Dinner at The Stag Restaurant at The Kedleston Country House
Published On Sunday 21 Aug 2022 by Sticky Beak
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The Man Bird and I have been to Kedleston Country House before, so we were thrilled to be invited back to enjoy the new summer menu at The Stag, the restaurant within the venue. Unfortunately we couldn’t make that particular evening (thanks to Covid – we’ve dodged it all this time, but it finally got us!) but Helen rearranged a date for us to come when we’d recovered – thank you, Helen.
When we had parked up, we could see several folks in the stunning garden who were taking advantage of the beautifully warm evening and dining al fresco. Stepping inside, we were greeted warmly and taken to our table in the gorgeous orangery; we’ve dined here before but not in the summer, so it was lovely to see it in all its glory. Fresh flowers were on each table, their colours echoed by the drying posies that were suspended from the glass roof’s struts. The natural stone floors, pale wood tables that are paired with natural pine or white painted high-backed chairs and objets all create a deliciously relaxing atmosphere in which to dine, and we weren’t the only ones soaking in the elegance of the Orangery on this particular evening.
Our server was the lovely Eleanor, a young lady whose disposition was as sunny as the weather, and she soon got our drinks and some table water sorted out. We turned our gazes to the menu, taking a little while to finalise our choices – there was just too much scrumminess to choose from! Best of all, the team at The Kedleston Country House pride themselves on sourcing all their meat and vegetables within a 15 mile radius of their kitchen, as well as growing some fruit and herbs in their very own garden.
Eventually we had made up our minds as to what we fancied: Heirloom Tomatoes with Parma Ham and Burrata cheese, drizzled with a Fennel seed , Honey and Chilli dressing (£8.95) and Chorizo and Cheddar Beignets on a Tomato and Mixed Bean Cassoulet (£7.50), followed by 12hour sous-vide Pork Shoulder with Bramley Apple and Celeriac Purée, Goose fat Hispi Cabbage, Poached Redlove Apple, and Pork Jus (£18.95), and Braised Lamb Shank with Garlic and Parsley Pomme Purée, and Lamb Jus (£22.50) for myself and The Man respectively. We also ordered sides of Truffle and Parmesan Fries (£4) and Greek Salad (£3.50).
There’s something simple yet joyous about a colourful Tomato salad and with the green, yellow and red varieties represented, this certainly was a visual beauty! The sweet, juicy fruits burst on my tongue and were brilliantly accompanied by the salty tang of the thinly sliced Parma ham, with rounded mellowness coming from the creamy fat on the edge of the meat. Chef couldn’t use Burrata cheese on this occasion, so substituted with its close cousin, Mozzarella; essentially the two cheeses are the same, but Burrata steals the flavour edge with its softer, creamier texture and taste in my opinion. It was the dressing that stole the show for me, though; I had been expecting the usual liquidy dressing but was instead presented with a thick (almost resinous) jam. What a robust pop of spicy heat this madam had! The Fennel Seeds were whole and the Chilli had been coarsely flaked, so both were clearly visible in the treacly dressing. I loved the balance of spiciness and sweetness within this dressing, it went superbly with the other elements of this starter dish; if Chef bottled this, I’d happily buy some, it was gorgeous!!
Across the table, The Man was tucking into his St Tropez-golden Beignets, smiling as his knife elicited a crunch from its crisp, fried outer. The dough wasn’t greasy or claggy at all and had been generously filled with punchy Cheddar and smoky, tangy Chorizo in its centre. This was a seriously flavour-packed starter, enhanced by a deep, rich tasting Tomato and Mixed Bean Cassoulet that washed over the palate and providing a real heartiness to this dish. It isn’t often you see Beignets on a menu, so top marks Chef, for your individuality here at The Stag restaurant at Kedleston Country House; perhaps this is why this venue is gaining a following?
Another factor in a venue’s popularity is consistency and that’s exactly what you’re going to get with dishes cooked ‘sous vide’, like my 12hour Pork Shoulder. It’s fair to describe sous vide as the vacuum sealed bag, water-bathed at precise temperatures equivalent of oven done low-and-slow. You get the same tenderness, moistness and flavour-retention as oven cooked dishes, but without any variation across the board (great if you’re catering for large groups!). For high energy kitchens this just helps take a bit of pressure off Chef as the meat can be left for long periods of time, allowing them to crack on with other prep in the knowledge that this cooking method will give them consistent results.
