Prithvi

Dinner for two - 3 November 2026

Not our usual choice for dining in Cheltenham - we often travel 175 miles from our home to ‘another place’ here! - but, after witnessing a little social media hype, and having bought a copy of their attractive, and approachable cookbook, we decided to see what all the fuss is about at Prithvi.

Happily, there is no real fuss. Prithvi quietly, and confidently offers clever, classy food and hospitality.

Front of house are lively and intelligent and fairly obviously enjoy their role. They add to good knowledge about the food and wine with easy additional conversation, and make guests feel welcome and valued.

We chose from the à la carte menu on this first visit. Smaller portions of most of those dishes give the option of taking the five or seven course tasting menus.

But first you will be treated to canapés. Select your aperitif and enjoy offerings which introduce you to the kitchen team’s intent via their ‘Selection of Snacks’. A description which completely understates what actually arrives. Be prepared for mini fireworks. We had four ‘snacks’ which shouted out their qualities. Crunch, softness, warmth or heat from chilli, earthiness, pungency, sweetness and fragrance from spices all joined a four-part raga composed of well-judged flavour and texture.
All photos here are from Prithvi’s social media. Maybe one day I’ll have a camera which will cope with subdued lighting.

Two of the ‘snacks’ we enjoyed.

CORNISH CRAB HASH BROWN
smoked yoghurt, mango chutney, vadouvan

BOMBAY FRIED CHICKEN
Kashmiri chilli glaze, avruga caviar

Put aside thoughts that this might be a traditional Indian restaurant. That tradition is very much part of the history here but history has been rewritten since 2011 when owner and founder Jay Rahman took control. He and Head Chef Thomas Law have developed and firmly stamped a different complexion on Prithvi.
Their previous short, shared hospitality experience within shouting distance of the Birmingham Balti Triangle must have added spice to the mix.
But this is avowedly – avowed by Thomas Law himself – fusion cooking.

Our bite-size snacks had a weighty hit. Even seasoned diners might have to muster a little eating stamina before going further. I’m not talking stomach capacity, rather the mental agility needed to fully accommodate the variety of flavours you will experience. There is too much creative energy in the food to be ignored. And after the care taken by this kitchen team it would only be polite to take extra time to appreciate it.

The evening’s menus are above.
And here are the choices we gave that extra time to before settling our bill:
Trout and duck breast for starters.
Day boat fish (turbot) and poussin for mains.
Cake and Paris-Brest to finish.

All grabbed attention and all were palate pleasing. The juggling of British and Indian cuisine is not troubling. Familiar ingredients and flavours are put into new settings but in such an assured but gentle fashion that you are seduced rather than flustered.

You can also rely on an intelligent wine list and informed advice on what might compliment your food.

ONION SEED MILK LOAF
biryani spiced goats’ butter

MANJARI CHOCOLATE PARIS-BREST
banana, sour cream, miso caramel

Prithvi is now that contradictory thing; a finished article which remains a work in progress. At least, I hope it is. The over-arching premise is perfectly well formed. But Jay Rahman, Thomas Law and their team will surely continue to develop new dishes designed to challenge and delight guests.

But this is just food, isn’t it?
Yes, yes, of course it is.
But no.
Food at Prithvi opens up a conversation between front of house, kitchen, and you, their customers.
If you choose to join in, it will be a richly rewarding conversation.

De Zuidkant

DE ZUIDKANT
Jacob van Maerlantstraat 6, Damme, 8340, Belgium

Dinner for Two
11 May 2026

The highlight of our trip to Belgium?
Hmmm.
Painstaking attention to detail.
Total mastery of technique with constant visual enticement, demanding further, focused exploration.
A true expression of the human spirit in so many of its most positive aspects.
Sorry.
What!
The Ghent Altarpiece?
Pah - no!
That was indeed truly fine but still mildly one-dimensional compared with this meal booked before leaving home shores and enjoyed on the penultimate night of our stay.

Let’s leave the food until a little later.

At De Zuidkant Cora Moerman first welcomes you to her world and eagerly wraps you in it until you wistfully wend your way home. After a tantalising glimpse of chef Patrick van Hoorn in his elevated, open kitchen ‘eyrie’ Cora led us down to our table in the light, airy but still intimate restaurant.

