If you’ve never heard of Chef Dave Marshall, where have you been; under a rock?! This guy is a social media legend, as well as being an awesome Chef (he was the OG at Porterhouse by Barlows in Annesley, FYI), Private Chef, local Notts lad, and all-round good chap. We’ve followed Dave for yonks so, when he let slip to us that he was going to be doing the iconic British Sunday Roasts at a venue just down the road from Beaky H.Q., you bet we were first on the list to get a table.
After weeks of [not so] patiently waiting, the day of the inaugural ‘Rock and Roast’ had arrived and we hopped in the jalopy down to The Old Wine Vaults pub in Eastwood. There is a decent amount of parking on-site, and even more at a car park a couple of minutes’ walk away. Despite having never stepped foot over the threshold, the owners greeted us very warmly as they took our reservation; no sooner had we ordered drinks at the cash-or-card bar (the Carvery is CASH ONLY) than the man himself appeared with that heart-stealing smile on his face. If a traditional pub is your bag, this cracking Eastwood pub is where you need to be. Proper wood and tiled floors, and a dual-aspect bar give a no-nonsense feel to this rockers pub. Maybe it’s ‘The Vaults’ having such personality that drew Chef to locate here for his ‘Rock and Roast’ offering?
We left our drinks on the bar and followed Dave for a gander around the venue and his kitchen; despite a 6am start, he was bouncing like Tigger and you could feel the energy fizzing off him! Clearly the love and passion for what he does is still looming large in his soul – perhaps this is the secret to his huge success…as well as that could-sell-snow-to-eskimo’s charm?! A lovely young lady called Hanousha was on the pub’s stage, her beautiful voice drifting through the venue, and out into the beer garden.
I must just mention the beer garden; it is that big it could do with its own postcode! Kids have slides, swings and a see-saw to play on (as well as an expansive lawn), meaning that parents or grandparents can watch them whilst they sup and chat. The far corner is home to an impressive-sized Marquee (don’t call it a Gazebo like His Nibs did!) which hosts events and live music – as if you can’t keep occupied enough inside with a game of table football, or Pool. The Old Wine Vaults host live music most weekends, as well as an open-mic night – check out their Facebook Page, ‘The Old Wine Vaults’ for more info.
Chef Dave is doing three sittings: 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm; we had bagged a table for the 1pm slot, as had fellow blogger, Doncaster native ‘Gavin Watson Eats’, who had brought his Mum along – love a good old family lad, they’re the trust-worthy ones. I wanted to give a shout-out to Mum, she was an absolute treasure of a lady; pleasure to have met you both. Anyway, chatting in the queue, Gavin and I were in agreement that we were both hungry enough to chew our knuckles; pressure’s on then, Dave, to feed us pair of Hungry Horace’s!
Local business Barlow’s provide the meat to Chef Dave; yes, the same one that he used to be in the kitchen for at Porterhouse. Our good friends Reece and Laura now manage this [newly refurbished] restaurant and, if you haven’t visited, you seriously need to. Needless to say, then, the meats were going to be top-notch, and with Dave’s mad Cheffy skills (yes, that’s a highly technical term as far as I’m concerned, don’t come for me, ‘K?!) it was a case of ‘Winner, Winner, Rock-n-Roast Sunday Dinner’.
Laid proudly on the Carvery Counter were huge joints of Beef, Pork and Turkey and Dave piled large slices of each one on mine and The Man’s plates – almost as if he knew we were greedy guts’s, huh! Accompanying the meats on the plate were homemade Yorkshire puds, a sizeable Pig-in-Blanket, and balls of properly chompable Sausagemeat Stuffing with Sage, Onion and Cranberry (bloody delicious they were, too) that may just take the crown for best morsel in the county. Spiced Red Cabbage, sweet Garden Peas, Roasted halves of Carrot and Parsnip, massive Roasties, and Cauliflower Cheese were all available for you to serve yourself with, as was the gravy and sauces at the far end of the counter.
Carrying our fully-laden plates back to the table, His Nibs and I were soon getting stuck in to our roasts – did I mention I was ravenous? First up, the pink-centred Beef; oh, my word, this was literally melting on my tongue and took barely any chewing to release its impressive taste. Sceptics of Pork will be happy to hear that this, too, was moist and soft in the mouth with a lovely creamy flavour. Chef did a cracking job with the Turkey as well, preserving its delicate taste and texture to serve up a gorgeously juicy piece of poultry.
So, top marks to the meat, but how did the veggies and condiments fare? More than passable, actually, which isn’t always easy to achieve with Carveries. We both loved the spice in the soft shreds of jewel-toned Cabbage; it wasn’t overly strong but added just the right amount of depth to this superb veg. Equally fab were the comfortingly softened Carrots, whose natural sweetness had been intensified by roasting, and the fragrant perfume of the pale golden Parsnip was delightful. Dave doesn’t muck about when it comes to the Roast Potatoes and Yorkies, either; the Pud had that tantalisingly rich batter taste to it – like Granny used to make. The roasties were a fab size and their crisp outers revealed fluffy, pillow-soft inners and a gentle nutty earthiness in flavour.
You all know that I am, frankly, a picky cow when it comes to Sausage, but the Pig-in-Blanket was a real bobby-dazzler that had zero ‘repeat factor’ to it – hurrah! I am also more than a smidge critical when it comes to Cauliflower Cheese; if you’re serving it, I expect to discern both elements and for the veg to be bathing in a nicely thick sauce, not a miserably watery one. Yet again, Chef Dave Marshall showed his mettle, producing a total smasher that avoided soggy Cauliflower, was heavy on the Cheese and had a ruddy great sauce. Top marks, fella!
When is gravy not gravy? When Cheffy Dave does it, that’s when. Honest to God, I never thought I’d be waxing lyrical about flippin’ gravy…but here I am! The Gravy had that tell-tale gloss to it that signifies the inclusion of pan juices from the meat (always makes the flavour richer and deeper), as well as a brilliant zhuzh from Red Wine and Thyme that had been used in its making. I could’ve happily torn chunks off a homemade bread loaf and just sat dunking it into this Gravy, I really could.
Hot Wings given to Chef Dave Marshall and also to the super-friendly team at The Old Wine Vaults in Eastwood. The Rock and Roast is booked up through to October so, if you want to have a slice of this tasty Sunday Roast, don’t be dilly-dallying: get messaging Dave Marshall on his Facebook page, and reserve a table. Please note, the ONLY page to book a table for Rock and Roast Sunday Carvery is ‘Chef Dave Marshall Restaurant’. The roasts are £17.50 per person and, at the moment, the food is cash only; the bar is cash or card for drinks though. The Old Wine Vaults are both child- and dog-friendly, with high-chairs available for tinies.
