Winteringham Fields

[stephen wall]

i'm thinking about making the trip up from london as a special treat for myself.Has anyone else dined there and is it as good as GFG and Michelin would have you believe?

[Andy Lynes]

I have not been myself, but have seen the restaurant and food on the tele and various magazines. It does look like the chef is doing something very distinctive there and has a numnber of impressive looking siganture dishes which i have not seen replicated elsewhere. The dining room looks very old fashioned indeed but comfortable. My worry would be travelling a long way and finding great food and wine but sub standard service from willing and eager but under trained locals. I should add that I have no idea if this is the case, but often can be in regional restaurants, even with 2 stars.

[Scottf]

They've a website at www.winteringhamfields.com

[stephen wall]

We made it up to Winteringham last Saturday,and remote doesnt begin to describe its location.Service from the outset was impeccable,from the moment we drove in a charming young Frenchman greeted us to take our bags to our room.At dinner two menus are offered:Menu De Jour at £36 for 3 courses and a 6 course menu suprise at £66,along with a short a la carte.We opted for the Menu Suprise which begins with waves of small appetisers and then 4 courses,cheese and dessert.Without going into all the details, the best course of the night had to be the asparagus and oyster soup with a salmon roe,a plump king scallop and just a touch of coriander.Exquisite.After the meal,the chef,Germain Schwab ,came out and talked with us for about an hour.He was one of the most down to earth, unassuming chefs we'd ever met,especially for one as excellent as him. When asked,he told us that he is working 17-18 hours a day,breakfast,lunch, and dinner  and that he's never missed a service.The rooms are spacious and comfortable, 6 in the main house and 5 in the courtyard.A truly impressive place,it comes highly recommended,but if your thinking of going, bookings need to be 4/5 weeks in advance,as people are travelling from far and wide,being GFG restaurant of the year.

[Andy Lynes]

Stephen, if you have the time, we would love to hear all the details.

[stephen wall]

sure,I just didnt want to bore you with them.We started off with an appetiser of cauliflower puree in a round,on top of which a dollop of Avruga caviar was placed.Lovely,clean flavours.Then we were brought a small copper pan of confit duck with the bone removed,with a balsamic reduction,lying on a bed of sweet,sweet onion shavings.The skin of the duck had that beautiful crackle to it,and the dish came off nicely.Next we had the soup,which I described in the last post.Then came for me probably the most disappointing dish of the night.It was a small piece of monkfish,gently spiced.lying on a bed of pak choi wit ground almonds and a saffron broth.Although the dish was by no means bad,and it had a nice contrast of textures, there was no burst of flavour to it.That nights specialty followed:rolled rack of lincolnshire lamd in a red wine and wild mushroom reduction,with small glazed turnips and tender baby potatoes.It was a lovely dish,the lamb being perfectly pink and tender,and the sauce was magnificent,with a shimmering glaze on it.Then came the cheeseboard.I have to say that the GFG are almost certainly right when they say this is "probably the best cheeseboard in the UK".It has almost 40 varieties, from France,England,Italy,Switzerland,Holland and even my native Ireland.Each cheese was described at length and came with celery,dried fruits,warm fruit bread,waterbiscuits and of course grapes.Before dessert,a small pre-dessert was brought :a passion fruit souffle,with a small scoop of vanilla inside,into which a small caramel cone was placed at the table.I could have settled at that beautiful offering,but their was still one more to come:Mille Feuille of nougatine and chocolate,confit of kumquatand grapefruit,orange and vanilla sauce.Innovative,decadant,and thoroughly enjoyable.The wine list is comprehensive but perhaps a bit pricey:we got the sommelier to bring us a glass with each course in which he excelled himself by bringing us enjoyable but keenly priced wines.Andy,gladly your concern about the service did not materialise and it was highly trained and efficeint without being stiff.(The night before we had terrible service in a place called Riverside House in Ashton on the Water).Coffee and waves of petit fours were served in one of the cosy drawingrooms where the chef and his wife engaginly talked with us for almost an hour.The final bill came to £185 for the two of us with wine,which I think is good value,especially for some of the best food in England.

