It’s no secret that The Man Bird and I love a Sunday Roast, so we were thrilled to be asked along to The Spotted Cow in Holbrook to sample their offering. It’s been a while since we last visited this beautiful village pub; in fact, it had been bought [and run] by the community to prevent it being ripped apart by a developer – absolutely love this!! Anyhow, mission ‘save our pub’ was successful, but it was time to let it be taken over by an experienced company, so enter The Pub People and their manager, Sean.
Sean has been in-post for about a year now, having formerly been a pro-golf tutor (!), and things are beginning to take shape for him and his young team. When I say young, I really do mean young; but we’ll get to that in more detail later. Finding a spot in the [developer-reduced, thanks to a next-door project] car park, His Nibs and I wandered in to The Spotted Cow and went up to the bar to confirm our reservation.
We were seated in the upper level, walking past lots of nooks-and-crannies (also housing dining tables) that make these old, traditional British pubs so fantastic. Large, pale grey tiles on the floor, wood ceiling beams, and a long wooden banquette created a beautiful, natural-toned base for the other decorative touches. A dramatic, Marine Blue covered all the walls except one, which was warm-toned, exposed stone. Free-standing, mid-back wooden chairs were upholstered in either Sage Green or Terracotta, and there were rural prints on the walls.
Our young server was super-friendly and soon got us sorted with a large glass of Shiraz for me, and a pint of Madri for The Man. A short while later, she returned to take our food order: to start, I fancied the Paella Fishcakes with Chilli Jam (£7), and His Nibs chose the Japanese Chicken Karaage with Thai Honey Sauce (£7.50). For mains, we both opted for the iconic roast: I went all-in and had the meat trio (Chicken, Beef Topside and Lamb, £19.50), His Nibs decided to uncharacteristically show some restraint and just had the Beef Topside, £16.95). We also ordered some Cauliflower Cheese each; at only £2 to add, it was too good an offer to pass up.
Plenty of folks were tucking in to delicious-smelling morsels, among them the Smashed Cow Burger (£16.50) which looked nearly as big as a cow! Children were eating their own, smaller, roasts (£12.50) and there were even a couple of dogs seated quietly under tables – no doubt hoping that their good behaviour would be rewarded with a choice tit-bit or two.
Soon enough, our starters were being brought out and, after checking we’d got everything we wanted, we were left to dig in. The Man’s Chicken Karaage looked incredibly tempting and, when he took that first bite, His Nibs confirmed that the marinated, bite-size pieces of chicken were marvellous. After marinating in a soy sauce-based concoction, the chicken (you could also have chosen Halloumi) pieces are coated in either corn or potato starch and deep-fried to beyond crisp perfection. The Thai Honey Sauce was in its own separate pot and it was surprisingly less sweet than its title would suggest; the honey gave a gentle sweet trace at the end of the sauce’s flavour profile, the foremost notes were tangy and spicy, complementing the chicken brilliantly.
I’ve had Paella before and I’ve also had Fishcakes, so I was intrigued as to how Paella Fishcakes were going to translate; in the end, they proved to be rather scrummy. Those of you who know me IRL will appreciate the fact that I had to wait to savour my food – the Fishcakes were piping hot and I had to blow on them to cool them sufficiently! The trio of perfectly formed, four-bite Fishcakes had a texture that reminded me of the fried patties of Bubble-and-Squeak Mummy Bird used to make for Monday supper, and they were a fantastic fusion of all the bold flavours you’d expect in a classic Paella. Adding a dash more pizzazz was the feisty Chilli Jam and its confident ‘buzz’ I loved how its savoury heat brought balance to the smoky, sweeter tone of the Fishcake. A nicely dressed salad garnish was lovely on the palate: clean and fresh, it lightened the other elements beautifully.
Having enjoyed such moreish starters, we were eager to see what the Sunday roasts would be like. It wasn’t too long before a pair of serving team members were placing the fully laden plates of steaming-hot veggies and meats on the table and asking what sauces we’d like: I asked for Mint, His Nibs requested Horseradish. Having taken the obligatory photos, it was time to tuck in and, oooh, that first bite was glorious. Both of us were pleased to see the centre of the [huge slice of] Beef was still nicely pink, and the taste and texture of it was divine. Just as fab was my large slice of Lamb – the flavour was bold and deep, and it melted in my mouth. As well as the red meats, I had poultry on my plate: in fact, I had three slices of Chicken, one of which was the outer slice. Now, call me cynical, but I was expecting this particular slice to be a little tougher and drier than the others, but no, it was lovely and soft to the bite and gorgeously juicy. Respect to Chef!
