Le Champignon Sauvage - Dining With Two Stars

Dinner for 2, October 26 2023

Eating at one of the world’s best restaurants on the day of my birthday is quite the privilege. Being a paying guest of two of hospitality’s greatest and confoundingly humble people is close enough to the stuff on which dreams are made. And sharing the experience once more with my partner of over fifty years was simply the very sweet and deep icing on an already rich and tasty confection.

At Mrs G’s suggestion we found ourselves, not for the first time, at Le Champignon Sauvage spending utterly delicious time in the care of David and Helen Everitt-Matthias.

We started in the bar area with the now rather iconic parmesan custards with chorizo crumbs and a more recent mini tartlet of pouting with smoked mayonnaise and pickled pear.

The chorizo crumb on those silky, cheesy bites was perhaps not quite as fine and dust-like as on previous visits and…
”Cheoff?”
”Erm, yes…”
”You have already decided to end this review by strongly suggesting that the entire meal was a stunning delivery of flawless dishes. You are being an arse here. Shut it.”
”Erm, yes. OK.”

.
.
.
Food pictures will click open in a lightbox. Oh dear. I was obviously still trembling with anticipation for that shot of our ‘appetiser’. Subsequent photos are decent enough but can’t possibly convey the almost overwhelming quality of flavour, texture and finish which kept arriving at our table.
Book, travel, sit down, and see and taste for yourself.

As ever, any mistakes in descriptions are all mine - I’ve tried not to make too many.

Appetiser and bread

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Pumpkin cream, smoked almond foam, sage and onion breadcrumbs

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Bacon and shallot brioche

Our appetiser was two thirds soft and fluffy. The brasher breadcrumb topping gave a herby crunch and completed a trio of elements which are so well suited. Lightness of touch with depth of flavour.
We have learned from experience that the fabulous contents of the breadbasket might challenge the capacity of our own ‘breadbaskets’. You will always be offered the chance of more through the meal. We stuck with one glorious bacon and shallot brioche each.

We had been greeted by Alice at the door. Her obvious innate charms and talents have surely been tailored and augmented by Helen’s influence and she joins a distinguished list of front of house who have added enjoyment to our experiences over the years here. Through no fault of her own, Alice also halved - at the very least - the average age of our company!
Apart from the constant delicious distractions arriving from the kitchen, Helen remains a particular focus of each visit. It would be facile to simply describe her as another delicious distraction. She will go through the formalities of presentation and explanation of dishes but whenever time allows through the evening Helen becomes your trusted friend and confidante. And a partner in mischievous, veering towards pleasingly wicked humour. Helen is a complex and intoxicating mix who makes many other hosts appear awkward by comparison.

Helen arrived with my scallop starter and a message from David in the kitchen. “If you are taking photographs, this dish looks ‘prettier’ before saucing.”
Which is why you have two pictures to enjoy.
I remain mildly conflicted over the rights and wrongs of snapping away instead of tucking in but my photographic records always inform my cooking at home even if they are not published here or anywhere else.
And friends are ever ready to tease me on this subject as evidenced by one birthday card opened that morning before we had set off for Cheltenham.

Starters and wine

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Scallops, oyster velouté, Jerusalem artichoke, sunflower seed emulsion - before velouté

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Scallops, oyster velouté, Jerusalem artichoke, sunflower seed emulsion - complete with velouté

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Cured and seared Cornish red mullet, tartare, wasabi mayonnaise, dashi gel

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Jean Durup, L'Eglantiere Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume, 2021

Fine margins. But almost certainly the best scallop dish I’ve had. The sear on flesh was so perfectly judged. I’m assuming this was achieved in a pan only but the result had all the light smoky zing of an outdoor cook over summer flames. Nutty J chokes were matched by peanut buttery sunflower seeds and my first taste of rock samphire was delightful. Definite crunch but less salt and more herby greenness than expected. What a creation. Hair spray never had this much harmony!

Mrs G continues to adventure further with her menu choices. The red mullet dish would have once challenged her more but something conceived with such understanding is likely to turn the head of any but the most pernickety of diners. My wife was trapped into murmuring ‘This is delicious’ on repeat.

Chablis premier cru was also on repeat - a different domaine and vintage - but the choice we had made on our first visit in 2010. We drank with reasonable restraint adding only a pudding wine to desserts.

Meaty mains.
Including the partridge which had tempted us but neither had ordered. It arrived before our own choices as chef’s treat.

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Grey-legged partridge, morteau sausage, turnip and verjus purée

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Creedy Carver duckbreast and duck heart, pickled blueberries, Earl Grey

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Cotswold lamb, goat’s curd, wild garlic salsa verde, black garlic

There are nods to graphic novels in David and Helen’s purchased artwork hung on the restaurant walls. Flavours are strongly defined across the menu but there are definite echoes of the comic book genre’s ‘Bam’, ‘Pow’ and ‘Whump’ in all of these punchy main dishes. Mastery of cooking alongside such top quality produce hits hard and true - wonderfully so.

New-born baby onions, meat juices and the influence of Earl Grey all calmed down the potential attack from blueberries and made the sauce for my duck a wondrous thing.

