A Familiar Favourite Delivers Once Again at Santo's Higham Farm
Planning ahead isn’t always a forte of The Man Bird and I, but on this occasion that little bit of foresight paid dividends. Mummy and I had got an appointment booked that we knew, from past experience, would leave her sore and not wanting to prepare an evening meal for herself; to this end, His Nibs made an executive decision to book a table across the road at Santo’s Higham Farm Hotel and Restaurant for dinner.
As a flock, we’ve visited this venue on many occasions so we were pretty confident that a decent meal would be had (turns out we were right). There were already a couple of tables occupied, and another couple of gents on business at the bar, who were going to dine later. Tyler was one of the team on serving duties this particular evening and he ran us through the specials on offer: Cod in Parsley sauce with Creamy Mash and Seasonal Vegetables, and Tagliatelle Carbonara with Mushrooms and Bacon (both £17).
My initial choice was going to be the Roast Onion and Blue Cheese Risotto (£17) from the regular menu, but I opted to go with the Tagliatelle special, and Mummy ran with the Cod special, too. His Nibs ordered a dish from the usual [seasonal] menu, Piri Piri Chicken Schnitzel (£20), though did ask Tyler if he could swap the Seasoned Fries for some of [Chef] Ray’s amazing Chunky Chips – honestly, these chips are the bomb!!
We weren’t waiting long before Tyler and one of his colleagues (a really smashing, polite young lass) were placing huge plates and bowls of food in front of us. After checking that we’d got all the sauces and condiments we wanted, we were left to crack on and tuck in. One of my bug-bears is soggy, over-cooked pasta, so I was a very happy bunny to discover that the thick ribbons of Tagliatelle had that fab hint of bite to them. A lovely unctuous sauce clung ardently to the pasta, and it had a creamy, silky texture in the mouth that made me smile, and a delightful cheesy punch that came through clearly on the palate. It’s no secret that I love mushrooms, and this dish contained a veritable smorgasbord of them, including: Oyster, Chanterelle, Beech, and Chestnut; the result was a mix of tastes and textures. Also present in pleasingly generous amounts, were pieces of Bacon that were beautifully rich and deep in their taste – top marks for this dish, Chef!!
Mummy had also been presented with a huge Cod Loin, perched regally upon a deep bed of glass-smooth Mashed Potato. I had the task of cutting up her food into easily manageable pieces, and so had chance to thoroughly inspect her fish closer. Chef had cooked the thick Loin to perfection; no visible rawness at all, just expertly done, moist Cod with that characteristic firm texture that yields nicely to the bite. The Carrots, Broccoli and Cauliflower were all precisely done so that they were cooked through but retained a pleasing texture, rather than being miserable and soggy – nothing worse than soggy veg, is there? Fans of the humble spud know that it only takes a little care to transform it into something utterly marvellous; in this case, a bit of butter and cream/milk and some elbow-grease! Super-smooth, this was a great partner to the Cod and the gently herbaceous flavour of the Parsley sauce.
The Man Bird does love him a bity of smoky, spicy Chorizo; perhaps as well, as there were certainly plenty of chunks of this tasty beauty to savour! Where the Chorizo was bold and deep, the crispy outer of the Schnitzel revealed soft, juicy Chicken Breast meat that had a moreishly mild, creamy taste. Shards of pungent parmesan and fresh, peppery leaves of Roquette kept the palate on high-alert, making this a superb, multi-layered dish. Served in a separate bowl, the chunky Chips were [as ever] blooming fantastic; the spuds have that inherent nutty hint to them and the floury textured inner lingers on the tongue magnificently. When done right, you can’t beat a ‘proper’ chip…and that’s coming from someone who can usually take-or-leave them; in ‘Ray’s Chips’’ case though, I’m all in!!
Both Mummy and I were full to capacity, so it was down to The Man Bird to soldier on and have dessert, a task he relished. I would’ve put money on His Maj going for the Warm Chocolate Fudge Gateau (£8), but he threw in a curveball and went for the Citrus Lemon Scented Crème Brulée served with Shortbread (£9). Texture-wise, this Crème was like sumptuous velvet in the mouth, and there was an audible ‘thwack’ as he smacked the sugar top – always a good sign. In the taste-stakes, this minx had a divine, clean citrus zing to it that danced on the tongue, but didn’t dominate the delicate creamy element. I pilfered a finger of the sugar-dusted Shortbread, grinning as its rich butteriness melted in my mouths’ warmth; I do like a bit of Shortbread, and this was gorgeous.
Tyler had one last surprise in store before we departed; it was my birthday, and he wasn’t going to let me leave without some cake and a candle to blow out! I really wasn’t fibbing when I said I was full, so he kindly wrapped the huuuge slab of sponge up for me, fashioning the foil into a bird shape – smack-dab on-brand for the Sticky Beak Blog!! I devoured the sponge back at the nest whilst watching The Traitors on ‘the box’, and it was jolly good: deep, moist vanilla sponge, filled with buttercream and thick, fruity jam. If ever you fancy popping in for coffee/tea and cake, I’d certainly see what’s on the counter at Santo’s.
Our total bill, including service charge and drinks, was just under £85. Safe to say that this won’t be our last visit to Santo’s Higham Farm Hotel and Restaurant – Hot Wings happily given here. To book a table call 01773 833812, and visit www.santoshighamfarm.co.uk to view the current menus and book a room online.
All Prices Correct At The Time Of Publishing
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