Over the years, The Man Bird and I like to think that we’ve not only fostered some great relationships, but also made friends, with owners, managers and PR executives. One such friendship is with a lovely lady named Jennie, and it was she who invited us along to The Dukeries Lodge in Edwinstowe, one of the sites owned by the Pub People Company.
It was a beautiful, sunny spring evening when we pulled into the car park (a decent size for both walk-in diners and residents in the rooms) and there were lots of folks enjoying a cold tipple in the bar area when we first walked in. Passing through the bar, we entered the restaurant, which is really quite stunning…and unusual.
In keeping with the fact that the venue is in the heart of Sherwood Forest territory, there was lots of faux foliage around in the restaurant; I especially loved the white blossom-festooned ‘tree’ that you walk under to access the tables. We were seated at the far end of the restaurant, affording us a clear view of the magnificent, balustraded staircase that spiralled over three levels. Natural tones of cream, green, brown and blue formed the colour palate for the carpets, wallpaper and seating upholstery, making the ambience nice and relaxed; background music was kept at a sociable level, too.
Our lovely server had got us sorted with drinks: large Shiraz for me, and a pint of draught Hawkstone lager, and then left us to peruse the menu – pointing out that it was ‘Mixed Grill Tuesday’ where the Mixed Grill is available [all day] for £15 rather than £25. Tempting as it was, we decided to go for dishes from the regular menu, although the daily specials were yummy-sounding.
To start, His Nibs had the Chicken, Red Onion, and Truffle Oil Terrine served with Toasted Focaccia (£7.50) and I fancied the Grilled Chicken Skewer (Lamb Kofte is also available) with Turkish Pitta, Salad, Harissa Sauce, and Tzatziki (£8). We weren’t waiting long before another team member was placing our choices in front of us, asking if we needed any sauces before leaving us to tuck in.
I had half a dozen sizeable pieces of succulent Chicken Breast to savour, so I took them off the wooden skewer as my first job. The warmed Pitta was nicely malleable, so I thought I would make my own version of a Turkish Fajita, rolling the bread to encase the poultry, the creamy Tzatziki, spicy Harissa Sauce and the Salad that I also put in to it. Now, there may be some of you out there crying ‘sacrilege!’, but bear with me, there was method to my seeming madness; having everything nice and compact meant that every mouthful contained all the elements of the dish. Turns out, I am a genius, and my plan resulted in a multitude of tastes and textures washing over my palate.
The Man Bird’s choice of Terrine was pleasingly presented, the angular, tiger-stripe charred Focaccia providing a base for the Terrine slice to perch against. A colourful side salad added a lovely serving zhuzh as well as some crunch, ably assisted by the delicious Tomato, Red Onion and Herb Salsa. His Nibs commented that the Terrine itself was easy on the eye, its layers and gentle texture looking every bit as super as it tasted.
As confident as we were in our choice of mains, when we saw the hefty, tasty-looking Mixed Grills winging their way to adjacent tables, we did doubt ourselves for a split-second! Thankfully, when our dishes arrived (and we’d begun to tuck in) they proved to be marvellous. The Man Bird had ordered the Homemade Braised Beef with Mushrooms and Onions in a Red Wine Gravy, served with Wholegrain Mustard Creamed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables (£19), whilst I chose the Surf and Turf [from the Chargrill section of the menu], accompanying it with the ‘Healthy’ garnish as opposed to the ‘Traditional’ one.
I liked how the team worked together to simultaneously serve us our food, even down to the replacing of cutlery and napkins. All I’m going to say is, take your appetite when you dine at The Dukeries Lodge in Edwinstowe! His Nibs had got a stonking great bowlful of mouth-wateringly good smelling food in front of him, and the beef was so tender it was literally falling apart before any cutlery got in its vicinity. Rich, meaty flavour engulfed his mouth, partnered by sweet, softened Onion - the Mushrooms got passed over to me, with no complaints whatsoever. Flecks of Wholegrain Mustard punctuated the otherwise plain landscape of the Creamed Potato, adding a subtle warmth to the smooth spuds. Where the Creamed Potato was smooth and silky, the Broccoli Florets, Carrots and Fine Green Beans all retained some crunch to them, making for a nice mix of textures within the dish. Oh, and let’s not forget that superbly rich, Red Wine Gravy! Beautifully unctuous, this minx clung to the Beef, Onions and Mushrooms like an ardent lover, releasing its gorgeously deep flavour in the mouth.
