By Every month Phil meets up with the boys and they explore amazing restaurants – this time around the boys decided that us girls could join so we all went to Tom Kerridge’s, The Hand and Flowers.
We all met up for a drink at a pub down the road. I love gin so had to start with a request for a ‘pretty gin’ which is certainly what turned up – infused with strawberries and cucumber, perfect for a summer afternoon.
With dinner time approaching we made our way to The Hand and Flowers where we were warmly welcomed and taken to our table.
The restaurant is so unassuming from the outside and inside it feels terrifically rustic with lots of beams, a little lantern in the entrance and great wooden tables. Very down to earth.
The table was presented with little snacks as we perused the menu. Light pork and paprika puffs (I could have carried on eating these forever!), White Bait with Marie Rose Sauce and some Bread with Butter.
The menu was amazing and I had no idea where to even start but eventually decided to go for “Beef Toast and Dripping” with Mustard Butter, English Asparagus and Salad cream. It was out of this world and a serious portion. Make no mistake – these portions are not your typical fine dining portions so make sure you go hungry!
Phil had the Pickled Beetroot and Cheddar Tart with “Lamb Ham”, Haggis and Horseradish cream. He described it as the best tart he had ever tasted. I wasn’t going to disagree; it was very good.
The other starters that arrived looked just as amazing and again, really serious portions.
Next were the mains and my Essex Lamb “Bun” with Sweetbreads and Salsa Verde I would describe as a twist on a Beef Wellington in the shape of a toffee apple!
Phil loves game so it was no surprise that he went for the Loin of Cotswold Venison with Carrot & Marmite Puree, Keema Dhal, Salt Bake Carrot and Spiced Beef Puff. The carrot was very carroty and of course the other elements of the dish worked together in perfect harmony.
One of the many nice things about having eight of us around the dinner table is that we covered just about everything on the menu. I particularly had food envy looking at The West End Farm Pork Belly with Smoked Cheek Beignet, Black Pudding and Gherkin Ketchup. It was also the second time one of our other friends has been at The Hand and Flowers and he had such good Fillet of Stokes Marsh Farm Beef with Hand & Flowers Chips and Bearnaise Sauce that he had exactly the same again – incredible! Another one for my “when I come back” list.
Dessert was a tough choice, but I eventually settled on the Honey & Lime White Chocolate Bavarois with Camp Raisins and Espresso Ice Cream. My favourite bit was definitely the espresso ice cream which beautifully offset the white chocolate bavarois.
Phil went for the Banana Soufflé with Banoffee Sauce and Caramelised Walnut Ice Cream – he would argue that his dessert was the best and I would argue that mine was, so a good outcome for us both!
The restaurant had secured us a little spot in their bar so post meal we all went over to have a double espresso which was served with amazing homemade fudge. We didn’t want the night to end so followed this with cocktails. The popular cocktail choice was The Hand and Flowers Pina Colada with Phil going for his usual Old Fashioned but with a twist, a Duck Fat Old Fashioned! I went for a Kiwi Margarita which ended the evening well.
With the restaurant being in Marlow we decided to stay overnight – Marlow is beautiful and we’ll definitely be back to explore some more and also try the rest of the dishes that The Hand and Flower has to offer.
Overall a fantastic evening, with inspiring utterly delicious food and great friends!
Just call me Nats 