A Visit To The Farmhouse, Mackworth For The Soft Launch Of Their New Menu
Published On Sunday 15 Oct 2023 by Sticky Beak
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It’s been a good old while since His Nibs and I last visited The Farmhouse at Mackworth, certainly pre-pandemic, and as we pulled into the ample car park for the soft launch of its new menu under the ‘Marston’s’ banner, I was reminded just how beautiful this venue is. As its name suggests, the venue was originally an 18th century Farm House, so it is stunning to behold. and you get a feeling of your worldly cares being shrugged off as you walk inside.
We were greeted very warmly when we went to the restaurant front, swiftly shown to our table and told that our server, Olivia, would be with us shortly. True enough, a lovely, very smartly dressed young lady soon introduced herself as Olivia and asked what we’d like to drink. There is a good choice of wines, spirits and cocktails and I chose a very cheeky Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough region as my tipple. The Man fancied a pint, selecting Estrella once Olivia had gone to double-check the choice on offer.
Like any other soft launch, this one was very well attended. A chap and his canine companion sat in the bar area, and there were families dining together at tables that we’d walked past on the way to ours. Groups of friends and couples like ourselves made up the rest of this particular evenings’ guests. The staff levels were more than generous, meaning that guests weren’t going to be left waiting long for anything - the added bonus is that it boosts the confidence of new staff members (of which Olivis was one). The General Manager of The Farmhouse, Samantha Ascroft, was also on hand to support her team, which was nice to see.
There are plenty of starters to choose from, several of which took our fancy, so it was a no-brainer that we chose the Signature Sharer (£17.95) as it gave us a good selection: Baked Lamb Koftas, Buttermilk Chicken Tenders, Crispy Coated Cauliflower ‘Wings’ with BBQ sauce and Ranch Dressing, and Houmous and Flatbread. Olivia asked if there were any allergies or dietary requirements that Chef needed to know about as she took our order – there’s no doubt that awareness of food allergies and intolerances has increased in recent times. Another member of the serving team (who’d brought over some table water for us) commented that we could expect a proper plateful with the sharer, and he wasn’t wrong…
The Lamb Koftas were wonderfully flavoursome and dense enough not to crumble when cut into – always a bonus! His Nibs loved the spicy edge to the rich Tomato sauce, and I liked the way its sweetness complimented the creamy Minted Yoghurt dip. A garnish of grated cheese and finely sliced Spring Onions prettied this quintet of meaty marvellousness up very nicely.
Both of us were impressed with how sizeable the Buttermilk Chicken Tenders were; there may only have been a trio of them, but the third one was big enough to halve and both of us still have a good chunk that needed cutting up to eat. The tenders were coated in a crisp batter and drizzled gently with a tangy BBQ sauce before being sprinkled with Red Chilli slices.
Crispy Coated BBQ Cauliflower Wings maybe aren’t going to set the world alight with their title, but they certainly grabbed both our palates’ attention! The vegetable was cut into decent sized pieces and was pleasingly firm to the bite – nothing worse than soggy veg, is there? Cauliflower is a fairly innocuous tasting item, but this allows the other tastes it’s paired with to really shine; in this case, it was a flavoursome BBQ sauce and a pot of piquant Ranch Dressing that took centre stage.
The Man Bird and I had both expected the Houmous to be that neutral colour, but the team at The Farm House top theirs with a wonderfully bright, verdant Pesto for an extra presentational edge. We loved the contrast in both colour and taste, it added more appeal to an otherwise simple element of the platter; slices of warm Flatbread provided the perfect means with which to scoop up the yummy dip, something we wasted no time in doing.
Olivia had checked we were enjoying our platter and was very happy to take the clean side plates and serving platter back to the kitchen. The Man had ordered the Honey and Mustard Glazed Ham Hock (£17.25) for his main course and it is stated to allow 15 minutes for this particular meal to arrive – so be aware of this if you order it; don’t be whinging that it’s taking a while for your food to arrive, ok?! I couldn’t decide between the Homemade Kebab (£16.50) or the Ultimate Mac-n-Cheese (£14.50); my initial instinct was the Kebab, but then I changed my mind. They say to always go with your gut, don’t they; I didn’t, and paid for my folly!