Surf and Turf used to be ten-a-penny on menus, but has somewhat fallen out of favour and become a bit of a butt of culinary jokes in recent times. I do feel though that, when done with quality ingredients, this is still a rightfully popular, tasty meal, and it had been an absolute age since I last partook of it. The ‘turf’ component is an 8oz, heart-of-rump Steak cooked to your liking (I went for rare), and the ‘surf’ is Wholetail Scampi, partnered with Jacket Potato, Corn ‘Ribs’ and Chef’s Dressed Salad for the healthy option, or Homemade Chips, Corn ‘Ribs’, Beer-battered Onion Rings and Pea Shoots for traditionalists.
Being picky, I have to say that my steak was more medium/rare than rare at the periphery, though there was a delicious rare centre section that I gobbled up heartily. The beef itself was lovely and juicy, with a superb depth of flavour to it, and I loved the contrast between it and the sweeter flesh of the Langoustine tail (Scampi). My senses appreciated the crunch of the crisp crumb-coated outer; non-greasy this provided a brilliantly stark difference to the soft seafood it encased. My jacket spud was ready-quartered and the individual pat of Lurpak butter was softening nicely in its warmth so that, when I was ready, it had melted enough to be poured over the nutty-tasting potato. Chef had prepped the Sweetcorn Ribs so that they were the ideal size for grabbing between thumb and finger and devouring in a couple of bites; each kernel burst against my bite, releasing its creamy, earthy-tasting liquid over my tongue. For a final, perfect, flourish I tucked into the edible rainbow that was my side salad, revelling in the scrumminess of it and savouring the tang of the dressing that lightly coated it.
Needless to say, a couple of spotlessly clean plates went back to the kitchen and we looked forward to our desserts: Chocolate, Vanilla and Cherry Cheesecake with Clotted Cream Vanilla Ice Cream (£7) for The Man, and the Chocolate, Fudge and Black Forest Sundae for me (£7.50). It isn’t often that I have a Sundae, but I am very partial to Black Forest desserts, which is what swayed me.
Again, Lady Luck was my wing-woman and my choice turned out to be utterly divine! Served in a tall Sundae glass, you could see the multitude of layers, and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in: rich Cherries at the bottom, chunky pieces of gooey Fudge, rivers of sticky Chocolate Sauce, scoops of both Clotted Cream Vanilla- and Chocolate- Ice Creams, and a thick topping of indulgent Whipped Cream – complete with Wafer Roll. Nom nom, and then nommier! This was a glorious dessert, reminding me that I really should have Sundaes more often.
Given that Sticky Toffee Pudding was on the menu, I would’ve put money on His Nibs choosing that for his final course, but, no, he was on the market for adventure and had the Cheesecake instead! Halfway through scoffing it (and having told me how rich and luxurious it was) he was informed that it was Vegan-friendly; you would NEVER have guessed this, from its flavour. It wasn’t just in the flavour stakes that this dessert was a winner, either; catwalk-worthy in looks, undulating layers captivated the visual sense. The bottommost layer was a dark, Chocolate biscuit number, topped with a Cherry-studded, paler layer of cream cheese. His Nibs liked the fact that the Clotted Cream Vanilla Ice Cream (from Cotswolds-based, award-winning, Marshfield Farm) was served in a separate pot…and he liked its taste even more.
From start-to-finish, the team at The Dukeries Lodge had looked after us impeccably – and not just us; all their guests experienced fantastic, friendly service. Where appropriate, extra condiments, cutlery and napkins were provided and every interaction was accompanied by a smile and a bit of chat. A large part of any dining experience is the service, and this Edwinstowe have got it licked – Hot Wings very happily given!
To book a table, call 01623 822553 or visit www.thedukerieslodge.co.uk and hit the ‘book your stay’ for accommodation, or scroll down and hit the ‘book a table’ tab to dine. Food is served Mon-Sat Noon-9pm, Sunday Noon-7pm; the bar is open slightly longer than the restaurant: Mon-Sat Noon-11pm, Sunday Noon-10pm.