[Guest gmarshall]

hi , i've just discovered the site and saw the winteringham debate,  luckily for me i live about 45 mins away so get to go quite regularly, i would recommend it highly. The service, decor, not to mention the food are first class. You may be interested to know they do an excellent lunch for £25 two courses, £28 for 3 which always manages to pleasantly surprise. One of my trips each year is an overnight stop with a chef mate (it's his christmas treat) and the girls. They do us a tasting menu which is pretty special, their amuse bouches are always an event, one of the favourites is a small deep fired cube with melted foie gras inside which always goes down well. Anyway the main menu was as follows... stuffed pigs trotter with wild mushroom and chicken mousse, lobster medallion, then roast scallops on saffron noodles and rice wine vinegar dressing, fish course was pan fried fillet of halibut with crusted potato scales tomato fondue and avruga caviar veloute first meat course was breast of squab, truffle oil potato puree, garlic fritter and truffle jus, second meat was tenderloin of veal , potato fondant, roasted red onion and veal jus, then the cheese trolley which better than justabout anything i've seen in france and finally red berries in sauterne jellt with natural yogurt sorbet. We had a bottle of wine with each course so details of exactly what we drank remain cloudy but well chosen by phillip the excellent young sommelier.

[John Whiting]

This is all good news. Annie Schwab is a major force in Eurochefs and has just been elected to the executive committee of the Guild of Food Writers.

[Andy Lynes]

John  - excuse my ignorance but what do Eurochefs do. I also didn't know that Annie Schwab was a writer.

[John Whiting]

Please forgive my aging brain. I should have written Euro-Toques. The URL listed below will tell you as much as you'll want to know, including the fact that Annie Schwab is the UK Commissioner General.

http://www.euro-toques.org/

[yvonne johnson]

Sounds good.

For a pretty picture. http://www.information-britain.co.uk/showP...m?Place_ID=1347

Not to re-start the “when did British food stop being crappy”, but an article that discusses Winteringham Fields has this to say:  “A gastronomic revolution has taken place in Britain since I first marvelled at moussaka at the Elizabeth a quarter of century ago. It is hardly surprising that it should have had its epicentre in London. It began with the opening of the Roux Brothers' Gavroche in 1967 which very soon upstaged all other restaurants in the capital to become the first ever to gain three Michelin stars.” http://specials.ft.com/uktourism2001/FT365QD7ROC.html

I hardly ever visit that part of the UK, but WF might be a good reason to.

[patrick]

A trip to Winteringham Fields on Saturday produced a extremely memorable experience. This was our first trip here since September 2003 so we were looking forward to our meal following various personnel changes. Here is my hopefully unbiased and honest review...

We arrived with the usual warm, friendly greeting and were shown to one of small lounges to peruse the menu. An appetiser duly followed which comprised of a shot glass with cauliflower puree, dice of codfish and cuttlefish, light chicken jelly and herb float. This was the perfect start and combined very well with our champagne.

After choosing our menu we were seated in the dining room and offered excellent bread...a farmhouse and a white plait...both with a light crisp crust and soft middle.

The second appetiser was a slice of home cured Bressola with celeriac, tomato and carrot, finished with shavings of parmiggano and tomato chutney. This had the right amount of acidity to set the palate racing and had all the textures and flavours you would expect. My partner began with a Asparagus charlotte with lemon rind butter sauce which was very light and full of asparagus flavour and zesty lemon. I had chosen a rabbit salad with tagiatelle, tomato, fresh peas and garden herbs. This was one of the best dishes i have ever eaten...the rabbit was shot locally and cooked to perfection ( nicley pink, rested, perfectly sliced) and had a real gamey taste. In turn the peas, tomato and the light stock with it set the meat off very well. The dish was finished with a friture of rabbit with added texture. I can't remember eating a dish so slowly savouring each mouthful!

Following our starters we both had seared scallop with peach and lemon verbena in a light crab sauce. A fat, juicy scallop that was well carmelised sat upon wafer thin slices of poached peach, which in turn rested on flaked white crab meat. These elements were all combined in a lemon verbena scented sauce and the dish finished with a peach crisp. I had thought that the dish maybe too sweet but in fact the ingredients combined perfectly on the palate, set off well by the crab.