Pre-dessert and desserts

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Tonka bean, lime and blood orange granita, blood orange foam

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Lime crémeux, coconut sorbet, mint, brown sugar purée

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Chicory cheesecake, mocha sorbet, coffee tuile

A glance at our pre-dessert reveals how a great chef exerts control. In this case, control over the consistency of elements. The tonka bean cream is not going anywhere but neither are the other two layers as they sit firmly but floatingly above. All in perfect order until an eager invasive spoon messes things up. Mrs G had already dubbed her lamb the best she has eaten and she remained entranced by the simplicity and - let’s use the right word - sexiness of this precursor to more complicated sweet things.

I’ll dispense with too many more expansive descriptions and try to let the images entertain you. If you think those desserts look enticing you’d be right. So much going on to see and enjoy. Including the inspiration to sprinkle a little ground coffee in my own crumb bases at home. Idea nicked.

Oh. Please cast your eyes into the background of my cheesecake pic. Duck fat fudge. Nnnngg… dribble.

Menu

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With just one other pair of guests left in the room, Helen invited us to join David. With stoves all cleaned down we had the privilege of a relaxed chat. No huge topics of discussion considering bigger world events. Instead, a general mulling over of the rewards and struggles of hospitality. With one huge, positive revelation. David has no plans to take any sort of back seat and Helen will continue to support and complement his efforts. Hoo-bloomin-ray!

We were at the end of close on four hours of an experience which - alongside times with loved family and dear friends - must count as one of the richest in our lives.

Helen had seduced us in many and various ways at table and David had steadfastly ensured that not a single mistake left the kitchen.

A stream of prizes and accolades have been awarded, even if not sought, throughout this restaurant’s history. After thirty-six years - and counting - whatever the pronouncements of certain sad, tired (and tyred obviously!) inspectors, two stars continue to shine very brightly in Cheltenham.

Pensons at The Netherwood Estate

Lunch for two

July 14 2022

Here again after our lunch in October 2021. I’ll be brutal. That meal was not up to the standard of this one. Ah, no, don’t misunderstand me. My glowing review of our first meal still stands. It’s just that, taking both subjective and reasonably educated opinions into account, the Pensons team appears to have further considered the boundaries of hospitality and smashed it out of the park where the delivery of great food and service is concerned. Some of you will have already discarded me on the grounds of those mixed cricket and baseball metaphors. Still resolute enough to have my more detailed lowdown? Read on.

I ended my previous review with mention of the bread. Let’s kick off with it this time.

The small, perfectly formed ‘Signature Loaf’ generates two immediate responses beyond simple appreciation of what a truly splendid thing it is. Polite coughing with occasional instances of mild choking is induced by any unwary intake of the toasted flour topping. And those who have failed to protect clothing with suitably placed napkins are left with traces of a fine powder which is easily mistaken for evidence of a recent toilet visit involving hard drugs.
A generous, if reluctant desire to fairly share out the yeast butter should help to focus back on this accomplished and honest offering. It is the first example of a string of menu items which are confidently delivered - all having been refined to a point where improvement is hard to imagine.

The website menus are liable to change according to Chef’s sympathetic reactions to available ingredients but this is the exact lunch menu we were offered on the day. We each chose the same starter, main and dessert.

The wine list is perfectly fine. Its prime attraction is its concise coverage of all major bases needed to complement the food on offer and to broadly satisfy the majority of styles with which guests are familiar. Our Rhone white from Tardieu-Laurent injected a nice addition to our drinking experiences with its show of restrained flavour profiles. The fact that they lingered for so long in the mouth was testament to the winemaker’s care.
Current sommelier, Jade*, has plentiful knowledge to give suggestion and inspiration if you find yourself floundering.
*Yes, Jade - it turns out I am a bit of a silly bugger. My attempt to correct the appelation of your Mabileau wine was based on confused memories of our visit to the vineyard over a decade ago. I was oh-so close but oh-so wrong. My public apologies to you!

Starter

My dining partner has been alongside me for a number of years which approach biblical proportion. Let’s just say well over forty days and forty nights. For positional accuracy, this particular day saw Mrs Cheoff opposite me. Which meant that I had the perfect view of her reaction to our carrot starter. Meg Ryan was faking it at Katz's Delicatessen. My wife managed quietly but insistently to convey a similar message during and after the eating of this ‘spiced carrot’. Quiet and insistent but, in this instance, totally and unmistakably genuine.
A cheeky request for the recipe was met without fuss. I will enjoy interpreting chef’s ideas in my own kitchen but I know that for the real deal of perfect expression a return visit must be arranged.

Main

Our starter gave a nod to Middle Eastern flavours. The fish headed west and beached on the coastline of any southern French port or resort, big or small. We are in the midst of a heatwave as I write this. In the cool of the restaurant the kitchen grabbed hold of the Mediterranean and arranged its iconic flavours in a superb dish. Alchemists in the kitchen brought sunshine to our table with this course.
Fruity, soft, garlicky tomatoes and charred aubergine. Olive oil lightening the hollandaise. Even in the absence of butter this was still a gloriously rich dish. A perfect balance came from acidic tomato juice and peppery but bright watercress.

It seems almost silly to add that the bream was beautifully cooked.