Patrick and Cora are The Downright Delightful Duo who have been custodians of this Damme venue since 2014.

You should know that I think of The Michelin Guide as a necessary evil. De Zuidkant gets one star from inspectors. You can easily ignore that and simply book to find out how special it is for yourself.

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Cora Moerman

Patrick van Hoorn

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Felten Berwouts adds an extra layer of warmth. He is head and shoulders above many front of house representatives - literally! But don’t be overwhelmed by his height - he even managed to sink to my level of humour at one point.

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de_zuidkant‍ Cora and Felten

You stayed for the food? Here we go.

We dined at the end of a sun-soaked day. Rays shone bright enough through floor-to-ceiling windows to give clarity to all my photos except the meat course. As for my descriptions; I reckon they are close enough as makes little difference. As you can see, translation tools remain unreliable!

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Dutch

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French

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English

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Spindly cutlery challenged the fine motor skills of my arthritic thumbs. I admired its elegance and refused to be offended.

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Condiments and oil. Pepper was sichuan and its flowers.

Canapés were eaten in the sensible order suggested by Felten, finishing with the rich parfait.
Great flavour combinations. Great delivery. Great enjoyment.
#SpoilerAlert - Great things kept following.

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Quail Scotch egg

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Smoked eel, pickled cucumber

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Duck liver parfait, beetroot glaze

Patrick is a keen advocate of fish in his menus. As a ‘North Sea Chef’ he knows how to source the freshest of quality produce from nearby waters. Hence the savoury content of our 5-course menu had just one nod to red meat.

Four perfectly judged dishes relied on ocean provenance before land-based, four-legged produce made an appearance.

The sea bass tartare and its partners had just enough complexity to create huge interest but no confusion. Soy meringues were a mini masterstroke.

Generosity reared its welcome, and far from ugly head with an unexpected chef’s treat. Beignets were tissue-thin crunch and perfectly soft fish. The notion that avocado was substituting for mushy peas was an attractive one.

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Sea bass tartare, quinoa, daikon, red radish, butterhead, sorrel
Oh. And soy meringue!

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Chef’s treat. Fish beignet, daikon, avocado

Steamed brill with its fishy, herby mousse was a well-judged, delicate affair. Both seafood and asparagus were complemented by a creamy sauce, pulled back from being overrich by drops of citrus.

So pleased we went for five courses or we would have missed the next dish. Relatively humble ingredients treated with total care and understanding created a richly rewarding, indulgent shrimpy triumph.
Mrs Cheoff’s previous disappointing Dodecanese experience with Symi Prawns is now firmly consigned to even more dim memory vaults of despair.

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Brill, brill and herb mousse, white asparagus, yuzu

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Brown shrimp, buttermilk mashed potatoes, bisque, citrus

The wine list is adventurous, embracing budget-friendly bottles and big-hitters alike. It demands attention but stops short of being too long and challenging. And Cora will add her enthusiasm and knowledge to help with or to confirm your choice. As far as I could see, the mark-up is generous in favour of guests.

We started to drink a bottle of Northern Rhone white with our canapés and it satisfied us through the meal. Please don’t tell the neighbours further south and in Ventoux that we deserted them for this particular evening.

For extra variety a wine flight is offered.

Ex-dairy beef is certainly being used much more now. Not a fad for Patrick. He used red meat as the perfect vehicle and took the dish to lighter, spring-time regions. Lovage rose funky but fresh from the plate.

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Saint-Joseph Blanc 2024 - Stephane Montez du Monteillet

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Holstein dairy beef, morels, lovage, baby gem lettuce

The pretty dessert was put together exactly as it should be. Its construction meant that, even if attacked by a fairly small spoon, most of its elements would be delivered in one mouthful.
A disc of roasted(?) white chocolate lay on crumble crunch, with rhubarb dice and apple purée hidden beneath a frothy white petticoat. Some of those flavours appeared in a different texture and temperature in a side dish.

