Pam Brunning

Went to Lainston House for lunch a few years ago, a lovely place but not overly impressed with food but things change. Thought this a good place to post about Verveine in Milford on Sea I took a party of members last week it was very good. This is the report I have just written. When Stacey Crouch and David Wykes bought Monks the fishmongers, in Milford on Sea, three years ago small village shops all over the UK were closing weekly. They were very unsure if they had done the right thing. The shop was on the decline and in the major supermarket chains wet fish counters were becoming more prolific. Both Stacey and David had a firm grounding in the hotel and restaurant trade and were determined to turn the business around by opening a fish market restaurant. After a long struggle with the local authorities their dream came true on 12th February 2010 and today there is a another gem, hidden behind the fish shop, a tastefully decorated bright modern restaurant - Verveine (verbena) Fishmarket Restaurant. We arrived at 11.30 to be greeted by coffee and a slice of lemon cake. We were given a talk about the fish and shown how to recognise the individual varieties. Stacey had ordered several large specimen fish to add a wow factor to the display. We all then filled our shopping bags up before moving through to the restaurant for a glass of Prosecco and Canapés. David, who has trained in Michelin star restaurants throughout France and the UK takes modern concepts and combines them with classic combinations of flavours to create a clean and innovative taste using the finest ingredients. He put together an eclectic menu to satisfy the meat lovers as well as the fish enthusiasts amongst us. I had ordered the terrine of local venison with wild mushroom pickled vegetables and coffee jelly but when I saw the other starter of home-smoked organic Scottish salmon, aged parmesan custard and confit tomatoes it looked so good I was allowed to change my mind at the last minute. The dish arrived under a glass dome and when the lid was raised a waft of smoke escaped, (see photo). Very spectacular and the flavours lived up to the presentation. It was superb. I am told that the venison was also spectacular with all the individual flavours complimenting the terrine beautifully. My main course of slow cooked local duck with pan fried tiger prawns, textures of parsnip and marjoram jus was another hit. There were interesting reactions to the dish, some were eating the meat and fish separately while others, myself included, rose to the challenge and mixed duck and prawns with the sauces in the same mouthful - I must say it worked very well. The other main course of roast fillet of Pollock with herb parpedelle, baby spinach, trompette and chive jus looked good. The fillet was thick with large juicy flakes perfectly cooked and the flavours went well. The only complaint, one member had to ask for more sauce and some thought it was under seasoned. Desserts were a ‘Verveine’ Tiramisu, a Madagascan vanilla brulee with pistachio ice cream and passion fruit Madeleines. My tiramisu was delicious, served as it often is these days ‘deconstructed’ but with all the right flavours. The brulee was also pronounced superb. Good coffee was accompanied by an interesting selection of petit fours. Chocolate macaroons, salted chocolate fudge and intriguingly a truffle flavoured lightly with morels which amazingly worked very well. A delicious basket of artisan breads was served throughout the meal. We tasted each others wines. A good Viognier was on offer, a Pinot Grigio went well with the smoked salmon and a Beaujolais Villages was just the right weight for the duck dish. If you are ever in the area Verveine is well worth a visit but go soon because when they become well known it will be a job to get a table Great value for us at £34 each including service and Prosecco (excluding lunch wines).

I haven’t got any yet, I was going to buy on line but it seems as though they need to be tasted first. As you say probably best to add to the flavour with rose oil or rose water. Thanks for the ideas

I have a recipe using guinea fowl that requires 2 cups of rose petals. As I need to try the recipe before the roses in my garden are in bloom I wondered about trying it with dried petals. Does anyone know if they have sufficient scent to impart anything to the meat and the sauce. The recipe calls for the bird to be stuffed with rose petals.

Having just read an interview with Myhrvold in the New Scientist I don't think the man knows what he is talking about. One observation he makes is that a steak that is twice the thickness needs four times longer to cook than one half the thickness - that is rubbish - you give a 1 inch steak four times longer than a half inch thick steak all you get is cremated steak. He also says there is no point in chilling vegetables after blanching, left to cool off on the side gives the same result. Come on, the sooner you stop the cooking process by chilling the crisper the result. If I find erroneous statements like that in any academic work I am afraid I dismiss it out of hand. He should stick to computers and let those with years of experiance in the culinary arts do the cooking. Am I being stupid??

I will echo that, I am just glad that I was booked for dinner the week after he was voted Best Restaurant in the World and it was a lot cheaper in those days. An experiance, has to be done once to find out just what everyone in raving about but not worth repeating. Lots of better places to try - I hope!!

You must realise David they are all geared up for our friends across the 'Pond', they have the money and are into the historic angle. Give it a couple of years when all the hype is over and put it in on 'LateRooms.com' you might find one at £50 + dinner - be patient.