Dessert

Cherries, chocolate custard, almond crumb, cherry sorbet, muscovado tuile and a dusting of sour cherry powder. This had been on the menu for just two days - praise the stars we hadn’t booked earlier!
Black Forest gâteau without the cream and booze? Maybe so. A dessert to provide a fitting conclusion to previous excellence? Definitely so.

Eton Mess - well, half-eaten mess!

We were given a viewing of the compact and attractive suites which are available on site. Well worth considering for the fuller evening menu and an overnight stay. Before leaving we headed for the inspiring kitchen garden which we had stupidly missed the previous October.

And before leaving here, I must repeat our heartfelt thanks to all the teams at Pensons and the whole Netherwood Estate. It was reassuring to see familiar faces and delightful to see how new ones have fitted seamlessly into the mix. You are all helping to create what is a brilliant cut gem of hospitality.

Below is my modified review for Tripadvisor

Pensons

Lunch for two

October 14 2021

From greetings to goodbyes this proved to be a concentration of all that hospitality does best. Truly accomplished food prepared and presented by truly accomplished people instigated at least one daft question - what on earth had we done to deserve such a treat!

The lunch menu will not offer you confusion. It is confidently pared down to two choices each for starter, main and dessert. Dinner will offer five of the same courses; but see the website Menu page to understand how Head Chef Chris Simpson and team will react according to seasonal availability and modify to your dietary needs except for any vegan option. Produce from the Netherwood Estate underpins and inspires so much here. In the short time since opening, the restaurant and estate have developed an admirably responsive and responsible community.

Service here is exemplary. Front of house manager Jim Conway has an impressive CV in hospitality but his gentle, assured talents were equalled in other ways by his team. All of them suffer from an embarrassment of riches in the area of conventional good looks but they also have a lovely surfeit of those much more important qualities which complete any restaurant experience. A total understanding of what they bring from the kitchen means that questions about detail of the dishes are answered with immediate ease. Their skill to react with intelligence and affability to a silly bugger like me was particularly commendable.

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SCALLOP, Celeriac, Chicory Jam, Fennel, Onion, Chilli

Mrs Cheoff didn’t flinch at all when her chosen starter arrived. ‘Raw’ scallops would have presented a challenge in years gone by but here she was in the hands of a kitchen whose confidence is apparent in each dish. I don’t know if there was any curing of the main ingredient but it retained wonderful freshness. Level of chilli heat was perfect and the different textures ensured interest to the last bite.

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MUSHROOM, Truffle, Hazelnut, Artichoke, Sourdough

My starter was designed and delivered with so much care that I spent a few moments digesting with just my eyes. Clever, spot-on treatment of ingredients which ask to be put together. Softness, crunch, mushrooms (beech and enoki? - no, I didn’t ask enough questions), a touch of acidity and the smile-inducing presence of indulgent truffle. When all those main elements were gone, like the finish of a good wine, I was left with the lovely flavour and mouthfeel of a very classy rapeseed oil used in the dressing.

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SOURDOUGH - a fork dealt with the more fluid elements of my mushroom starter but this ‘Melba Toast’ with knobs on was still a very welcome addition

Our main course varied from the website’s ‘Sample Menu’ with damsons replacing cherries. “Yay” for seasonal ingredients! The duck meat was meltingly right and the skin painstakingly scored and rendered crisp. Even more crunch came from the brick pastry casing folded around the leg meat. Enough fat to create the same texture as crispy chicken - erm, duck - skin. More prosaic, soft cabbage gave its familiar reassurance. Then beetroot and damson offered fruit, earthiness and a dulled acidity. The squeak of spring onions and their liquid release completed a mini triumph which sauntered between fading summer and the insistence of autumn harvest.

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DUCK, Damson, Beetroot, Cabbage Fish will have to wait until next time!

John Duval Wines ‘Plexus’ Marsanne Roussanne Viognier 2018

We could have relied on a recommendation from our sommelier but Mrs C had already identified a style we like on the list. The same blend of grapes as many more familiar (to us, at least) Southern Rhône whites but made on the other side of the world in Australia. And made by a winemaker with a rather special pedigree. We really enjoyed this complex but surprisingly fresh wine. It couldn’t distract us completely from the quality of food but it did add another welcome element to our ‘Pensons’ experience.

Do allow yourself to be at least a little distracted by the design and ambience of the restaurant building itself. It is curated in part from local archaeological evidence and examples of equally ancient crafts maintained and produced by modern-day artists.

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BLACKBERRIES, Pear, Lemon, Almond, Cider

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BLACKBERRIES, Pear, Lemon, Almond, Cider (dressed with the cider granita)

Time for the last act. We both made the same choice of dessert rather than cheese. Nothing to regret about that decision. Cool temperatures here but the lack of physical warmth was replaced by a little virtual hug from each ingredient. Blackberries were cleverly poached to bring out more flavour but with the care to leave them as firm as freshly picked. Fluid gels and jellies vibed on the hedgerow fruit and crunch came from both the almond biscuit and a mildly resistant pear. Initially hidden lemon mousse was fluffy and just as it should be - lemony. The cider granita melted into another reminder of the bounty from the estate.

Bells and whistles come as standard here. You’ll certainly find adventure and creativity. But come to Pensons for what really matters - craftsmanship cooking of the highest order delivering food which is achingly honest and utterly delicious.