Petits fours might have presented a challenge but they became irresistible after seeing them being delivered to other guests. Doughnuts were impossibly light and fluffy. And right at the end of our stay in Belgium, Patrick ensured we enjoy our first and only waffles!

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Rhubarb, apple, white chocolate
In the background - Yoghurt(?) ice cream, rhubarb meringue

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Petits fours
Doughnuts, almond pastries, dark chocolate salted caramels, waffles

Eating was easy here. Patrick’s food is full of detail, excitement and surprise, but you are never jangled into appreciation. There is a gentleness alongside such perfectly understood cooking and presentation. Yes, they exhibit tangible pride in what they are able to offer, but what impresses most is Patrick, Cora and Felten’s ability to provide a truly rounded experience where hospitality is based on the same simple, honest pleasures which we create in a home-cooked meal. Elevated and refined from that base at De Zuidkant but never for a second pretentious.

Food was most definitely memorable. But our main thoughts on leaving were regret that we could not spend a little more time with human beings who, in the space of four hours, had given us lovely evidence of how wonderful human beings can be.

Thank you to Patrick, Cora, and Felten for being such special people.

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Taken two days before our meal when we popped in to Damme to check if the place is still up and running!

Do You Cook the Books?

Cookbooks. You buy them or you are gifted them. But how much do you cook from them? Is there something which compels you to cook from them or does something interfere with your practical responses to them?

The volumes below from two chefs of titanic status have been mine for nearly fifteen years.

So. Fifteen years for perusal, consideration, reaction, and kitchen action. It’s been in my mind for some while to catalogue how much impact these four books have made on me and, specifically, how much they have inspired me to cook their books.
Regulars here will know that I reference the trio from David Everitt-Matthias fairly often. Through the reassurance and encouragement on his pages they have helped to develop my confidence as a home cook. Recipes are approachable and adaptable, and need little in the way of fancy equipment. The successful realisation of maximum flavour is usually underpinned by understanding and technique rather than by a snazzy piece of kit.

Here are the recipes I’ve tackled so far. Heavy on the dessert front. Savoury and sweet store cupboard essentials are regularly made and often used in other dishes.

essence, 2006 (my copy 2009)

dessert, 2009 (my copy 2009 reprint)

beyond essence, 2013

All published by Absolute Press

“Recipes are approachable and adaptable, and need little in the way of fancy equipment. The successful realisation of maximum flavour is usually underpinned by understanding and technique rather than by a snazzy piece of kit.”

A quick repeat of that assessment which for me also applies to the recipes from Gordon Ramsay. If you bother to compare the stars here you’ll see that Gordon’s restaurant gained the maximum three while David’s has had a mere two. Mind you, we’re talking about stars awarded by the mildly (to put it mildly) dodgy outfit run by Michelin. Best to focus on how these chefs resonate with humble guests like me, eh.

And, yes, you‘ll now clock a dramatic shift in my interest when it comes to reproducing any recipes from Gordon Ramsay’s cookbook.

GORDON RAMSAY
***
CHEF
Quadrille Publishing Limited, 2007

Why the discrepancy? Some might say shocking discrepancy. It’s that interference I mentioned in the first paragraph here.

I can’t, and won’t deny the huge impact which Ramsay has made on the worlds of cooking and of hospitality but I can’t escape the background flashes of uneasiness which jag across the pages as I read his book.

Many (there is a long queue) will defend him. But at base Ramsay is not a pleasant human being. ‘Evidence!’, I hear you say. Well, it’s not evidence which will stand up at the Old Bailey but this is what sways me and ultimately makes me reluctant to acknowledge his prowess by actually following his recipes.

Just last year, Frankie (Francesca) Collins probed into Ramsay’s propensity for badmouthing all and sundry. In her article titled ‘Gordon Ramsay finally confirms whether swearing fits are real or just for TV’ she carelessly perpetuated the myth that Ramsay made an ‘idiot sandwich’ out of a contestant on one of his shows. Mind you, Ramsay has since used the associated meme - which was in fact created courtesy of The Late, Late Show with James Corden - to underpin an ‘Idiot Sandwich’ series on his YouTube channel. It remains one example among many of his predilection for abusing other human beings. Important here to discover how Ramsay truly feels and acts. And towards the end of the article he gives us the clincher.

