Dinner With Heston Blumenthal

Okay so maybe I didn’t actually sit down and have dinner with Heston Blumenthal. He was probably busy. For all I know when I went to Hinds Head he was next door at The Fat Duck. We probably just missed each other. Oh well. Next time, Heston.

The Fat Duck is consistently rated one of the top five restaurants in the world. That being said, it’s a bit hard to get into. Hinds Head is his less formal pub concept housed in a 500 year old pub. One of the most interesting things about it is that many of the recipes date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Blumenthal and his team found those classic English recipes, revived them and revamped them and are serving them at Hinds Head.

See the little (c. 1884) there? It denotes a revived dish.

We started with the devils on horseback and the scotch eggs.

Devils on horseback are dates soaked in some kind of delicious liquor and wrapped in bacon. Addictive little buggers. But the real standout were the scotch eggs.

Scotch eggs can be awful, wretched things. The soggy breading, the choking, hard cooked center. Guh. But these- these are so wonderfully different. They’re hot and crispy on the outside and on the inside lives a tiny quail egg, cooked softly and perfectly, and when you cut into it the yolk runs out all over your plate and you use the tender meat to soak it all up. And the little mustardy dipping sauce is so nice with the crunchy breading. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again- I could’ve eaten nothing but scotch eggs all night. But I’m glad I didn’t.

For my starter I had the Hash of Snails- I really wanted to try some of the old dishes, and as you’ll remember, I love me some snails.

There were so many interesting flavors there on that little piece of toast. The snails were cooked simply without garlic or herbs overpowering their natural flavor. There was shaved fennel and pickled walnuts (yes, pickled) which lent a tanginess to it all. It was one of the most spectacularly unique things I’ve ever eaten.

My brother-in-law ordered the pea and ham soup, which was totally the opposite of what you’d think it is. It’s not the thick, creamy pea soup I’m used to. It’s a clear, bright green broth with chunks of ham and fresh peas floating in it. And the flavor is so intensely PEA! It’s like Spring on your spoon.

For my main I had the chicken thigh stuffed with liver mousse and swimming in a lovely thick sauce. It came with what I thought were parmesan crisps sticking up out of the middle, but when I bit into one I realized it was -be still my heart- chicken skin! Salty, crispy, greasy, glorious.

I had a side of chive mashed potatoes (champ), which went perfectly with the chicken. It was utterly comforting and made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

My brother-in-law and his brother (both born and bred English boys) ordered the Sea & Sand, which is the Hind’s Head fish pie. The presentation is so playful, I had to take a photo.

Fried panko, greens and foam. Just like the sea & sand. I love it.

Dessert time! There is a revived dessert dish called Quaking Pudding, but it’s titled such because it has a panna cotta texture, to which I’m averse. So I went with the treacle tart.

It came with milk ice cream. Maybe it sounds silly or obvious to have ice cream the flavor of milk, but this was one of the most surprising, refreshing flavors of ice cream I’ve ever encountered. It was so clean, so fresh, so intensely milk. Incredible.

So if you’re dying to be fed by Heston Blumenthal, but can’t get into The Fat Duck, head on over to Hinds Head. Where the cider is plentiful and the scotch eggs are the stuff of dreams.

And with that, my food travels come to an end. Looks like I’ll have to start cooking at home again.

Wah wah.