The first three pictures below will link to Pensons Instagram account where you’ll find plentiful photographs by David Loftus as well as the chance to explore some of the team who are ‘tagged’ in posts. Be prepared to survive on just my final butter photo if I have crossed any copyright boundaries!

Signature Bread - Not baked

Signature Bread - Baked

Signature Bread - with Yeast Butter

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Our Yeast Butter - after we had begun to ‘investigate’

Can’t end this without giving the bread its must mention. The eggshell crust is close to puffball Turkish lavaş but instead of a hollow centre there is a light crumb of white bread. You’ll find greater variety in some restaurant’s bread baskets but here is a sensible approach to make something well and then to repeat doing it so well that it becomes a familiar and reliable companion to your meal.

We furrowed our brows at the silly 12.5% discretionary service charge and added a little more to reflect our gratitude for a great meal. I can’t imagine any guest being unwilling to pay generously for every minute and every mouthful of the wonderful experience which we enjoyed.

Thank you to all the fabulous Pensons team.

You managed to read as far as this? I’m guessing you took a short break to look up dates for your own meal. If not, here is the link you need to make a booking!

Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons

OUCH!

Monday 12th September 2016 - at home about to set off to Great Milton in Oxfordshire…

“Oh no. No. No. Agh, aaagh… aaaagh… noooOOOooo!”
That’s as near as I can get to the words I heard as my wife slipped and luged down our stairs with coccyx crunching speed.

It wasn’t the greatest way to start a very special celebration.

My lucky screen shot taken just as images changed on the Le Manoir website. Placed here as it captures the over-arching presence of its creator and maître de maison, Raymond Blanc OBE.

I have already described our second visit to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in two posts. One on the people and the interaction and one on the menu that evening.

So, two posts about one visit. But that was our second visit. High bloomin’ time I shared details of our first! This will complete a trilogy as I reminisce here about one special element of the celebration of our Ruby Wedding Anniversary.

If you prefer pictures to words - or want to come back to this post armed with visuals - there is a gallery here which covers our 2016 dinner, bed and breakfast - what was then called ‘The Dining Experience’. This visit had been talked about and planned as a way to mark forty years of our fabulously successful marriage (yes, Mrs C is out of earshot!). When my mother offered so generously to fund us the experience became a firm reality.

DETOUR

Before going any further I really should give some reassurance about the plight of dear Mrs Cheoff after that fall. She remained a while at the bottom of our stairs very much shaken and visibly shaking. In better time than might have been expected she was with me in our car heading south, no bones broken but with bruising and a tenderness developing in addition to that which has been between us for over forty years.

Travelling way too far down the M1 after missing the junction for Oxford added another hour to the journey as we approached via Aylesbury from the east. Finally arriving, I ignored the car park sign and drove straight to the front door. I believe excitement had got the better of me.

Chris took us from reception to the Dovecote. He and every other member of the team we met retained their individuality while delivering hospitality with the refined attention to detail which wraps around any stay here.

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A garden walk (the weather was late-summer glorious for this entire visit) to counteract the onset of stiffness around Mrs C’s lower back was followed by a seat on the plumpest of sofas right next to Raymond Blanc’s newly acquired Lalique Le Cockerel. Here we were served tea and a slice of lemon drizzle cake (almost the equal of Mrs C’s!) by Natalie. She lived locally and had applied for only one job. This one. Obviously impressive at interview. It was fitting that Natalie looked after us again at the end of the evening as we relaxed with our coffee and petits fours.

We returned to the Dovecote and explored which taps operated the excellent plumbing. A hot tub was in order for my wife’s back. She would glow for the rest of the night with or without that bath. A glass each from the half bottle of Château de Boursault champagne in our room started this memorable evening

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DINNER

Pre-dinner drinks are remembered for something more than the drinks alone. Mrs Cheoff stayed with champagne and I took a short trip down Memory Lane and asked for a Campari and orange. After our server had brought it and withdrawn I looked at the Campari over ice with its attendant jug of orange juice and murmured very quietly to Mrs C, “Hmmm, that’s interesting.” I remain shocked and deeply impressed at what happened in less than the next twenty seconds. Bar staff approached and asked if I had been expecting soda water rather than juice. Indeed I had been. I am still in awe of the imperceptible signals which communicated my message but I refuse to be alarmed by such attentiveness enough to think that our seating area was bugged or under video surveillance!

On the way from the bar to our table we passed through more rooms of the original manor house. They are charming and beautifully appointed but don’t quite prepare you for the effect on entering L’Orangerie (‘conservatory’ is a perfect example of a word too prosaic to adequately describe this environment). It is a large space with a high roof and could easily echo to the sort of sounds heard in a school dining hall. Instead, by means of careful lighting, spacing and noise insulation each table appears to be in an intimate, dedicated area which cocoons you for the night. This effect might be compromised in daylight but you are still conscious that you are in a special place.

As we were seated I looked across at my wife and we exchanged a silent, mutually smiled acknowledgement that we were adding some more magic to our relationship.

Below is the menu which we started to work through. Even though a Grimsby lass, Mrs C is less adventurous with fish than me and replaced her brill with a beetroot terrine.