Hmmm.

Cara Houchen, editor at ‘The Staff Canteen’, attempts to calm the turbulence which swirls around Ramsay in her article here. This is her early contention: “I think we all have a preconception of how Gordon will be in person, he has a reputation which precedes him, and his TV persona is what he is known for. But this is just a small part of who he is…”

That TV persona is the bullying abuser who Ramsay has chosen to present for so many years. But is that a small part of who he is? A thud of pure cringe comes further on in the article when Cara Houchen unwittingly or disingenuously (I’m guessing, sadly, the latter) fans the flames in furious fashion by glibly quoting Ramsay as saying “We are in 129 countries with viewing figures in excess of 275 million every summer.”

Hmmm (again). That would not seem to be such a small part of who Ramsay is. Instead something pretty huge which has impacted that television audience in the unhealthiest of ways.

There. That’s what I allow to get in my way where Ramsay is concerned. I am well aware that being accused of cutting off my nose to spite my own face could gain a lot of traction here.

The inescapable fact is that Ramsay leaves a bad taste in my mouth whereas Everitt-Matthias and his recipes have left our family and friends with far too many delicious experiences to be ignored.

The fact that David is every bit as dedicated, obsessive, creative, and skilled as Gordon should count for something. The fact that David remains quietly and gently as dedicated, obsessive, creative, and skilled as Gordon counts for a lot more.

Let’s end on a lighter, more frivolous note. No contest for me when it comes to the winner for downright decent cooking inspiration.
But I’ll let you decide who takes the cheffy Oscar for flashy flexors and extensors as these two fight it out by giving us a dynamic morphological demonstration of the alternative arm-folding phenotypes.

Photo by Lisa Barber

AI gives us the all important lowdown down below. Important enough, I would suggest, to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Dinner For Friends - October 2025

The kitchen at Cheoff Towers has had a recent overhaul which led to a period of relative inactivity. Regular everyday cooking was possible - including a short period of confinement to our dining room with a double burner Camping Gaz stove. But preparing and offering developed recipes had been put on hold.

So, last week, with a reasonable amount of mild trepidation but a lot of joy, I embarked for the first time in a fair old while on a full-blown menu.

My motivation was easy. Our project manager for the duration of transforming the rear of our home is a wonderfully talented professional and, more importantly, a gloriously accomplished human being. Other work commitments meant that he hadn’t yet seen the final detail of our fully completed build. A ‘guided tour’ and a slap-up meal would be one right and proper reward for all his efforts.

Oh. It became apparent early on in our relationship that (just like me!) our project manager is supported by a fabulous partner. She naturally joined us for this meal and added nothing but delight to the occasion*

What follows is a small anatomy lesson with a part-dissection of the planning and process of producing my thank-you dinner.

Here is the menu I managed to deliver.

Mini wholemeal loaves and focaccia bread were also on offer. Homemade, of course!

Let’s insert my scalpel and give you a few slices and dices of this meal’s evolution and delivery…

Quail egg prep. Ready for a repeat of the canapé which I first made 11 years ago. Described here

Prawn head and shell ‘bisque’ with butter chunks about to be whisked into the mix

Our kitchen a couple of hours before the meal

All the following photos were taken on the night. There is some attempt at presentation but my main focus is on flavour. My trial runs often include a considered approach with more ‘stylised’ care. That’s when you’ll get better looking photos.
But, on the night, why spend time faffing with tweezers and shutter speeds when you can enjoy more time with good friends, eh.

Amuse bouche - A small portion, delivering the sweetness of squash with oily, nutty seeds and a balancing tang of pickle

The halibut starter was a version of Matt Tebbutt’s recipe without the breadcrumbs

Amuse and starter were recipes previously untried by me. The rest I’d cooked at least once before.

To make all this a reality, roughly two weeks of mental notes and physical scribblings came before a couple of days work in our new kitchen.

Chicken was perfectly moist after decent resting time.
Adapted from Catherine Fulvio’s recipe. (I spared the pheasant!)

