Right; straight off the bat, I’m just going to make my excuses now! Normally, I give a pretty good description of venues that we’re visiting, even if I do say so myself; on this occasion, however, it is shamefully absent. In fact, the only things I can say for certain are that the décor featured lots of deer/stag heads and ornaments, the venue was clean and the staff friendly. Oh, and there’s a snazzy outdoor play area for the kids to razz around in as you walk from the car park to the main entrance. The reason for this criminal state of affairs? The Solar Eclipse… and let’s face it, it was a smidge under-whelming, which makes my omission all the more woeful. Apologies all round, you lovely peeps – normal descriptive service will resume next time.
His Nibs and I had brought Mummy Bird out for a spot of dinner because, let’s face it, everyone was definitely not feeling like cooking in the never-ending heat. The first job, once we were seated, was to get some drinks ordered: our mouths were like the Sahara, they were that dry. Our server brought over a glass of Pinot Grigio, a pint of Madri and a bottle of Sparkling Water (for me), as well as a large bottle of chilled tap water for the table.
The Stag restaurant at The Devonshire Arms has a blooming good menu by anyone’s standards, it must be said. As well as all the usual crowd pleasers (Homemade Pie, Fish-n-Chips, Burgers etc.), there is a cracking daily specials board, and even a Chicken Hanging Kebab…and that’s not mentioning the breakfasts, Sunday roasts, and lunchtime Sandwiches! Mummy Bird had spotted the Honey-glazed Gammon (£18), so she called dibs on that pretty sharpish, leaving me and His Maj to make up our minds. I opted for the Creamy Bucatini (£21) on the specials, and The Man went for the [American Cowboys] Loaded Fries (£20, also from the specials menu).
As you know, I do love an open kitchen, and the one in the Stag Restaurant is fantastic; wherever you were seated in our section, you got a birds’ eye view of Executive Head Chef Marco Caires and his team beavering away. Lots of folks were glegging at the impending [partial] eclipse, and to say it was causing a bit of a headache for Chef and the serving team would be fair to say, I think. Tables were missing party members who had to be chased up so orders could be taken, and food was taken to tables that looked like the Mary Celeste! Credit where it’s due though, they coped admirably and carried on as if it was the norm.
All our dishes looked amazing, each plate having been carefully assembled. Mummy loved the thin slices of fresh Pineapple and fried Egg that came with her Gammon; usually you get one or the other, so it was great to see both together. The Gammon was a hefty old size and nicely moist in the mouth; I’d cut the meat up and hardly needed to use any pressure on the knife to do so, so safe to say that the Gammon was tender. Plentiful Garden Peas were sweet and juicy, pairing nicely with the gentle nuttiness of the golden, hand-cut Chips. This classic British meal was done jolly well, here at The Devonshire Arms in Middle Handley.
My Bucatini Pasta was also on the ‘classics’ section of the menu, in the guise of Creamy Maple Bacon and I had been tempted by it until I’d spied the Queenie/Queen Scallop-containing version of it: sold, to the lady glutton! Chef had done a ruddy excellent job of cooking the pasta, making it simultaneously soft but still retaining a bit of bite; he’d also done a sterling effort of balancing the seafood’s fragrant sweetness with the salty tang of the crisped Pancetta cubes. Banging. The star of the show, though, was the Creamy Saffron sauce – no word of a lie, this sauce was total Ambrosia, as in, totally swoon-inducing! Saffron is a much-revered spice, the worlds’ most expensive one, FYI, and when used judiciously imparts not only the most fantastic sunny tone to cream-based sauces (as here) but also a delightful earthy-yet-floral flavour on the palate. Just to ramp-up the taste stakes a bit, Chef had grated over some pungent Parmesan and this was most welcome in the mouth.
The staff clearly know how much this sauce captivates you because they provide a spoon, ostensibly to twirl your pasta with in conjunction with the fork, but we all know that it’s really there to allow you to scoop up every smidge of said sauce.
The Man Bird had ordered the Loaded Fries, and all I’m going to say is “there’s loaded fires…and then there are The Stag Restaurants loaded fries”. Seriously, this dish was spud on steroids – there are farmers in Lincolnshire who’ve produced a lesser crop than the amount on this plate! Each skinny fry was nicely crunchy to the bite as well, with beautifully fluffy inners. Where to start on this multi-faceted morsel? I guess with the meat elements; each Crispy Pork Belly Bite was moreish, and exactly as described. Plenty of moist, shredded Chicken [breast meat] was there to be enjoyed and the Crispy, lightly battered Pepperoni brought A-Game energy; to say it slapped is an under-statement and a half. Comfortingly soft Pit Beans had a gorgeous smoky BBQ sauce binding them which really complemented the main BBQ Tomato and Mozzarella Cheese Sauce that had been slathered over the whole meal. As if more layers of flavour were needed (they really weren’t, trust me!), there was a spectacular Sweet Chilli Corn Relish that added spice, sweetness and colour to this stellar dish.
To say we’d only had the single course, our tummies were more than full, so we declined dessert. However, it is the perfect reason for us to go back and visit another time – maybe for a Sunday roast? Hot Wings happily given to this superb Middle Handley Gastropub. To book a table, call 01246, or visit www.devonshirearmsmiddlehandley.co.uk and hit the ‘book now’ tab on the right side of the page and then the huge ‘BOOK A TABLE’ button. If you’re out of town or just fancy it, why not book a stay in one of the seven bedrooms?
The Devonshire Arms is open Mon-Thurs 8.30am -11pm, Fri and Sat 8.30am – Midnight, and Sunday 8.30am – 10.30pm.
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