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The food was lovely. That is tantamount to damning it with faint praise. Experiences elsewhere lead us to a reasonably informed but still subjective verdict here. The summer vegetable risotto with tomato essence was glorious and I made my own version before the month was out (more of the restaurant offering later). My brill was a beautifully judged dish with the attack of wasabi perfectly subdued by cool cucumber. The apricot dessert was a great final flourish with textures, sweetness and acidity all working together well. Again I drew on Raymond Blanc recipes to produce similar flavours three weeks after our visit.

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Apricot, amaretto, almond and marzipan ice cream, nougatine - adapted from ‘Cassolette d’abricot’ recipes in ‘Kitchen Secrets’ and ‘LE MANOIR AUX QUAT'SAISONS’

Our sommelier’s recommendations were much appreciated. Domaine Valette, Mâcon-Chaintré Vieilles Vignes for the ‘mains’ and you can see his note of the dessert wine on our menu. Donnafugata ‘Ben Ryé’ Passito di Pantelleria was a great suggestion with its dried apricot flavours. Richer and more complex than the Coteaux du Layon which seems to be a regular, but perhaps slightly lazy offering at many restaurants.

Natalie served us coffee and tea in one of the lounges after dinner. Among other petits fours I waxed lyrical about the ‘Mini liquorice Magnum’ which Great British Chefs have as a Gary Jones recipe. If Natalie is still with the team I hope she doesn’t get the sack when I tell you that she arrived with a second tray for us including more ‘Magnums’. Yum!

I’ll reinforce my previously suggested ‘faint praise’; for us the food is truly accomplished but it has less impact than many other kitchens which deliver more challenging ideas and more developed flavours. Executive Chef Gary Jones says:

“I don’t believe our food is overplayed. I believe that it’s natural, it’s respectful and it tastes of what it is - we treat it as simply as we possibly can. And we’re just taking the pure essence of that product and putting it back on the plate”

That is an undeniably honest approach. There are honest approaches to cooking elsewhere but I am pretty sure that Le Manoir offers food which fits the expectations of guests - and that the vast majority of those guests are hugely happy.

There is irresistible refinement at Le Manoir which caresses you whether you are at table, in your accommodation or gently taking in the buildings, gardens, orchard and grounds. Go elsewhere for excitement in other guises. Having said that, we were regularly distracted through our stay by other guests and shared their enjoyment of being so wonderfully well looked after.

BED

Very comfortable. No doves were needed to coo us to sleep.

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and BREAKFAST

The daylit conservatory reminded us of the harsh reality that we would be leaving later that day. We were reasonably unadventurous. The variety and interest of the previous night’s dishes was enough to make breakfast a time for taking in food as fuel with much less of the indulgence enjoyed at dinner.

There is still temptation available for those who have the stomach for it. And, as we would later find out, special requests will be readily accommodated.

THE ORCHARD

After breakfast we took a longer walk through the grounds to the south-east to inspect and wonder a little at a relatively new project between the car park and the A329 road boundary. Planting here was already four years old and a further four since have seen it establish and be the subject of ‘The Lost Orchard’. It is just one example of the passion with which Raymond Blanc pursues the investigation, preservation and cultivation of the best and most suitable ingredients.

The air freshened as we gave up taking in the names of more than a hundred varieties of apples and pears. No real threat of rain - but in any case we had an indoor appointment before we said our goodbyes.

AN UNEXPECTED TOUR

We had settled our account right after breakfast. Reception had picked up on my love of cooking and arranged for a visit to the kitchen. Chris, who had welcomed us the previous afternoon, appeared again and would round off our stay with his attentions. He led us through to the extensive wing of rooms which comprise the kitchen, management offices and the famed kitchen school.

Suppliers including Jody Scheckter’s Laverstoke Park Farm were listed in the office and produce passed through corridors in trays and crates on their way for preparation and mise en place in the kitchen. The gardens here are a constant source of inspiration to chefs but I think you would be lucky if everything on your plate has been grown quite so close by.

We chatted to a relatively new pastry chef and saw the large number of elements being assembled for lunch and dinner services. Chris explained the running of the pass and I simply felt glad that we usually have to manage only another two to four guests at home.

Gary Jones appeared and we were introduced. I think I managed to recognise and acknowledge his influence on this kitchen and his contribution to British cooking in a few words but we certainly were keen to praise the whole team. Mrs C confirmed that her risotto had been the star of her dining experience. “It was so good I would have liked a repeat for my breakfast!” she added. Gary identified the very chef who had cooked it the previous evening so that personal thanks could be delivered. “And next time please speak up sooner - he would have gladly brought some to your table this morning,” said Gary, confirming the willingness and ability to indulge which underpins your stay.

We emerged into sunlight flooding the main entrance courtyard. Instead of a whirlwind tour we had been treated to a relaxed but informative look at many aspects of the way excellence is laid before guests. With the help of many other team members Chris had given us a very professional and hugely enjoyable insight into the delivery of star-studded fine dining and hospitality. We were quite shocked that this additional ‘quick’ treat had lasted almost an hour.

MEMORIES

Our visit had given us so much which impressed immediately but almost certainly too much luxury and richness to take in straight away. We will always be grateful to everyone who created memories which we still talk about. At a special time for us it was great to be looked after by special people.

We stayed in the area and enjoyed the accommodation of others. On another garden table that afternoon we tasted one more reminder of the last thirty-six hours - the mini cherry Bakewell cakes hidden in our farewell bag by Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

Delicious.