I always freeze some of the juice of blood oranges when they appear in January. This jelly formed the base element of my pre-dessert made up more or less ‘on the hoof’. Not too tangy. Not too sweet.

Pre-dessert made the night before and removed from the fridge in enough time to let the flavours bounce back from the cold

I’ve torched craquant before but this was my first - and very successful! - time baking and then cutting sheets to size

Yes, I’ve made this one before - and certainly will again. I posted pictures of previous efforts here

Close-up of the dessert. Might set things at a more jaunty angle next time.

Last lap coming up!
By this stage of the evening I was happy that I still had it in me to do this food business (free of charge business!) in a less than frantic way, still giving some time for chat with our guests.
I remain in awe of those who do this sort of thing and much more on a daily basis. And I readily admit that I will continue to restrict doing this sort of thing to the odd occasion, and only for very special people.
I will now assume the recovery position and leave you to attend to your own cooking. Be it simple, be it complicated, make it as tasty as you can. And don’t knacker yourself so much that you can’t enjoy your efforts along with your lucky invited family and friends.

Petits fours. Two of mine (including pear and vanilla jelly) with some of our nougat bounty from France last year.

*Fabulous partner, eh? Oh, yes. Just look at the sweet, sticky seduction she brought for us!

Sonnet, Alnwick

Lunch for two - 4 December 2024

Sonnet was one element of a short break in Alnwick, Northumberland. A trip booked as an escape from our kitchen being ‘disappeared’ while it was knocked through for renewal. That won’t now happen until the new year so we very nearly cancelled our Airbnb accommodation and this meal!

Barter Books remains a big draw and we already had eTickets for The Alnwick Garden’s ‘Winter Lights’. Both were highlights of our stay. We also had an honest, and hugely enjoyable sit-in fish and chips supper at Carlo’s but Mrs Cheoff’s online ‘find’ of the less than a year-old ‘Sonnet’ restaurant provided us with one more very good reason to return to this town.

Not the evening 14 course meal, but our lunchtime menu provided ample evidence of chef Gary McDermott’s intentions and his skill to display them.

Canapés/Starters
The Smoked Chicken Cigar has become one of those ‘signature’ dishes which is very likely to be presented to diners whether they like it or not. And they DO like it a lot. So did we.
Artichoke porridge? Less challenging than Heston’s snail porridge but still perfectly understood and delivered. The sweet, earthy vegetable took centre stage once discovered under its toasty, savoury crumb.

2 Day Prove
Artichoke Porridge
Smoked Chicken Cigar

Cured Cod & Parsley

Fish course
Cod (brined?) had a strong tang of the sea from its salt content. Almost too much for Mrs Cheoff but the foaming buttery parsley sauce pulled back things nicely for me. Fish roe needed to be of the mild variety - and was. The crispy green garnish was gentle enough to have me asking whether it was seaweed or brassica. I only asked myself. So I can’t provide the answer to that one.

Main course
Plenty of questions were asked about the cooking and ingredients which produced the main event. Not initially presented on one plate but all came together as a big seasonal nod to traditional (traditional English) Christmas lunch.

Potatoes were very, very good. So good that I might easily edit in an extra ‘very’ after posting this. Crunch quality control would have no trouble sending these from any kitchen. Using them to hide a finely chopped and delicately spiced red cabbage and topping them with a silky hollandaise might seem like overkill but this was exactly the mix which almost tempts me to utter Tom Kerridge’s well-known one word phrase. A word which is lavished too freely on too many dishes but which would be entirely appropriate for this and the next bit of Gary’s audacity.
A bit of a spoiler came from the table below* us. An enthusiastic returning diner’s “Ah, great, the cauliflower cheese pie!” gave the game away as to what C.C.P might be. Such enthusiasm was well-founded. Cauliflower, cheese sauce, and extra melting cheese in a dinky tart case pressed a lot of buttons which go ding. The discovery of a small dab of pickled-at-home vegetables (think Branston) at the base added a large dong to those dings.
Parsnip, Brussels sprouts - oh, yes, stuffing and turkey too - might have seemed almost over-generous steps but they were so well cooked that it would have been foolish to deny chef his opportunity to display control over his craft.
Gravy did not disappoint. It was sweet enough, meaty enough, and glossy enough to complete the furore of festive flavour fun #gratuitousalliteration

*No, we’re not social climbers! The restaurant has a couple of steps up to the area where we sat.