Next, the main course... i sampled the Roast neck of lamb with its suet Pudding and swiss chard. The meat was cooked beautifully pink, the suet pudding had the lightest, crispest suet pastry and the farce was well seasoned with sage. A few cardoon stalks, artichokes and cherry tomatoes finished the dish. This was an excellent lunchtime dish..full of flavour, light, colourful and plenty of texture. My partner had a tartlette filled with onion marmalade and topped with garden vegetables. The sauce was from artichokes and truffles and the tart was topped with carrot crisps. Again, another excellent dish and a good choice for any vegetarians!

Cheese followed and of note we sampled an excellent Corsican cheese in rosemary, chilli and juniper. For dessert, my partner had the mango creme brulee with sweet wine granite and pecan toasts. The brulee was of the correct temperature and consistency and the mango dice came through very well. The granite provided a nice refreshing touch to the dish. I had the chilled apricot soup with poached meringue...not a new concept but very well executed in this instance. It was served in a large very shallow bowl with poached apricot slices and various blossons and petals. The soup itself was very light but still full of flavour...another tremendous lunchtime dessert.

As for wine we had a Trig point Shiraz 2002 which was excellent...and good value at £22.

Coffee followed, along with a tour of the kitchens and wine shop etc. The bill came to £131.

All in all, this was a superb dining experience. The service was smooth, informative and timed very well. The ambience was good if a little hushed in the dining room. The cuisine was almost faultless and comparable to other 3 star restaurants i have dined in. Annie and Germain and all the staff have created an ultimate dining experience!

IMHO Winteringham deserves the third star, so time will tell.

[MobyP]

Sounds like a fantastic meal. I love the idea of a suet pudding to accompany the lamb neck.

I know nothing about this chef, or restaurant. Patrick, how many times have you been? How long has it been open?

[MobyP]

The website. The a la carte menu looks very nice indeed.

Starters

Poitrine de porc rôtie au cidre et jus de pomme, crevettes et foie gras aux feuilles de mangue

Slow roasted belly pork, seared Tiger prawns and foie gras, cider and apple jus. £22-00

 

Coquilles St Jacques, purée de choux-fleur et lard fumé, cappuccino de laitance

Seared scallops, cauliflower puree and smoked bacon, cappuccino of scallop roe. £23-00

 

Pavé de barbue et sa mousse cuit à la vapeur, duxelle de champignons, queues de langoustines, sauce Nantua

Steamed pavé of brill with its own mousse, langoustine tails, mushroom duxelle and sauce Nantua. £22-00

 

Aile de raie grilleé, endives caramelisées. Boudin noir. Tomate rôtie. Jus de poule

Pan fried skate wing, caramelised chicory and black pudding. Slow roasted tomatoes. Chicken jus. £20-50

 

Ravioli de jaune d'oeuf coulant sur ris de veau poêlés aux truffes fraîches, bouillon de poule au Madère

Ravioli of poached egg yolk on pan-fried veal sweetbreads with fresh truffle, Madeira and chicken stock reduction £24-00

Fish and Shellfish - First or middle course / Main course

Thon légerement fumé, riz sauvage aromatisé aux herbes, jeune fenouil glaçé, sauce Vierge

Lightly smoked tuna loin, aromatic wild rice, glazed baby fennel, sauce vierge. £32-00

 

Loup de mer poelé, cannelloni de cèpes et de coquilles St Jacques sauce aux moules et palourdes safranées

Pan fried fillet of Sea bass, cannelloni of cèpes and scallop with mussel, clam & saffron sauce. £32-00

 

Bouillabaisse moderne, croquant de légumes aux herbes de Provence

Bouillabaisse modern, spaghetti of Provençale vegetables, fish and shellfish sauce £32-00

 

Queue de lotte rôtie au jambon de Parme choux parfumé au Madras

Roasted monkfish tail in Parma ham, Savoy cabbage scented with Madras curry £22-00 / £32-00

Meat, Poultry, Game and Offal

Cannon d'agneau de Cornwall enrobé d'une mousse de volaille au celery branche, boudin et jus d'agneau

Poached cannon of Cornish lamb in a lovage mousse, boudin of lambs kidney and sweetbreads, lamb jus £31-00

 

Filet de lièvre Royale sur mini rösti, poêlée de foie gras caramélisé

Fillet of hare "Royal" on mini rösti, caramelised pan-fried foie gras. £32-00

 