It had all been delicious.

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FOOTNOTE

Below is a screenshot of the survey we were asked to complete after our stay.

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It has taken four years for me to publicly voice these thoughts about our stay. We expressed thanks to individuals and groups of staff face to face before we left but have not added to reviews on any other platform. Both Mrs Cheoff and I baulked at assessing that final trio of feelings on the survey. Le Manoir remains a wonderful place which will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for some and a regular haunt for others. Ours still stands as the former - the ‘Evening with Prue Leith’ was too different an occasion to truly count.

A reluctance to be made to feel important, pampered or sophisticated says more about Mrs C and me than anything else. The fact we share that reluctance is one more facet of a marriage which still has more agreement than divergence.

We also both agree that we wouldn’t have missed our experience at le Manoir for the world.

THANK YOUS

Thank you to Raymond Blanc for his vision. Thank you to the changing team who will give you the same experience should you visit.

And thank you, Mum, for a gift which I suspect gave almost as much pleasure to you as it did to us.

Le Champignon Sauvage - another stunning meal

Before anything else I must clearly state that on this, our sixth visit, the food and service at ‘Le Champignon Sauvage’ was still firmly there in the upper reaches of fabulous cooking and the comforting realms of perfect hospitality.

In view of the very dubious Michelin Guide pronouncements on the food at this restaurant I wrote a review for Tripadvisor which has the mischievously misleading title "‘Our worst fears - confirmed’.

My few sensitively constructed paragraphs ended with a small, carefully formed dig at the institution whose ‘Red Guide’ is struggling to retain the respect of hospitality and guests alike.

Oops! Unfortunately Tripadvisor intervened before I was allowed to submit my labour of love. Understandably they recoil at profanity and issued me with what I intend calling their contrafanity.

I modified the offending word with a couple of symbols and was allowed to offer my text for scrutiny before publication. It is screen-captured here in case the TA gods decide that any recognisable form whatsoever of the word ‘arseholes’ still constitutes a profanity.

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I was hoping to explain things with this footnote to my review but it still had ‘arseholes’ in it - so it wasn’t included in my submission to Tripadvisor.

“I have typed ‘^rseh%les’ because I’m not sure if Tripadvisor allow you to call anyone an arsehole. Which is such a shame when the whole Michelin shower, from their International Director, Gwendal Poullennec down to the food bloggers who so many suspect must act as ‘inspectors’ are such horrendous arseholes.
Oops.
I mean ^rseh%les.
Sorry.”

I’ll let you know if/when my modified version passes through their large intestine and is evacuated from the bowels of Tripadvisor.

Edit: THEY PUBLISHED IT… here. Phew - thank you Tripadvisor!

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Le Champignon Sauvage - Just A Taste

Le Champignon Sauvage Thursday 31 October 2019
Dinner for 3, Table 14

This was the fifth visit for Mrs Cheoff and me. Mum asked to see us around my birthday. For a long while we have wanted to show her the delights on offer at Le Champignon Sauvage. We travelled south to where she still lives in a land of charity shops in Surrey (my toddler and teenage haunts have changed!). Off west to Cheltenham with her for twenty-four hours. By the time we arrived she had offered to pay for the meal. I remain a spoiled child.

A click on this image takes you straight to details for booking.

It would be daftly unnecessary for me to recommend this restaurant to you when respected giants of food criticism have already done so with such gusto and insistence. The complexity of the food and the richness of the personal attentions are, well - complex and rich. So I can’t provide the impossibly full version of events. This will be ‘Just A Taste’ of our delicious experience. But these scattered observations and thoughts are intended to give you a strong flavour of the closest thing to perfection that any restaurant team have offered me.

front of house*

*subheadings follow the convention of Le Champignon Sauvage recipe book titles - all lower case!

Helen Everitt-Matthias greeted us as we entered the restaurant. We have always been impressed - no, seduced - by the wonderful ease with which she orchestrates events on one side of the kitchen traffic door. Her presence at every service here for over thirty-two years is matched by husband David at the stoves on the other side of that door. Her team has always been an integral part of visits. The latest two to stay and benefit from her impeccable training were Belen and Connie. With about two years and two months of experience respectively both were steeped in the excellence which Helen examples. They visited our table with an easy mix of professionalism and informal interaction. By the end of the evening it seemed we were saying goodbye to the equivalent of two new ‘old’ friends.

(I’m now fairly consistent in self-imposing a no camera rule when eating out. Professional studios do a much better job and I suffer less distraction from the most important thing - enjoying the company, the food and the hospitality. A quick written note between courses is as much as I’ll allow. I’ll then record things in my own way once home. Any sketches which follow are the medium through which I relive and enjoy again some of the elements of our meal. Any inaccuracies are entirely down to me.)

canapés

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malt cracker with pouting, smoked mayonnaise and pickled pear

goat’s cheese and onion marmalade cornet - toasted rice

parmesan custard rolled in chorizo powder

The parmesan custard was softer and silkier than ever. The first sketch shows it in the ever-so slightly firmer shape which has been presented to us on previous visits.

Those who do use their cameras at the table supply further evidence and confirmation of the quality of dishes. You will find pictures of the canapés and much more here.