C.C.P

C.C.P
Duck Fat Potato
Stuffed Turkey

Wanderlust Wine help to create the wine offer here. We enjoyed Kolonics Hárslevelű, 2019 Somlo, Hungary to start and I added a glass of Chianti with my main.

Chocolate Orange

Dessert
Dark chocolate crémeux with orange ice cream riffed on a Christmas classic. But no need to ‘tap and unwrap’. Any fears that the rich chocolate might overwhelm the whole concoction were binned by its own creamy smoothness and that of the ice cream. Orange was tangy with enough citrus to provide further balance.
Maybe there was candied orange in that shard supporting the ice cream. My sincere apologies to the kitchen for thinking they might have simply melted some Zingy Orange Matchmakers to help save time!

Coffee and tea came with a neat cylinder of crumble topped mini mince pie. Sweet pastry was on a par with that of a certain Cheltenham ‘Chef of the Year’ and confirmed the attention to detail which threaded through our meal.
From start to finish, nothing interfered with our conclusion that we were in the hands of special people doing special things.

Gary chose not to make a physical appearance in the dining room but his presence was quite obviously felt in all the dishes.
His food was proudly offered and explained by a disarmingly croaky Claudia (antibiotics were already soothing her vocal chords!) and by Alex who also inspired confidence with his understanding of the food and wines.

Much reliance on Christmas fare for this December lunch menu. All will change in the new year. And every five to six weeks after that.

Gary is too curious, creative and skilled a chef to rest on his laurels - or any other fragrant leaves, for that matter. But he and Claudia have at last found a more permanent and stable way to share their take on great hospitality.
Theirs is an agitated history including a previous deliberate and quick exit from one Carlisle hotel kitchen and the frustrations of not quite being in control of their own joint destiny at an albeit highly regarded West Sussex pub.
A brave relocation to Alnwick has turned out to be less lacking in foolhardiness than they, or many others, might have imagined. Here they are now doing what they want to do and doing it with success and recognition. It is a difficult thing to confound the Tripadvisor algorithm which can shove a pop-up burger van ahead of fine dining restaurants but ‘Sonnet’ are number one in Alnwick.

‘Sonnet’? That’s the name.
Restaurant? Indeed, it is.
Simplicity? Oh, do shut up!

The dinner tasting menu with its reference to a sonnet by The Bard - other poets are available - might seem a little contrived. Based on our lunch experience, I would trust Gary, Claudia and their team to come up with something carefully considered and very well composed. And reflecting just a little more than a single issue or theme.
And now I’ve understood that 14 lines in one evening here is still a crazy night but without resort to class A drugs I’m seriously tempted to return for a sniff and investigation into what P.C.P, C.B, or S.P.B might be…

Sonnet’s 2024 is done. I do hope - and rather expect - that 2025 is as rewarding for them as it has been for us and so many others in this, their first year.

Le Champignon Sauvage

Dinner for two - 14 November 2024

I would start by saying that this was what I consider to be one of the best meals of my life but someone got there before me.
So, all the while bearing in mind that this WAS one of the best meals of my life, I’ll continue this review in my own words rather than those of Jay Rayner.

David and Helen Everitt-Matthias are now well into their 37th year of providing care in the Cheltenham community. Happily, their efforts have been no secret from a much wider world for almost all of those years. You will find many and various sources of information about the beginnings of their creation, and its subsequent history.

Helen will greet you. She brings charm, wit, intelligence and an uncanny flexibility to accommodate each guest’s questions and requests.

The likes of Heston Blumenthal, Tom Kerridge and Pierre Koffmann have joined so many of David’s peers in sharing their respect and acclaim for his cooking and his inspiration. There are countless glowing reviews from seasoned restaurant critics and entranced guests.