Mignons de veau aux trois mignardises d'oignons, de foie de veau et de rognons

Pan-fried mignons of veal, calves liver and kidney with onions cooked three ways. £33-00

 

Selle de chevreuil rôtie, galette de légumes, sauce Grand veneur

Roast saddle of venison, galette of root vegetables Savoy cabbage with cumin, Grand veneur sauce. £33-00

* * * * * * * * *

Small green side salad £3-50

Individual pan of Rösti £3-75

[patrick]

Moby, Winteringham Fields is in North Lincolnshire and has been open for about 20 years. It is run by Annie Schwab MBE and Germain Schwab. Germain has been ever present at the stove since the place opened. If my memory serves me correctly, i think they received their second star in 1999. They also have 5 AA rosettes and 9/10 GFG. As you will see from the website it is a restaurant with rooms, so perfect for a short weeekend away.

I have been there a number of times. The Head Chef is Robert Thompson who happens to be my brother. he has worked there for nearly 3 years after working with myself for 3 years.

[MobyP]

Thanks Patrick.

Brothers - The Roux, the Aikens, the Thompsons, and who are those French twins at the Michelin 3 star place - it is quite rare, no, having two brothers in this profession?

Have you ever thought of setting up a place together, or is it best when there's a little distance between you (like Tom Aikens and his twin)?

[Jon Tseng]

Also the Galvins - ex-Orrery and Escargot

J

[BertieWooster]

Odd that for such a French-influenced place, Annie Schwab stood for UKIP in the Euro elections (don't know whether she got in...)

[Gary Marshall]

Moby, Winteringham Fields is in North Lincolnshire and has been open for about 20 years. It is run by Annie Schwab MBE and Germain Schwab. Germain has been ever present at the stove since the place opened. If my memory serves me correctly, i think they received their second star in 1999. They also have 5 AA rosettes and 9/10 GFG. As you will see from the website it is a restaurant with rooms, so perfect for a short weeekend away.

I have been there a number of times. The Head Chef is Robert Thompson who happens to be my brother. he has worked there for nearly 3 years after working with myself for 3 years.

Ahh,

i hear great things of your brother, he's another of the shockingly young and talented brigade isn't he?

Moby,

All of Patrick's comments are indeed correct, although in the middle of no-where just over the humber bridge it's conveniently under an hour from my house

i was introduced to winteringham by the owners of my local the st vincents arms who know annie and germain as prior to winteringham they had a home/dining room in the area. They've been regulars since and i've had some stunning meals there over the years (some of which i've written up here).

It's a real chef's -chef's restaurant quite low profile but certainly up there with the best in the UK, and make no mistake all of the big names in the UK have dined there.

My last visit was for my birthday last year, unfortunatley it has been a victim of my patronage of anthony's/no 3 so i haven't been as much as i would like but sounds like i'll have to have another trip. I had heard good things, kitchen was back on top and looking for that 3rd star, and my friend was until recently the manager there and said Robbie was cooking some excellent food.

For you londoners the quickest route is gner to doncaster then taxi across i think.

definitely worth a trip though.

cheers

gary

[Bapi]

We had a very good meal there back in 2003, which, bless his little cotton socks, Gary organised for us. There is a review on here somewhere. Definitely a place I would like to return to in due course. Had a magical dish of sweetbread with a delicate egg yolk ravioli in a rich Madeira jus, with shards of truffle, which I would love to try again.

[Gary Marshall]

day off today, ostensibly to recover from the excesses of 2 days at york races with a long bike ride and catch up with the usual chores, however it is pouring down and my so my thoughts quickly turned to lunch.

unfortunately winteringham was full but i left my name in case of cancellations, just as i had resigned myself to going to the star instead (to be fair no real harship but i'd got wf on my mind!), annie called back and siad they'll squeeze me in near the end of lunch

as it will no doubt still be raining on my return, expect a full report later....

cheers

gary

[Andy Lynes]

Those prices - ouch! I thought it was only Raymond Blanc and the Roux's that tried it on to that extent these days. I wouldn't contemplate going to a restaurant that charges £22.00 for a starter.