Oh, yes - that mayonnaise really did have a vibrancy suggesting that chef had been foraging in the local art supply shop for cadmium yellow!

amuse bouche

There are labels (colour-coded - nice!) to explain what is going on here. Imagine a clever, lighter version of beef and mushroom stew. And then offer up a small prayer that this is being served if/when you visit.

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chef’s surprise

We had ordered two meat mains. After our starter my double-take and disbelief at the sight of fish cutlery being erroneously laid down at all three covers was short-lived. Helen explained that David wished to offer us an extra course. A perfect cushion of skate topping a bed of mushroom duxelles and chestnuts. Pulled back small enough, bearing in mind the following main course, but totally unrestrained in flavour.
A truly unexpected treat.

wine

Apologies for the unavailability of a half bottle of Champagne were quickly retracted as it was found to be present after all. Just right for three persons plus those canapés.

With the food we drank a six year-old Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc. It was glorious - in colour, aroma, flavour and finish. Mum has twenty-five years more experience of life than me but I still manage to introduce her to wines which induce glazed expressions and shivers of appreciation.

We made successful plans to track down a couple of early vintages and enjoyed a 2010 at home for Christmas.

chef’s surprise - another!

After ordering our dessert Helen asked if I would like to meet David in the kitchen. I went with a crazy mixture of the apprehension which comes from being summoned to the headteacher’s study and joy at the thought of spending a few moments in close contact with an inspiring personal hero. Any intimate revelations shall remain intimate and unrevealed. Besides they were put into firm second place by the lovely chance to see a chef and his team at close quarters producing wonderful things in perfect harmony.
Let’s repeat those words.
A truly unexpected treat.

pre-dessert

A delightful escape from the confusing world of high street coffee where - oh dear - you are asked if you want milk with your ‘Americano’. Camp Coffee chicory might well have been in that granita but Chef twisted things further via his foraging credentials and gave us dandelion root for gentle bitterness. The whole thing was like a cold, mad melange of affogato and cortado. So well judged as to make you wistful for more but light enough to leave room for our choice of main dessert.

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dessert

As soon as I saw it on the menu, my dessert choice became obvious. ‘mango, thai spiced cream, thai green curry sorbet’ is an Everitt-Matthias signature dish. There is no published recipe for it that I can find. Our son, James, shared a tiny taste of the sorbet at one previous meal and it was time for me to confirm what all the fuss was about. All I will say is that I cannot understand how James agreed to share even a morsel of this insane loveliness!

That’s the extent of the ‘tasting menu’ which I’m presenting to you. Starters, main courses, desserts and petits fours are all very fondly remembered but further descriptions are discarded for this reflection (except for those Thai curry accents in my pud, of course!). So you don’t have my reactions to the complete series of experiences at this one wonderful meal. I could always try to do that but I’ll leave you with a link to follow which explains in good measure why, although tempting, that is probably not the best idea.

ichi-go ichi-e

Enjoy your own meal with David, Helen and team whether you are returning or eating there for the first time. I freely admit that tasting for yourself really does beat reading this.

June Lunch at Gravetye

Gravetye Manor – Friday 28 June 2019

We celebrated my Mum’s 89th with lunch at Gravetye a little over two years ago. Mrs Cheoff and I have since experienced Gastronomic Gravetye on my birthday. In between those two events I spent one glorious day pretending to help in the kitchens and I had an equally magnificent invitation to a rare George Blogg ‘Masterclass’.

We decided that our latest visit would be a repeat of the first - except that it would be a lunch taken in the flush of summer.

“Quintessential country house hotel, Michelin-starred dining and world renowned garden.”

The Gravetye Twitter bio sums it up really. Your interest has been piqued and you just need to book now. No need for me to elaborate, eh.

Strap in - you know I don’t give up that easily!

Arrival

A now familiar drive saw us crunch safely onto the gravel of what is surely the most welcoming of Sussex car parks. Only the embarrassing offer of valet parking to negotiate. I handed over the keys with a large grimace and offered the guilty admission that I had washed the bodywork but neglected the interior valeting before setting off.

How Do Their Gardens Grow?

Best to work up an appetite for lunch with a stroll outside. Any season at Gravetye demands this. Our day needed nothing but light attire. English summer means English summer here. Instructions for the easiest way to the elevated walled vegetable garden were followed and we were soon walking through its gates and exploring row upon row of vegetable, fruit and flower bounty.

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The prospect of seeing so much of that produce appear in the dishes on our lunchtime menu was a glorious one. The kitchen here constantly take the freshest of ingredients and the finest inspiration from produce just outside their back door

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Down to the croquet lawn. A smooth, manicured, controlled surface edged by wilder, longer grasses, complete with shy spikes of dainty pink common spotted-orchids. There are combinations and contrasts which challenge and excite everywhere in the Gravetye garden.

And, as we sat for a while in shade, Head Gardener Tom Coward brought a group from London College of Garden Design onto the green court to describe and explain elements of the William Robinson legacy which he and the garden team protect and develop with such skill and care.

Below Tom informs and entertains with his lovely quiet authority during one of the ‘Garden Tours’ which you may book here.

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Snippets of his wisdom drifted across to us but we were less inclined to learn scientific names and continued down to the flower garden to bask in its displays through a mixture of our senses and wordless, wondering thoughts.