The Mac-n-Cheese comes with Garlic Bread and Little Gem Lettuce, Rocket, Basil and Cherry Tomato, but the main morsel is made with pasta, Chorizo, Truffle Oil, Crème Fraiche, Red Leicester, and Mozzarella…or so it should be. A black skillet had at least a 1” gap at its top, which didn’t look the most visually appealing sight and, as I pushed my fork through the crumb topping, I realised that this was a centimetre thick – far too much, and it had the undesirable effect of drying the dish out.
To me, one of the joys of a proper Mac-n-Cheese is those gorgeous strings of melted cheese that you have to twirl around your cutlery; sadly, these were nowhere to be seen and any sauce that had been present soon got soaked up by the aforementioned crumb crust. Not one to admit defeat, I soldiered on to the bottom of my skillet, which was (as expected) bone dry – proof that more sauce was indeed needed here. The flavour of the cheese sauce was wonderful, which just made me feel the lack of it more keenly; and the warm, garlic butter laden Ciabatta roll sat there patiently to be used as a mopping-up tool. Sorry mate, your services weren’t needed. I would’ve liked more Chorizo in this dish, too, and I didn’t get the Truffle Oil in my mouth either.
A couple of trimmed Little Gem leaves curved over finely chopped Red Onion and Cherry Tomato, but there was no Rocket or Basil in sight or taste. It isn’t like me to moan but, next time, Imma stick to my initial choice – I was underwhelmed, I’m afraid. However, it was definitely a case of choosing the wrong dish, as His Nibs’ choice certainly delivered…and then some!
Those of you who are hungry Horace’s, the Ham Hock is definitely the dish choice you need to make – it’s massive!! Super-tender Ham fell off the bone with no pressure at all from the knife and when The Man had his first mouthful, a huge grin spread over his face. Top Marks, here, for the depth of flavour the meat had, and for the presentation. The Ham Hock had been carefully balanced on top of a bed of sliced Garlic and herb-pimped Potatoes, with a medley of Garden Peas, Mange Tout and Fine Green Beans at the side, making for a visually pleasing dish. If there was one change The Man would make, it would be to have the Honey and Mustard sauce in a separate pot, rather than having the whole portion of it larruped over the meat. Other than that, this was a perfect dish.
True to gluttonous form, we’d also ordered a side of Beer-battered Onion Rings (£3.50) to have with our meals. You get a decent sized portion for your money, and there is a nicely crisp batter to get your teeth into; these minxes are bought-in ones (their uniformity gives it away), but they’re a good quality one.
Throughout our meal, Olivia had been keen to check that everything was ok (I left the feedback of my dish until I saw Sam, as I didn’t want to knock Olivia’s confidence) and that our glasses weren’t running dry. At the finish of our main courses, Olivia offered us desserts and giggled when we said that we were too full; instead, she went off to fetch the bill for us at our request, and came back smiling. A nice little chat with her concluded our time at The Farm House in Mackworth and, overall, it had been a great evening.
The hiccup had been entirely my making, and I’m sure that the dish will be tweaked in the coming days. Other than my cock-up, everything else was great: His Nibs’ meal, the starter platter and the level of service, so I’m happy to give Hot Wings here.
The Farm House Pub and Restaurant at Mackworth is open 7-days-a-week: Mon-Sat 7am-11pm, and Sunday 7am-10.30pm; food service is Noon-10pm Mon-Sat, and Noon-9pm on Sunday. To book a table ring 01332 824324 or visit the website www.thefarmhouseatmackworth.com and book online.
After receiving our feedback about the Ultimate Mac-N-Cheese, The Farmhouse team tell us they have tweaked the dish.
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