I loved the fact that Chef had taken the care to produce some amazing crackling to accompany the shoulder, though; I love this crisped, salted skin and its mild flavour – my waistline doesn’t like it so much, but as an occasional treat it’s fine. The Pork had a wonderful rich intensity to it that reminded me of Pâté, with a gentle sweetness at its periphery that was echoed by the earthy tones of the Bramley and Celeriac purée, whose pale colour stood out against the dark meat. Another touch of indulgence came via the Goose fat pimped Hispi cabbage and I savoured this as I crunched my way through it. Given that the Redlove Apple had been poached to soften it, the cabbage provided a very welcome hit of texture as did the Baby Sweetcorn and Broccoli that I swiped from the vegetable bowl near His Nibs!
Standing proudly among a verdant sea of Garlic and Parsley Pomme Purée was a Lamb Shank whose flesh glided away from the bone at the merest touch of cutlery. The Pomme Purée was stunning; the herb and Allium both came through clearly on the palate, their brightness tempered by the mellow nuttiness of the Potato. Unsurprisingly, the Lamb just melted in His Nibs’ mouth, leaving its flavour to luxuriate on the tongue and taste buds as it did so. Lightly steamed Fine Green Beans and Mange Tout added a lovely crunch to this dish as well as their summer exuberance. When he finally came up for air, the plate was spotlessly clean from The Man’s attentions!
Even though there was a potato component to his meal, The Man couldn’t resist the charms of the Truffle and Parmesan Fries; he’s had them at Kedleston Country House before and absolutely loves them! To be fair, they are rather yummy; the fries themselves have great crispy outers and you can’t mistake the earthy, musky tones of Truffle in this dish, or the equally strong Parmesan. To say that there are very strong characters at play here, the overall effect is one of harmony and moreishness.
By contrast, I had gone for something much lighter and crunchier for my side; a Greek Salad, full of colour and texture. The Kalamata and Green Olives complimented each other very nicely: Green ones have a milder, salty tang to them whereas Kalamata’s are richer and fruitier in the mouth, though both types have that distinct sharpness that we attribute to this fruit. Paired with the sweetness of Tomato and the refreshing Cucumber, the Olives and tangy Feta (as well as punchy Red Onion!), my taste buds were soon being kept on their toes – not that they, or I, were complaining.
Eleanor had been carefully keeping an eye on us, checking back at each course that we were enjoying our food as well as checking we’d got enough water. In fact, bless her, she went and got a fresh carafe of water for us just as we were finishing our mains, so she cleared away the plates at the same time – good time management!
For dessert I had the homemade Lemon Cheesecake and The Man fancied the homemade Crème Brulee with Shortbread Biscuit. My choice had a dark caramel toned buttery base that was just the right side of crumbly and a deep velvety-looking topping that I was eager to get into! The cheesecake was every bit as silky and indulgent as it looked, with a lovely light citrus bounce to provide some balance to the richness. I allowed myself to fully appreciate its charms as the cream cheese mixture coated the insides of my cheeks and melted slowly. A single Physallis provided the garnish on the dessert itself, with arty splashes of Raspberry- and Lemon- sauces giving a hefty dose of visual appeal on the serving plate.
Chef had got the Brulee absolutely bang on! I could hear its crack from where I sat as His Nibs smacked his spoon against the caramelised sugar top – and you all know how much I love that sound! Not only was the top nice and thick and thwackable it was the very definition of brulee (burnt in French) with its delightful toasted/charred flavour. Perfect! Underneath the sugar was a wickedly indulgent Vanilla crème whose taste waltzed elegantly over The Man’s palate. A pair of Shortbread rounds provided an excellent means of scooping up all the crème, as well as adding a hint of texture to this superb dessert.
A couple of black coffees brought our meal to a very pleasant conclusion, although I did grapple a bit with the cup handles; they may be slinky, but they’re not the easiest to grip! With sighs of contentment, we rose from the table and made our way back out to the car park where we took a moment to appreciate the beautiful sunset that was emerging. Looking out over the Derbyshire countryside, I had to pinch myself at how lucky I am to live in such a great county!
Hot Wings happily awarded to The Stag restaurant at The Kedleston Country House, and heartfelt thanks to Helen for extending the invitation to us.
The Stag is open for food Tuesday-Friday from Midday, Saturday from 5pm and Sunday from Noon for the traditional Sunday Lunch. Steak Night is every Tuesday from 5pm (I can recommend this) and a Bar Menu is offered Tuesday-Saturday from Midday. If you fancy Afternoon Tea – and who doesn’t?! - then you can indulge on Saturday from 12pm, and there’s even a Champagne Breakfast (available by booking only) Tuesday-Saturday from 9.30am!!!
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