Pepper's Restaurant

G Pierre (7 July 2008)

On entering the restaurant it was clear that this was an accomplished, top quality restaurant. The menu was superbly thought out and put together, all the dishes complimented one another and the food was all locally sourced. The blackboard displayed the suppliers of all the meat and game used in the menu, which was a nice touch and very reassuring. The members of staff were friendly, competent and helpful and we were made to feel welcome and relaxed. After choosing from the menu and getting some drinks we were shown to the enormous table and were presented with a complimentary pea and mint soup in a shot glass, which was a lovely touch and was also very tasty. Homemade goats’ cheese and leek, and a raisin and sea salt bread followed, both light and packed with flavour. To start I opted for the chicken liver pâté with duck fat toasts and grape chutney, the pâté was silky smooth and full of flavour, the toast was crisp and light and the chutney was delicious, the dish was also served with a balsamic jelly and homemade pickles, which complimented the main ingredients beautifully. My other half opted for scallops with cauliflower puree and crispy bacon; the scallops were cooked to sweetly melting perfection, the best I have ever tasted.

For mains I selected the taster of old spot pork which consisted of loin, slow cooked belly and a crisp coated terrine of bath chaps - cheeks, these were served with a long thin length of crunchy dry crackling, black pudding and red cabbage with raisins. The pork was all superbly cooked, moist and tender and the bath chaps in a crispy coating were fantastically rich. The cabbage was rich and sticky with hints of dark muscavado sugar and star anise and the black pudding was also delicious. My other half had a Wenslydale cheese tart with leeks and sweet onions. This was served with a warm asparagus and cherry tomato salad, it was reported to be excellent but I didn't try any as I was too busy with the pork! Desert followed and we both opted for the baked Alaska, which was served with berry compote and fresh berries. The meringue was sweet and indulgent with a thin crispy outside and rich sticky inside; this surrounded a buttery vanilla ice cream. The berries were sharp and cut through the richness of the ice cream and meringue perfectly. The wine list was comprehensive and contained plenty of wines in the £15 - £20 bracket as well as some more expensive choices: I can report that the two bottles of white we had were excellent. In summary an absolutely first class establishment offering high quality local food cooked with skill and care, which in my opinion is deserving of another AA rosette.