Sunday Lunch At The Makeney Hall Hotel In Milford
Published On Sunday 23 Apr 2023 by Sticky Beak
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I think I’m going to start calling His Nibs ‘Bloodhound Boy’ because he can’t half sniff out a fab Groupon bargain!! On this particular occasion (a few months ago) he was trawling the Groupon site and found a deal for Sunday Lunch at Makeney Hall Hotel at a pretty good price (£54.95), but then they pinged him an extra discount code, which took the cost down to £34.95 for four people including a bottle of house wine (or soft drink if you don’t imbibe) and a soft drink for the driver – how good is that?!
Fast forward a bit and we found ourselves pulling into one of the spaces in the ample car park on-site and admiring the grand proportions of this superb building. A young lass greeted us at reception and gave us directions through to ‘Lavinia’s Restaurant’, which is perhaps as well as the interior is like a rabbit warren with its corridors and myriad rooms that shoot off from them!
Another member of the team showed us to our table and The Man gave him our voucher, so he asked which wine we’d like: Red, White or Rosé; we opted for white, and a very nice tipple it was too, and Chickadee had her usual water. Our voucher was for a two-course lunch and you get to choose either starter and main, or main and pudding – we went for starters and main because Mummy had made a Rhubarb crumble for us to enjoy later that evening.
For Starter I had Goats Cheese with Pistachio, Beetroot Textures, Walnut and Balsamic, Mummy had Smoked Salmon and Prawn Tian with pickled Cucumber, Crème Fraiche, Capers, Pea Shoots and Olive Oil, and His Nibs and Fledge opted for the Chicken and Ham Hock Terrine with Farmhouse Chutney, Celery, Apple and Grapes.
Whilst we waited for our starters, one of the smartly attired male team members brought over a platter of mini loaves and butter for us to tuck into. Mummy and I left ours, but no surprise that the other two gannets scoffed theirs! Thankfully, I was in a generous mood and divvied up my loaf for them to spread some of their Terrine onto, else they’d have been up the proverbial creek! Mind you, I did have one sneaky bite before I handed one half over to The Man, so I can tell you that it was beautifully soft, springy bread with a gorgeously crunchy outer.
All our starters arrived in quick succession, so no-one was left waiting for their morsels and after popping the thick, white cloth napkins in our laps we began to tuck in. Mummy was most smitten with her succulent Salmon and Prawn temptation that had been fashioned into a perfect round and bound gently with the crème fraiche. The Pickled Cucumber, Pea Shoots and Capers all provided a beautiful sharpness that cut through the silky oiliness of the Salmon, and the drizzle of Olive Oil added a shot of fruitiness that bridged the flavour gap between the other elements. This was seriously good starter.
Equally as scrummy was the Chicken and Ham Hock Terrine that Fledge and His Nibs had chosen; the colour contrast of the two meats looked very pretty and the distinct flavours complimented each other nicely in the mouth. A tangy Chutney gave a zing to the flavour profile and fresh Celery and Apple (which had been fanned very artfully) imparted some welcome crunch, bringing a superb balance for the senses to delight in.
My Goats Cheese wheel was a good ½” thick and was gently warmed to release all its enticing aromas and rich, musky taste. A fine crumb of Pistachio added a pop of verdancy that bounced against the Beetroot Purée and thick slices of the earthy root vegetable. As with the other starters, Chef had considered the sensory impact of the food he served and Walnut halves gave not only a gorgeous earthy, nuttiness on the palate, but provided a hit of texture too. Another cracking start to our Sunday lunch.
A check-back had confirmed our satisfaction with the starters and was reinforced by the evidence of a quartet of clean plates going back to the kitchen; something that would make Chef smile, no doubt. As we relaxed and allowed the starters to begin digesting, we all took time to appreciate the view from the Orangery out onto the mature gardens. Whilst we took in the sprawling beauty of the lawn, shrubs and huge trees, guess who made an appearance? Only the blooming Easter Bunny! Not a human-in-costume variety either; an actual fluffy little Bun-Bun.
