Wife of Bath, The

Nathalie (24 November 2008)

Six of us went for a decadent two and a half hour lunch at The Wife of Bath on Saturday. We all opted for the three-course menu at £18, which meant between us we got to try almost everything on offer. The food was outstanding and the members of staff were really friendly, with just the right mix of being relaxed and familiar without being intrusive. There’s a lovely ‘arriving room’ for those who want a relaxed drink, and a long look at the menu before settling into the restaurant. All of the food was beautifully presented with great combinations of tastes and delicate accompanying sauces. I had mackerel and horseradish fishcake to start followed by sea-bream with lemongrass dauphinoise, which was perfectly cooked with a citrus butter sauce with a great combination of tastes. Others tried duck with lentils, pork tenderloin with mash and pesto, a Moroccan hake dish, and tortilla with tofu and wild mushrooms. Everyone was very impressed and full without being full-to-bursting. It’s worth having a sparing breakfast to make room for something from the dessert menu, which is amazing and beautifully presented; our favourites were bitter chocolate cake and expresso ice-cream and a great plum and apple cobbler, and a tangerine in Fio pastry dish. All their cheeses were local, from Wye herds, which we thought was pretty impressive, and they said that they try to design their menu around seasonal produce. There was a good selection of wines, we went for the most reasonable red on the menu and can recommend it. We’ll definitely be going there again.

Martin Fettes-Neame (24 March 2007)

We had a belated Mothers Day lunch with our two daughters and were absolutely delighted with the restaurant. There were no other diners but the ambience, service and food were excellent. The waiting staff were polite, helpful and attentive. The quality of the food was very high although the a la carte menu was a little pricey. The 'Pilgrim' lunch menu was very reasonable. Some nice touches...all the tables were laid and olives and nuts in the bar area. Sorry, we ate them all! All in all a very pleasant experience. Well done...a real gem.