I’ll describe our latest meal. As usual, you should treat my comments with the healthy notion that I remain an enthusiastic, if occasionally unreliable, source. Instead, you could just concentrate on my visual evidence here of the sort of food which only an utterly majestic kitchen is able to produce.*

Canapés (not illustrated)
Parmesan custard, chorizo dust
Tartlet of pouting, smoked mayonnaise, pickled pear

We have enjoyed these before and were in no way disappointed by a repeat visit.

Amuse
I have already waxed loudly and a little lyrically over on Instagram about the brilliantly conceived start to our meal. Concise, concentrated ‘cauliflower cheese’. Small? Yes. Perfectly formed? Most certainly.

Breads - all varieties on offer - continue to be irresistible.

CAULIFLOWER CREMETTE, SMOKED GOAT CHEESE FOAM, TOASTED PINE NUTS, YEAST

Starter
Mrs G spread her formerly reluctant wings to embrace a fish dish as starter. Her reaction to the jus involved dreamy-eyed appreciation. It was the perfect, balancing undertow pulling together the elements of sea and earth.
I set to with the first of my all-meat choices. Like the bird itself, my partridge was firmly and honestly rooted to the ground, along with all its so-utterly appropriate autumnal partners. Heston Blumenthal would most likely have placed a trough of dry leaves under the table for feet to crunch into; the silly arse (delightfully crazy, ingenious silly arse - I continue to read his cookbooks with awe!).
A few days after our meal this ode by Keats popped out from my memory bank. David’s composition was the full expression of late autumn at its height, offering all the comfort needed against harsher winter chills. Poetry without words.

FILLET OF HAKE, LEEK PUREE, ONIONS, LIME LEAF JUS

PARTRIDGE, CARAMELISED CELERIAC, MORTEAU SAUSAGE, WALNUT

Surprise!
We had just tasted the first of our fresh, fruity, but delicately ‘crunchy’ wine choice when a generous off-menu dish was brought to our table.
No surprise at the generosity of this chef’s treat. An integral part of David doing as he pleases is firmly based on pleasing his guests.
Isle of Wight tomatoes are a lovely ingredient. Why muck about with them? Seconds in, this dish provided the answer to that question. Still not wholly sure of the full process, but I do remember Helen revealing the involvement of a molasses marinade. Suffice to say that the fruit was taken to a different soft, chewy place. Think Gummy Bears meet tomatoes in heaven. A ruddy delicious rendezvous.

CURED RED MULLET, CUCUMBER, BUTTERMILK, ISLE OF WIGHT TOMATOES, MICRO HERBS

Main
Our ninth visit here, and I had to check. No, I’ve never previously copied my wife in her favourite choice of lamb for a main course. Loin, shoulder, and that crunchy bit which, if you were carving at home you would tear off and nick for yourself, were all there. As was the constant background reminder of however many kilos of lamb bones had been roasted to form the beating heart of the gravy. A gravy so deep-dived in flavour that I would have very little problem if someone were to call it a jus.
Any suggestion that David is bound and restricted by his mastery of French cuisine and its cooking approach was contradicted regularly throughout our meal. However, his addition here of black olive and basil was an undoubted nod to his love of the country. A country to which we returned for the first time in four years in 2024. That black, fruity, quenelle transported me from my plate to Provence once again.

CREEDY CARVER DUCK, BEETROOT AND UMBOSHI PLUM PURÉE, BERGAMOT AND ORANGE

COTSWOLD LAMB, EWES CURD, BABY LEEKS, BLACK OLIVE AND BASIL

Duck was Mrs Cheoff’s main attraction/distraction. Plenty of fruity, earthy notes playing alongside the delicately rich fats of the meat.

Pre-dessert

A similar approach to that from my birthday meal here last year. Pic of that included to compensate for my capture of this year’s ‘collapsed’ version. Distracted by analysis, chatter, and a little under-the-table hand-holding, I managed to click the shutter rather late.
Lowering the temperature, but elevating texture and flavour to the penthouse.

CARDAMOM PANNA COTTA, BLOOD ORANGE AND BLACK LIME GRANITA, BLOOD ORANGE FOAM

Dessert

As usual, no let-up until service is well and truly over. Desserts here are things of beauty and utter joy in the eating and in the remembering.

