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The Frampton name has always been synonymous with Ringwood, with the family trading as seed merchants since the early 20th century. The Site of ‘Framptons and Sons’ in the High Street has been run as a country store selling seeds and horticultural supplies (the old signage can be seen on the restaurant walls) for over 150 years. Opening as an eatery on Good Friday this year, Framptons kept their design to the original 1900’s shop fittings and decoration. Creating a unique feel not seen this side of London’s Islington, Framptons is an exceptional establishment with a scenic atmosphere, which at night is filled by bronzed crowns of candle light, leaving you in sight of a mesmerising bygone era. Our waiter Kashi, whom was clearly a man of his trade and extremely passionate about what he does, recommended all of our courses as well as the drinks to accompany them. I personally like to dine this way to test a restaurants passion and knowledge of their offerings. This was no difficulty for Kashi, and you could see he took great pleasure from this. Firstly we started with a charcuterie board of Parma ham, salami and chorizo with a side of fresh homemade piccalilli chutney. The meat was so delicate and tender, you could recognise that this was freshly cut and prepared. We were also presented with warm french bread served upon a wooden rustic board, with three different oils to dip; rosemary oil, balsamic and olive oil and green pesto oil. Each delicious, leaving you wanting more. And lastly they brought large chilli oil marinated olives, with feta stuffed sweet peppers to complete the selection of starters. A lovely starter to begin the meal, served with a delicious Bellini, complete with a peach foam to top the drink, as well as a sharp, fresh, homemade lemonade, which was drizzled with lemon shavings upon ice. The attention to detail is one to be inspired by in this establishment. Everything is so aesthetically pleasing, with the quality of the food and service following suit.
Onto our main course, Kashi served us with the pork belly, upon a bed of soft cabbage surrounded with chorizo and crayfish, as well as the mussels in a white wine sauce. Both dishes were absolutely exquisite. It was hard to choose which mouthful to go to next. Especially with the pork belly, this can be so hard to perfect, however the chefs at Framptons do not have this trouble. The meat was succulent and tender and the crackling was crisp to perfection. Our meals were accompanied by a recommended red wine. Ramon Bilbao rioja for the pork and a white Pino Gris Sauvignon for the mussels. Both such beautiful rich wines, which matched our meals perfectly making the collection truly indulgent. For the dessert, we were brought over the cheese board and the chocolate brownie. The cheeses were a selection of locally produced Dorset cheddar, mix of brie and camembert and the stilton, sided by quince jelly and a ramekin of frozen grapes. The frozen grapes were such a unique serve, and worked amazing with the dish. Quenching your thirst for that