You are losing your touch David. I thought you always did your chat up bit before your meal to ensure some decent food/service!!

My link These are the only photos I took as I was off duty that night! Both the main courses roast rump and wild duck with foie gras were excellent as was the rest of the meal with all the trimmings including good bread. Full English breakfast was good as well. It is a small town with plenty of small shops too.

We stayed at The Old Mill Shipston on Stour (28 miles, I think, from Coventry)last week - it was great- and those that know me on here know I don't often say that about a place! It is a luxurious pub. It has been compleatly refurbished in the last year and the decor is upmarket and very tasteful. They upgraded us to one of the best rooms as we were the only ones staying. Ashley James cooking is some of the best I have eaten in a long while, better than a lot of Michelin star places I have been to recently. It is excellent value. I have some photos of the main course on other computer - I will post them shortly.

Try Turners Abattoir, Farnborough, Hants

I bought a lovely looking cod’s roe weighing over a pound. I brined it and smoked it and have just made taramasalata with 4ozs but it is rather bitter. I have added more bread and oil but it is still not good. Anyone any ideas of how to get rid of the bitterness in the rest of it. I suspect it should have been done before I cured and smoked it? The trouble is I didn’t think to try it raw.

It was my birthday, I was relaxing, so didn’t take a camera. As I share a birthday with Burns we tend to go ethnic - less likelihood of coming across a rogue haggis! We enjoyed it so much that I have organised an evening there for our branch of the Society in February - we are having the full works - the lobster feast - the lot - so I will have my camera and will be writing a full report. Watch this space.

Yes Nadell's desserts are great, I know chefs that use them. He is a wonderful craftsman, he did a demo for me years ago before he started his own business. I would rather have a pud from someone like him where the dish has been refined and perfected. A small pub/restaurant often relies on an owner/chef (no large team in the kitchen) - he may be good at vianades but has little skill as a pastry chef - I would rather have a brought in pud - better than the lump of rubber that I have been served in a Michelin 1* before now in the guise of a bread & butter pud. I know of only one 'one man band' kitchen that excells in every branch of the craft, that is David Everitt-Mattias at Le Champignon Sauvage. Normaly to perfect every course you must have a good team. 3663 'whites' range - which is their top, is good - it should be, millions of pounds go into their R&D.

I can assure it is true I had a lemon tart with raspberry sorbet at a local restaurant that I know was massed produced, then had the identical dish two weeks later at a one * restaurant. Just got in from a excellent Chinese but you wouldn’t want to hear about that, it hasn’t got a star.

A good piece Corinna - that is why we like Hardens it has a much wider range of restaurants and you get honest comments from the diners.

No I won't name & shame Nick - they all have a living to make but here is a link My link (hopefully - I am not very good with links) click on Food & Wine September and read pages 10, 11, 12 and maybe next time you will recognise some of the dishes.

That does sound amazing £200 - I bet if you analyse the ingredient and the wine cost you won’t have more than £30 at the most. That is the trouble with those sort of do’s the half that pay are subsidising the celebs that get in on the nod.

The general consensus seems to be that UK restaurants had a raw deal. I don’t think so. I think Michelin are much too generous. The majority of single stars we have tried in the UK (and that is quite a few) have been very disappointing and not worth returning to. Cheap ingredient poorly cooked and often a lot of the dishes, especially the desserts, are mass produced and come from the ‘foodservice’ chains. As for the five new 1*’s this time, I can name one that certainly does not warrant a star. Come on Michelin you have lost it, you used to be known for high standards but not any more. Helene Darroze is a case in point.

I should have warned you David - we stayed there last year, we found it interesting as my grandfather helped build the pile. We were very unimpressed. I did a report on it I will post it later when I have time. Shocked when he got a Michelin *!

You are correct in theory Sparrowgrass but the male goat is a very crafty beast and an animal houdini proof of that is the disgusting cheese on the market.

Goats urine smells like the cheese, it is so powerful that it is not possible to milk a goat without contaminating the liquid.The billy is such a randy beast that he will try to mount anything he comes into contact with, a bit like politicians

I agree on goats cheese,the trouble is the billy goat urinates over the nanny as part of his courting technique and its impossible to get rid of the stink from the udder and thus into the cheese.

Anyone been to The Langham since the Roux's took over The Landau Restaurant last December?

I wish you had posted this straight away Phil, it might have saved us throwing £100 away on lunch last September! Anyone been to The Langham since the Roux's have been in charge of The Landau?

I thought you could not buy white grapefruit in the US. I read that Texas had banned the growing of all but the ruby red variety that has no grapefruit flavour. In the UK white ones are available all year from all round the world, retailing for about 30cents, looks like your being ripped off.