PISTACHIO CRÉMEUX, MARINATED RASPBERRY, RASPBERRY AND APPLE MARIGOLD SORBET

ROASTED PINEAPPLE, BANANA AND LEMON GRASS SORBET, COCONUT MACAROON

Two totally different complexions of theme and flavours. Mrs Cheoff convinced me very quickly that she had made the right choice and I was happy to be offered some mini mouthfuls from around her plate.
The tropical slant of my dessert is one which I’ve recreated in some fashion from David’s cookbooks. Never with an attempt at a macaroon (only the far more complex macaron for me!). Macaroons were one of my long-gone dad’s favourites. Often cooked for him by my mum, I don’t think she would mind me thinking that chef’s effort was quite the equal of hers. I spent a sweet few moments surrounded by a mix of nostalgia and more great cooking.

So. A glorious climax. Mind you, long before this stage, we had joined the other diners bashing down our fists on the table with guttural shouts and eyes rolling, very much in tune with the actions of Meg Ryan in ‘When Harry Met Sally’. You must understand that this Cheltenham equivalent of appreciation is observed in a much quieter, rather more metaphorical but no less enthusiastic way. An open-mouthed hush but, here, with no faking it whatsoever.

Petits fours

Pistachio Financier, Almond log, Custard tart, Cherry jelly, White chocolate and salted lemon fudge, Chocolate nougat, Liquorice fudge, Dark chocolate and lime leaf fudge

Having paced ourselves to face this final challenge, we ate the lot - slowly and dreamily. Chef’s last chance to effortlessly and quietly show off his command of a menu from beginning to end. Coffee and my Armagnac did absolutely nothing to interfere with the moment.

In recent years, Michelin inspectors have failed to award two stars to the restaurant. They have chosen to do so without any explanation as to how they have altered their criteria to account for this. In fact, all available evidence suggests that their judgements remain based on the same foundations. Which embarrassingly cuts out any mystery, and unfortunately points to mild madness on the part of the over-inflated tyre company.

A fact which will do absolutely nothing to dull our appreciation of yet another memorable meal here.

*You got all the way here, and didn’t just look at the pictures?
THANK YOU!

The Black Horse, Reigate

Dinner for four - Saturday 21 September 2024

Here is a venue which gives much pleasure to thousands every year.

Unfortunately our experience ultimately left a bad taste.

Our welcome and subsequent service from staff was great.

The atmosphere of a packed Black Horse on a Saturday evening might challenge those seeking a quieter night's dining. No problem for us - we are happy to enjoy ourselves along with other people enjoying themselves!

The unacceptable element arrives with the food. This is essentially pub grub and ingredients are not necessarily going to be the very finest. Meat cuts and fish are certainly medium quality at best but sympathetic and skilful cooking can compensate for this. Sadly those who Heartwood Inns describe as 'chefs' showed little understanding of their task. Pork belly suffered from the lack of finish which would have balanced out what was simply overpowering fattiness. My chalk stream trout was a horrible affair. Instead of a thin, light crust from pan frying, the surface of the fish had been transformed into hard, jagged shards. Like an attack of multiple bones from a badly filleted fish.

Overcooked, chewy prawns and a sirloin steak which needed longer resting completed the damning evidence of a kitchen team who don't particularly care.

When part of the hospitality on offer relies heavily on presenting a decent eating experience, it should be a given that attention to detail and consistency are involved. The Black Horse kitchen have a lot of catching up to do.

Our visit tallies closely with the summary created on Tripadvisor by AI, based on recent reviews.

No, we didn't complain to anyone on the night. It seemed pointless. Previous reviews have informed the venue of their shortcomings but management appears happy to provide second best.

Our infrequent visits over years are very likely to end completely now.

Service charge, eh?
Fairly distributed?
Well, let’s hope the ‘chefs’ (poorly trained cooks) were offered a fairly tiny proportion of our gratuity.

…

UPDATE
General Manager, Dan, reacted calmly and generously to this review with his invitation to return for a complimentary meal.
I’m considering my options…

Dan’s response to my Tripadvisor review