Please remind me why I ever think that a Bank Holiday will be nice, weather-wise? As per usual, the weather had been that blinking frustrating mix of cloudy sun, with just enough rain to make the grass that annoying ‘smidge too wet’ to cut! The Man Bird and I are made of sterner stuff, though, so we did some weeding, planting and tidying up in Mummy Bird’s garden, despite the crappy weather. After all our good work, Mummy took us over to Higham Farm Hotel to sample their homemade Pizzas, that they were doing for their Bank Holiday Specials Menu.
As locals, we try to support Higham Farm whenever we can, whether that be for a quick coffee n cheeky biscuit, a tasty light lunch, delicious Afternoon Tea (which may or may not involve a glass of fizz), a midweek dinner, or for a Sunday Roast. Over the years, we’ve been at this village venue pretty much every time of day! It was lovely to see the more informal restaurant, adjacent to the bar, so lively from the top space to around the corner. We were seated opposite the bar, so we had prime ‘people watching’ positions, and one of the first folks we saw was the lovely Tyler, one of the senior team members (and a firm family favourite).
One of the lovely young ladies took our drinks order: large wines for Mummy and I (£7.50) and a pint of Neck Oil for The Man (£5.20), and soon returned with a tray holding the full glasses. As well as the Pizza Menu, there was a thoughtfully curated Bank Holiday Menu that offered lots of choice over its three courses, representing the spectrum of dishes that Head Chef Raymond Moody and his team offer throughout the year. Mummy Bird adores Ray’s ‘Signature Fish and Chips’ (£18), so she decided immediately that she was having that; if you’ve never had the Signature Chips at Higham Farm Hotel before, you are seriously missing out on a gourmet treat!!
His Nibs and I both opted for Pizzas, though I did do a little tittivating to my choice of Hawaiian (£12); I don’t especially like smoked meats, so I asked if I could forego the Smoked Ham for Parma Ham [from the ‘extra toppings’] instead. Before you all come for me, yes, the Hawaiian does have pineapple on it and, yes, Pineapple absolutely SHOULD be on a Pizza. There, I said it! His Nibs went for the Diavola (£12) as he likes things a bit spicier – and definitely NO pineapple on a pizza for him.
Both Pizzas had a homemade Tomato sauce as their base and it wasn’t a concentrated, purée type, it was more of a pan-thickened, fresh Tomato variety. The result was a beautifully sweet, clean sauce that allowed the other ingredients to shine against it. Mozzarella cheese was plentiful and gooey, producing those iconic ‘strings’ as we lifted slices to our mouths, and finely grated Parmesan added a more piquant note on the palate. If you like an authentic, air-pocketed dough that’s hand-stretched and thin, then the Pizzas at Higham Farm Hotel will please you immensely.
The Man and I commented that the flavour of the olive-oil drizzled base was perfect and nicely crisp at its edge, and neither of us could complain about the amount of topping either. I was especially enamoured of the balance between the salty tang of the Parma Ham slices and the sweetness of the pieces of Pineapple on my Pizza. His Nibs was smiling happily as he bit into slice after slice of the mildly spicy Pepperoni; there was enough heat to please without scaring those who wouldn’t normally go for this type of Pizza.
To go with our Pizzas, we’d also ordered a Garlic Bread (£8) that is made with the same dough and then slathered with Smoked Garlic Butter and lots of Mozzarella. This was just as big as the Pizzas, and totally delicious; with hindsight, we should have ordered two Garlic Breads and taken one home for supper. Next time, that will be our plan! Being super-picky, it would’ve been nice to have the Pizzas come with a wheel to cut into them; another table did ask for one (which Tyler found), but I do think that they should be part of the presentational touches.
Mummy Bird was tucking into what really should be described as ‘Whale and Chips’ – the crisply battered fish portion was massive! There must be something in our Flocks’ genes, as Mummy loves to hear an audible crunch when she’s cutting into batter, and she smiled happily as that longed-for sound hit her ears. There was no trace at all of any oiliness or greasiness in the mouth, just sweet, fragrant white fish – having not tried any, I can’t say whether it was Cod or Haddock, but it was one or the other. Plenty of Chef Ray’s chunky chips lay underneath the fish fillet and both His Nibs and I dived in to pinch a couple; well, Mummy always says that we’re to help her out at the end of her meal, so really, we were just making pre-emptive manoeuvres! The Fish and Chips come with pots of sweet, mild Curry Sauce, and textural Tartare Sauce, so there was plenty of ‘dunk action’ going on, as I’m sure you can all imagine. Proper, overnight-soaked Mushy peas were gorgeously sweet in the mouth and as soft as a cloud; the perfect accompaniment to such a classic dish.
Originally, we weren’t going to have pudding, but the lure of Lemon Tart with Raspberry Sorbet, and Chocolate Fudge Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream (both £7) proved too much to resist for me and The Man. Mummy Bird, unsurprisingly given the size of her portion, simply couldn’t find room for another crumb, so she declined a sweet treat. His Nibs had been torn between the Chocolate Fudge Cake or the Apple and Rhubarb Crumble, but Tyler had said that the Fudge Cake was a bit of a minx, and so it proved to be. Impossibly rich in cocoa and that divine sticky-in-the-mouth texture, this cake was an utter treasure! A quality, silky-textured Vanilla Ice Cream was nicely softened to enable it to be cut into without pinging out of the bowl, though we both said that my Raspberry Sorbet was [by far] a much better partner to the Fudge Cake. The face-scrunching sharpness and intense fruit notes of the Sorbet cut straight through the richness of the Chocolate Fudge Cake, bringing more harmony on the palate than the Ice Cream.
My square of pale-hued Lemon Tart, topped with a quenelle of jewel-toned Raspberry Sorbet looked so innocent, sitting in the centre of the plate. Ha, don’t let looks fool you; the buttery pastry base was the only subtle element to hit my taste buds! The unmistakeable twang of clean citrus bounced in my mouth enthusiastically, and then that ridiculously good Sorbet followed it up. Talk about a faultless tag-team; my palate was reeling from their swift ‘one, two’.
During our meal at Higham Farm Hotel, the service had been smooth and friendly, and the food 10/10. Needless to say, Hot Wings are very happily given to this superb, 1AA-Rosetted village restaurant. To book a table call 01773 833812, and to view current menus (or book a stay in one of the stunning rooms) visit www.santoshighamfarm.co.uk
