To have
sampled Tom Kerridge’s food once should be considered a privilege. But to have
sampled it three times … well I feel utterly honoured.
I think
this third visit to The Hand and Flowers in Marlow may have been my favourite and what I’d call ‘a
tasting of Tom’s classics’; glazed omelette of smoked haddock and parmesan,
slow cooked duck breast with peas, duck fat chips and gravy and vanilla crème
brulee.
I’ve
tasted his parfait of duck and foie gras, his salmon tartare, his crispy pig’s
head and his scallops. However, I’d been reliably informed that his omelette
was something to write home about. It is Tom’s take on a classic omelette
Arnold Bennett. It came served in a miniature frying pan and consisted of chunky
flakes of succulent smoked haddock wrapped in a light egg blanket balanced in
flavour by the parmesan which shone through but didn’t over-power. It was light
in texture but very rich. An absolute delight!
I’ve
ordered and enjoyed mains of chicken and plaice and I’ve tasted a bit of the Essex
lamb bun but never have I ordered a red meat dish so I thought it was about
time I did so. It had to be the slow cooked duck breast or the fillet of
Lancashire beef. The duck was the winner of the Great British Menu 2010 so I
just had to find out why it won. Slow cooked duck with duck fat chips, peas and
gravy. Sounds fairly standard doesn’t it? Anything but!
Beautifully tender honey
roast duck breast, cooked pink and served on a wooden board. Alongside it, a
little cream cassoulet dish full of peas, but not peas as we think of them.
Peas cooked in chicken stock with flakes of duck legs poached in duck fat with
star anise and various other spices, little gem lettuce and mint. Served
separately, a copper pan of triple-cooked duck fat chips and a jug of rich
gravy flavoured with honey and cloves. I would happily eat that dish for dinner
for the rest of my life. People often say ‘that’s the best I’ve ever tasted’
but this genuinely was. I have eaten a lot of duck and I can honestly say that
Tom Kerridge’s is, hands down, the best I have ever tasted. I literally can’t
explain how unbelievable it was. You just simply need to go there and try it
for yourself. It is the best twenty five pounds I think I have ever spent. I
literally wanted to weep when it came to the last mouthful. I doubt I will ever
eat another piece of duck quite like it.
The duck itself is extraordinary but
when combined with Tom’s peas, triple-cooked chips and gravy it makes the most
phenomenal dish and I can now see why it won the Great British Menu 2010.
Hugely deserved!
I’ve tasted Tom’s soufflé, his warm pistachio sponge cake, his
chocolate cake with salted caramel and a selection of his cheese. I wanted to
try a classic, hence vanilla crème brulee. Tom’s food is shockingly good but I
haven’t ever experienced it to be wackily shocking, not like 21212 in
Edinburgh. However, pudding did shock me a little. I was served my very classic
vanilla crème brulee with a miniature pint of beer! Beer? Sorry what? I was
told by the waitress that ‘it brought out the flavours of the crème brulee’.
Really? I was sceptical, especially as I’m not a beer lover. I didn’t want it
to ruin the flavour of what I knew would be a beautiful crème brulee. I did as
I was told though and my oh my how damn clever that Mr Kerridge is. A repeat process of a small
swig of beer followed by a mouthful of creamy crème brulee. It definitely
enhanced the flavours. Who would have thought it, brulee and beer. It was the
perfect round off to an outstanding meal.
I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of eating at The Hand and Flowers.It may have two Michelin stars but what it doesn’t have is any faffing. At Martin Wishart in Edinburgh I wasn’t allowed to place my own napkin on my lap or open the toilet door myself. The Hand and Flowers is a sophisticated pub with a relaxed atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable and that is why I like it so much.
My
one criticism would be that on my first visit I had my dishes explained to me,
this hasn’t been the case on my last two visits. When you’re given little added
extras I like to know exactly what they are. For example with my duck there was
a little meatball type thing. Also, Tegan had a slight moment of panic when she
thought a whole ox tongue was sitting on her plate. However, we soon realised
it was more likely to be the berigoule mushroom, something neither of us had
heard of before, than a whole ox tongue which I would imagine to be somewhat
larger.
However,
credit where credit is due the front of house staff were fantastic. They are
always welcoming and efficient. However, due to Tegan now being gluten free,
not through choice but for medical reasons, eating out can be somewhat of a
pain for her. The Hand and Flowers were exceptional at accommodating her needs.
It is amazing how many things contain gluten that you wouldn’t expect to.
However, it was clear that both front of house and the kitchen were clued up. She
was advised on what she could and couldn’t have. However, the majority of
dishes were able to be changed to gluten free. Therefore, she wasn’t limited on
choice. Instead of home-made breads and whitebait she was given a different
complimentary canapé which was a pickled vegetable salad. She hadn’t had very
good experiences with restaurants up until this point so, for her, the effort The
Hand and Flowers team went to was really appreciated.
Looking
forward to visit number four already!
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