starters £7.50 – £12; mains £7.50 – £26; desserts £6 – £15 Drinks The staff are very helpful when it comes to recommending wines to accompany individual dishes Service/atmosphere Utterly attentive and traditional with a modern twist
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