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Beyond the south wall the meadow slopes down to the lake below. We walked to look over and take in yet another example of what happens when deliberate human interference and control goes only so far and then leaves nature to take over.

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Many guests were scattered around the gardens taking refreshment. Passing by one particular couple we recognised Marcus and Jane Wareing who both once worked at Gravetye. Recognised only. We quietly moved on and left them to the less obtrusive and much more appropriate attentions of Gravetye staff. Besides, those attentions had already begun to be given to us in equal measure. Every guest is awarded a star here.

From the Weekend Telegraph, December 2017

Apéritifs

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Just to the right before the opening into the Little Garden is a nook set out with bench and chairs and sheltered by that large-leaved tree. If only we had lingered with Tom Coward I could tell you its common and Latin name. Never mind.

We settled there and were soon ordering our first drinks. A repeat of the Ridgeview Estate ‘Bloomsbury’ fizz enjoyed on our first visit for Mum’s birthday lunch. A non-alcoholic ‘Sour’ for me as I was driving. Simple but seductively oily and herby olives along with smoked almonds all helped to prepare our taste buds for the complexity of the main menu. We made our choices and were gently led to our table in one of Britain’s most stunning dining rooms. If you relish great design, architecture, build quality, decorative arts and the sympathetic use of ceramics, wood and fabric you may well have to slow down service in order to linger on the feast of visual delight which has surrounded diners since the new restaurant opened in May 2018.

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Ready to lunch

Food

Food? The food was wonderful. And that is where I’ll end comment on it here. It was complicated and accomplished enough to deserve another post of its own. Too much distraction all at once would divert me from my main thrust here - the quality of people who make up the Gravetye family.

Family

I cannot reference every member of the team who make up that family. There is a natural flux as individuals gain experience and decide to develop and grow elsewhere. Some are regular features (hello, Brian!). But five visits have confirmed to me that everyone responsible for our experiences presents with polished professionalism and a very real desire to do something thoughtful and generous for each guest.

I do try to avoid ‘favourites’ so all I’m doing next is to pick out two people who insist on being acknowledged. They are at the very top of their profession and Gravetye is daily enriched by their presence. Of course they do not, cannot, attend to every guest’s needs. But they, and other key members of the team, lead by such an example that everyone is in tune with the inspiration through excellence which they example.

Managing Director

‘Managing Director’. I suppose those two words suffice as a convenient job description for Andrew Thomason. He certainly manages and directs. But that can’t begin to encompass all he does. At some stage you will be looked after by him personally or ‘second-hand’ by someone he has prompted or trained effectively to be a chip off his not-yet-all-that-old block. His attention to detail spreads from a hand-written greeting for guests who have booked rooms to the quick remembering that a jacket in the cloakroom is ready for collection and not for forgetting. It is quite possible that he does not recall absolutely everything about you from any previous visits but I would not discount that. At any rate, he makes easy and immediate connections which confirm your small but very significant membership of the ‘Gravetye Family’.

Gravetye is inescapably a commercial enterprise and Andrew must have to be a hard-nosed businessman at times. I imagine he delivers even that aspect with the softest of touches. He appears to have a rare desire to care for the wellbeing and comfort of everyone he meets. Even his customary sharp tailoring cannot hide the gentle man beneath.

Executive Chef

George Blogg (left) supporting Matt Worswick as he accepts a Michelin star for the Latymer Restaurant team. David Everitt-Matthias looks on with huge admiration and totally justified pride. A favourite picture.

The kitchen have their Michelin star which is awarded for the quality of food alone. That star arrived soon after George Blogg became Head Chef. His present title confirms a step back from constant control. But, having himself been mentored by hugely intelligent and talented chefs, George has now trained and instilled a team with the confidence to express and interpret his thoughts about food and to continue to do justice to the produce of the Gravetye gardens. A recipient of the Matt Campbell Extra Mile Award, he continues to help young chefs to develop their careers in the industry’s other kitchens.

On this day our gooseberry soufflés were delayed by the arrival of an unexpected pre-dessert. After a quick double-take we realised that George Blogg was serving them to us! We managed to discuss the merits of ruby chocolate, the rigours of chef competitions and balancing time for the rewards of a life bringing up a family with those of a fulfilling but oh-so-demanding profession.

Our conversation was all but silenced by the realisation that someone else was being served their soufflés. We watched as, with an admirable degree of calm, Commis Pastry Chef, Henry, delivered his work to Marcus and Jane Wareing’s table. We earwigged for the review from a rather well-qualified judge - “I hope this is on the menu again next year for my 50th birthday!”

Soon, tasting our own gooseberry soufflé with ginger ice cream, we readily agreed that Chef Wareing’s appreciation had been spot on.

George had left us by then. His visit was such a kind gesture to our table. Mum, already delighted by her experience, was now utterly enchanted.

You will certainly leave wrapped in the richness of your experience. Whatever the season all those generous human qualities which create perfect hospitality are beautifully interwoven at Gravetye with a centuries-old history and the wild and the tamed nature of the surrounding garden and landscape. With so much on offer, you could also leave wondering if you might have overlooked and completely missed something in your stay. What a perfect reason to return.

Soon.

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