It wasn’t long before our mains were being carefully placed before us either, and we smiled happily at the assortment of mouth-watering aromas that wafted over our table. The Man Bird did a quick re-jig of our table arrangement (including putting the wine bucket on the floor beside him) to make room for the dishes that housed the Broccoli Florets, Carrot Batons and shredded Red Cabbage, and the Cauliflower Cheese.
We’d all gone for different choices for mains: Mummy had Pan-fried Fillet of Sea Bass with Crushed New Potatoes, Pea Purée, Tenderstem Broccoli and Wild Garlic Oil, Fledge had the Roast Pork Loin, I had my favourite, Roast Leg of Derbyshire Spring lamb, and His Nibs went for Roast Sirloin of Derbyshire Beef. One thing I did notice was that me and Chickadee hadn’t got a Yorkshire Pud on our plates. To be fair, it does mention the presence of one on the Beef dish and isn’t printed on the other meats, but come on Chef, is it even a proper Sunday roast if you don’t have a Yorkie with your meat?! I get that Mummy Birds’ fish morsel wouldn’t have a Yorkshire Pudding with it, but Meat + Yorkie = Sunday Roast, otherwise it’s just a regular meat-n-veg dinner, no? Next time, I shall certainly be requesting a Yorkshire Pud on my plate!
All of the meats were beautifully tender and full of flavour, and each one was nicely juicy and moist. Fledge’s Pork was sliced nice and thickly, so she smiled happily as she lazily chewed it; I would’ve liked my Lamb to have been a bit chunkier and a bit pinker (though there was nothing wrong with it, it’s just my personal preference), but His Nibs was delighted with the way his Beef was sliced thinly. Mummy’s pan-fried fillet of Sea Bass was a generous size and had been cooked really nicely to maintain its moistness and softness whilst crisping the skin lightly – she also commented on the wonderful taste that the Pea purée had.
Another component of a classic Sunday Lunch/Dinner are Roasties, and the ones served at Makeney Hall Hotel are bathed in Duck Fat for extra flavour and pimped with fragrant Rosemary. The result is marvellously golden, crispy outered spuds that have a comfortingly soft inner: perfect. I was also pleased by the size of the slice of proper, sausage-meat containing, Sage and Onion Stuffing that came with our meals; its flavour was excellent!
Sizeable florets of Verdant Broccoli, long Batons of Carrot and ribbons of Red Cabbage looked beautiful next to each other in the serving dish and they had all been cooked to retain their natural crunch. Without exception, their flavours burst over our palates, epitomising the optimism of spring superbly. Now, you all know what massive fans of Cauliflower Cheese our Flock is, so when I sing the praises of the one we were served with here you know that it really was marvellous! It’s been quite a while since we had to do battle with strings of melted cheese as we served ourselves, but the lack of dignity was well worth it as we were treated to an amazingly rich tasting, unctuous cheese sauce. Chef pairs this magical creation with a vegetable that is at the wondrously flawless pivot point of firm/soft, and we all bowed down to his skill as we smiled and savoured his efforts. In contrast to many other venues, the Red Cabbage was served plain and un-spiced which I think underplays this vegetable’s talent (but maybe that’s my personal bias showing?).
It took us all a while, but there were eventually four squeaky clean plates on our table and when our server came to clear away, we declined the offer of pudding – we’ll save that for our return visit when we’ll forego starters, and have sweet treats instead.
Hot Wings happily given here and, even better, Groupon have got a fab deal on four Sunday Lunches at Makeney Hall Hotel still – go grab one for yourselves and have a great meal for a knock-down price! Needless to say, Bloodhound Boy has already purchased one for us… and one for a Sparkling Afternoon Tea there, too! To reserve a table, give the Makeney Hall Hotel team a buzz on 01332 845704 or visit the website www.makeney.co.uk , select ‘restaurant’ and hit the green reservation button about halfway down the page on the left side – easy peasy.
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