Philip Evans (2 October 2010)

My friend and I visited Winteringham Fields for dinner on Thursday in September. The whole experience was unbelievable! We were greeted in the car park by a member of staff and shown to the sumptuous waiting area where we ordered our food. We chose the ‘menu surprise’ and we were surprised not only by the variety of food on offer, but also the exceptional quality! The staff asked us if we had any special dietary requirements. I said that I did not like sprouts, and my friend said that he did not like mussels or scallops and the chef obliged by preparing slightly different versions of each course, where appropriate! The cheese trolley was a real surprise, and the maitre d' had an exceptional knowledge of all of the cheeses and arranged them on the plate in a particular order so that the flavour of each cheese could be properly savoured. The whole evening was wonderful and the service from the staff was simply superb. My friend and I chatted to the staff from time to time and they were friendly and knowledgeable! While the overall cost was not cheap, my friend and I both felt that we got good value for money for a truly memorable occasion. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anybody who would like to celebrate a special occasion!

Nigel Brown (7 July 2010)

Having the chance to take lunch at one of our regions, ‘hot spot restaurants’ is always going to be a treat, but when your world revolves around food you’d be mistaken for thinking its going to be ‘just another lunch’! Winteringham Fields is located in the village of Winteringham, North Lincolnshire. As you drive in to the quaint little gravelled courtyard you instantly find the hairs on the back of your neck start to stand up and tingle with anticipation. Appearing from almost what seems to be nowhere is a smartly dressed suited gentlemen waiting to greet you. Having established our reservation, we were escorted through to the lounge where drinks were offered, all very efficient with no time for wondering or waiting. The sun decided to display its presence in all its glory and we were cordially invited to take residence in the courtyard garden with our aperitif along with a delicious amuse bouche of vichyssoise and a delicate little smoked mackerel tartlet topped with a fresh tomato salsa - exquisite is the word here. Menu’s followed with intricate descriptions offered by Benoît Lamaudière, the restaurant’s General Manager. Benoît’s recommendations and notes of the daily additions to the menu were faultless in every way. We even discussed the chemical properties of the carpaccio beetroot! With our menus decided and wines chosen we awaited our calling. With chatting aside we followed through to the almost majestic dining room, again a warm greeting from the dining room staff. The table was extremely well presented; each and every table was laid with a pure crisp white linen tablecloth, perfectly ironed with almost regimental lines crossing in the exact centre of the table.

As we sat taking in the surroundings and atmosphere of the dining room, Hussan our waiter delivered our appetizer course and selection of breads to choose from, warm walnut loaf, pepper loaf, black olive loaf and rosemary bread sticks all freshly made and perfectly cooked. There on followed the starter of confit of label anglais chicken wings, new season feves, sauté wild mushrooms - yet another well presented abundance of magical flavours, textures and colours to encapsulate our taste buds. Following with tradition now as the benchmark has been set, the following courses of tarragon spatzli, carpaccio beetroot, roasted pine nuts, sorrel and parmesan followed by the main course of pork fillet and pork belly, choucroute, caramelised apple, apple gel and dessert of the chocolate cylinder, milk chocolate fondue and hot chocolate foam were all true to form and of the same exacting standard and quality. The cheese board is definitely a crowd pleaser with so many variations of cheeses on offer; the ‘stinking bishop’ is highly recommended and has to be taken. Finally, tea or coffee and homemade sweetmeats have to be taken in a relaxing and time-losing lounge, conservatory or garden - the perfect end to a superb lunch. As you’re contemplating your next dining experience, I can certainly recommend Winteringham Fields as well worth a visit. Chef Proprietor Colin McGurran has definitely got an excellent combination of talented and world class staff coupled with quality local ingredients to take the lead in culinary expertise.