[tony h]

Those prices - ouch! I thought it was only Raymond Blanc and the Roux's that tried it on to that extent these days. I wouldn't contemplate going to a restaurant that charges £22.00 for a starter.

that's nothin - guy savoy charges fifty quid for a plate of soup (artichoke & black truffle). damn good soup it was too (even got seconds)

[Gary Marshall]

whilst the ALC is expensive they do a set 'menu suprise' which is 3 amuses, starter, soup, fish, meat, cheese, pre -desert and desert for £70.

don't forget it is two stars in the classical manner with all the accoutrements that go with it, 11 or so chefs and about 5 front of house with sommelier is quite a wage bill if nothing else.

whilst it might not become your regular friday night haunt it is definitely an experience, i've not been to le manoir, but it beats le gavroche hands down in my book.

gary

[Gary Marshall]

'you little sod’

was my nearest and dearest’s repsonse when after two days racing at york, i took the remants of the joint account and had a solo trip to winteringham fields. Well it was raining, what else is a man to do?

I had genuinely planned a virtuous day of cycling, car washing and other weekend jobs but given the fact it was raining cats dogs and other furry beasts, what could be better than ensconcing oneself in the cossetting 2 star ambiance of winteringham fields?

Firstly,a driver would have helped, as it is quite remote, in the shadow-ish of the humber bridge, you either drive and stay the night or be abstemious, unfortunately for me the latter was the only choice if i was to remain happily married.

the drive to winteringham is usually quite pleasant but today it was an hour of unremitting rain but nontheless by 1.30 i was at winteringham.

a pleasant frenchman welcomed me in the car park and took me straight through to one of the three lounges, none of this have you got a reservation? type questioning, they knew who to expect.

i had a glass of the house (pol roger nv) champagne whilst checking out the menu and what i wouldn’t be drinking from the extensive, but at a price, wine list.

At lunch they only offer a 3 choice per course set lunch either 2 or 3 courses, i had 3 for £31.

You also get an amuse which today had more ingredients than i could catch but there was a small langoustine its head upright in the bowl, the tail meat, a rhombus of pink grapefruit jelly, some bits of fennel and an almond cream! quite a lot in a 2 mouthfuls and it’s gone dish but a good example of creativity and skill in the kitchen.

my starter was chosen for its comfort foodiness rather than foodie interest, a confited duck leg on a garden salad (from their garden) with sauted potatoes, poached quails eggs and something else, sweet and purply in colour that escapes me. The confit was just the right side of salty and fully boned, the potatoes were cooked in the duck fat and the salad became dressed in lovely fatty duck juices. A simple enough dish but well plated in a small silver pan with sauce spoons etc and certainly hit the spot on a miserable, did i mention it was raining? wet day.

i cleaned up the remains of the juices with one of the three breads of the day, walnut.

i had a glass of un oaked rioja with this, well half of it anyway, i saved the rest for my cheese course and the remains of the champagne for my main course which was a much more exotic beast.

it was escalopes of salmon on herbed wild rice with herbed,breaded (or vice-versa?) squid, purple sprouting brocolli and a fine broth with a hint of soy about it, oh and some pink ginger. It was all-in-all quite an asian flavoured dish which not unusual at WF but quite unusual to find in what on the face of it is a text book 2 star classical french restaurant, it was also very enjoyable, i assure you it tasted and indeeded sounded better on the menu than my memories might suggest!

Cheese at Winteringham has always been a highlight and Chris who looks after the ‘chariot’ certainly knows his stuff and unlike the staff at QC last week knows exactly which cheese is which. Out of the 40 or so on offer i had some lincolnshire poacher, tomme, comte, tete du mois and a trickle-something cornish goats.

i retired to the conservatory for coffee, with thoughts that on previous visits i would now be looking forward to a large digestif and possibly a cigar, but today it was filter cofffee and petit fours, a textbook mini lemon tart, macaroons, choux buns etc.

i finally paid up and left after a chat with annie and co at about 4pm, a very, very convivial way to spend an afternoon.

it served to remind me how much i like this place, it is much better sampled as a big ALC, stay over experinence but that can be serious money, for £50 my lunch was a good taster, but unfortunately for the finances it has left me hankering for a big night out!

If you want to sample some of the best cooking, service and hospitality you will find in the UK, then you should forget le gavroche et al and head straight to winteringham, and remind yourself why it is you love restaurants so much.

check out www.winteringhamfields.com

gary