I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help but smirk when I spied the Brussels Sprouts on our plates! Along with Mushrooms, these are possibly the vilest things you could serve to The Man; personally, I love a good, earthy Sprout, and these were still nicely firm to the bite. Thankfully, the glass-smooth, nicely seasoned Mash made up for the presence of ‘those green things’, and the Roasties were pan-bottom types that had that characteristic char to one side. The spuds were tasty, whatever guise they took, with a pleasing nutty, earthy hint to them. Manager Sean is trialling Marmite-coated Roasties, and the feedback is - surprise, surprise! - 50/50; proof that folks do either love or hate the stuff. Both the Honey-glazed Parsnips and Rosemary-roasted Carrots were sublime; gently softened, they were sweet-tasting and certainly addictive!
Brightening the dish were thickly cut Kale and Green Cabbage and a magnificently herby Stuffing slice that had a crunchy outer and soft middle. Postcode-worthy, the homemade Yorkshire Pud stood proudly at the heart of the roast, waiting to be savoured; oh go then, if you insist! I know I bang on about the flavour of this morsel but, to me, it needs to be rich and ‘battery’ and not ‘floury’ the one served at The Spotted Cow is bang on, managing to be flavoursome, crisp at the top and softer at its base. Meat-juice gravy was served in a separate jug, and it was so good that The Man actually emptied the whole lot over the course of munching his roast.
So, what about the Cauliflower Cheese? Whilst we’d been waiting for our mains, a couple of roasts had made their way to an adjacent table - complete with Cauli Cheese bowls - and you know that moment when you spot something and question your life-choice? Yep, that’s exactly what His Nibs and I were doing when we clapped eyes on the size of the portion! The Cauli was cooked perfectly and it was bathed in a thick, cheese-heavy sauce. A golden crust looked superb and tasted incredibly good, too; neither of us could believe that this costs a mere £2 – you would happily pay double that, and often do, currently! We cheekily asked if we could take one of the portions home to have for supper…. and it was delicious. This had been one of the nicest Sunday roasts we’ve had…and we’ve had plenty of them.
Proof that there is always that ‘magic space’ for pudding, His Nibs and I ordered Sticky Toffee Pudding with Warm Custard, and Sticky Chocolate and Orange Cake with Pouring Cream (rather than Clotted Cream Vanilla Ice cream), both priced £7.50. As with the previous two courses, the sweets were generous in size, and equally as good as their predecessors. The Sticky Toffee Pudding was incredibly moist and pleasing in its density, and there was an ample amount of unctuous Toffee Sauce surrounding (and covering) it. It was so good that His Nibs was halfway through scoffing it before he remembered that there was Custard, too!
Mind you, my choice of dessert wasn’t a slouch in the taste stakes, it must be said. A beautifully light textured, light and dark-striped sponge-cake carried a delicate flavour of Orange that was enhanced by the unctuous, Jaffa-esque gel that was liberally spread over the cake. Thick, sticky, impossibly rich Chocolate sauce had been carefully drizzled over the entire dessert, providing a marvellously dark cocoa partner to the citrus element. Pouring cream was presented in a miniature milk urn, and I poured plenty of it over.
Service throughout had been wonderful and, although there were minor glitches at other tables, this young team will continue to develop and bond, I’m sure. What I’m about to say though, especially if you’ve dined at The Spotted Cow recently at weekends, will no doubt render you as speechless as it did us when Sean told us. Chef and Sous-Chef are sisters named Georgia and Lucy; nothing remarkable about that you might think, but what if I told you how old they are? Georgia is only 19 years of age, Lucy 16!! Sean proudly told us that they work together in the kitchen (Georgia full-time, Lucy Friday evenings and full days at the weekend) and can easily produce a couple of hundred meals at the same consistent standard. I don’t know about you, but I think that is deserving of some respect and quite extraordinary that they’re heading the kitchen up at such a tender age. Hot Wings awarded, with admiration, to these young ladies…and to Sean the manager of The Spotted Cow in Holbrook, and the rest of the team.
To book a table call 01332 501069 or visit www.spottedcowholbrook.co.uk and hit the ‘book a table’ tab. Food is served Mon-Thurs Noon-8pm, Fri-Sat Noon-9pm, and Sunday Noon-6pm. The bar is open at slightly different times: Sun-Mon Noon-10pm, Tues-Weds Noon-10.30pm, Thurs Noon-11pm, Fri-Sat Noon-11.30pm.
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