R E S TA U R A N T
FOOD
Haunch of Venison SARAH MOOLLA unearths another world and a wonderful spirit in Salisbury’s oldest and most haunted pub
T
he Haunch is a legend. A boozy, charming, slightly gnarly, living legend. Built in 1320, it feels as old as the surrounding Wiltshire hills and as ancient as the Cathedral stones. To drink in here is like toasting the past, it’s a celebration of Jacobean jack-the-lads, thirsty Tudors and Victorian vagabonds. A seemingly haphazard collection of nooks, crannies, ghosts, a pewter top bar, open fires and a cheating gambler’s mummified hand. There’s also the horse’s box which was the snug where the ladies would sit, and secret tunnels leading directly to the Cathedral. There so much folklore, so many myths, tales and stories surrounding this distinctive pub, including the belief Churchill and Eisenhower secretly drank here while planning the D-Day landings, that everything else is secondary. I’ll be honest here and admit, while I love this place for good red wine, a decent gossip and for the slightly spooky atmosphere, it never occurs to me to eat here. So big is the pub’s past, it eclipses what it can offer today. So when owner Ilia Klekovkin shows us to the restaurant section, which used to be a brothel, I’m amazed. Unlike the cosy, chaotic crush of downstairs, the upstairs is spacious, airy, high-ceilinged but still endearingly wonky. The sunlight dapples on the heavy oak, sea-salted beams, the ornately carved wood panelling and the original hearth, and from our table, we have a delightfully fitting and picture perfect view of St Thomas’s Church and its graveyard.
IT IS A HENRY VIII OF A MEAL – RICH, DEEP, HEAVY, PROPERLY SUBSTANTIAL AND UTTERLY SATISFYING
The menu choices are good, solid pub fare but with grown-up aspirations, like pigeon breast with creamed leek and balsamic berry jus starter, and many of the mains feature its namesake meat such as slow-cooked New Forest venison and red wine casserole with crusty homemade bread. What’s striking about the options is that they sound contemporary and yet also belong to a bygone 1320 era. It’s a clever, subtle and effective touch. To begin, my glazed goats cheese with beetroots and sweet and sour aubergine, is a hearty, earthy and pungent dish, while my dinning companion’s homemade fishcakes are fresh, succulent and crispy with the fennel slaw delivering a sliver of sharpness. As the Haunch serves food all day, this could have worked beautifully as a light bite, but we are in for the long haul and, on Ilia’s advice, I choose the house special of the trio of Hampshire venison in the form of loin, pulled haunch and faggot, with crushed Jersey Royal potatoes, roots and venison jus. Accompanied with sides of emerald green seasonal greens and ruby red sweet potato fries, this is not a dish for the faint hearted, it is an Henry VIII of a meal – rich, deep, heavy, properly substantial and utterly satisfying. My companion was more refined but equally delighted with her fresh fish of the day red mullet option, served with Jersey Royal potatoes, cherry tomatoes, capers, samphire and mushrooms. Again the portions are fit-for-a-king generous, the fish has flashfried crispy skin, the flesh is coastal fresh-tasting, and the sides add vibrant colour and a flavoursome balance. At this point we are both feeling as roly-poly as the aforementioned much-married monarch, but the Haunch restaurant has such a welcoming, bewitching and seductive vibe, we don’t want to leave. So instead we savour puddings – my tart green apple and sweet rhubarb crumble with vanilla custard is a whopper of a homemade treat, and my companion’s cheesecake is a slab of velvety milk chocolate mousse-like loveliness. Now we know about the dream of a restaurant upstairs, the Haunch of Venison will be our regular haunt.
DINING DETAILS Haunch of Venison, 1 Minster Street, Salisbury. tel: 01722 411313; www.haunchpub.co.uk Opening hours Monday-Thursday 11am-11pm, FridaySaturday 11am-12am, Sunday 11am-10pm Food served all day every day 12pm-9pm non-stop Head chef Sean Richardson Type of food served Traditional hearty British food Covers 40 and booking is recommended Prices Starters: £4 – £8 Mains: £12 – £20 Desserts: £5 – £7 Vegetarian and vegan choices Good selection Disabled access Yes but with limited toilet facilities Drinks Decent selection of wines, lagers, ciders and stout and the real ales, which has earned them an entry in the prestigious Good Beer Guide, plus there are more than 78 whiskies to choose
www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 29