As a lover of fine food, The Cowshed has long been on my radar as one of the very best local restaurants. In fact, my friends and I have enjoyed many amazing meals at the venue over the years, so I was delighted when I heard that I’d be heading to the long-established restaurant to complete my next review.
As I made arrangements to book a table, it dawned on me just how long it had been since I last paid a visit. The Cowshed moved from its original location in Clive Road, Pattingham to the former Horns of Boningale site back in 2022 and I realised that I’d not visited since the move! My excuse? Having two young children really does limit the time you have to dine out!
So, although I knew to expect amazing food, it would be a surprise to see what The Cowshed’s owners Will and Caroline have done to put their stamp on the landmark building. I was long overdue a catch-up with one of my closest friends, Tara, so naturally I invited her to join me.
On the way to the restaurant, Tara enthused about her recent dining experience at the Cowshed. She’d been for a special meal out with her mom only the week before and they’d both had a fabulous time, and, from what she told me, it was clear that the team at the restaurant hadn’t lost their touch!
Feeling hungry after a very long day at work, we arrived at the restaurant eager to get our hands on the menu. As we stepped inside we were greeted by the friendly team and lead to our seats in the beautifully decorated restaurant that’s complete with a stunning open fireplace. The décor is a perfect combination of traditional and modern design, with the building’s original features left intact to be admired.
Exuding charm, the spacious room offered the perfect setting for the superior dining experience that was to come. The menu boasts a selection of carefully-constructed modern British dishes that have been lovingly created by Head Chef, Joe Whitehouse using an array of locally sourced ingredients.
There was an impressive choice of starters on the menu, including: ‘Roasted parsnip and apple soup with sourdough and salted butter’ £7.50, ‘Creamy garlic mushrooms with toasted sourdough, truffle dressed leaves, parmesan shavings and a balsamic glaze’ £8.50 and ‘Honeyed chipolatas wrapped in streaky smoked bacon with a tomato and chilli jam’ £9.
Tara opted for the mouth-watering ‘Chicken liver parfait with toasts and a red onion chutney’ £9.50 and I couldn’t resist and the ‘Pan seared king prawns in garlic, ginger and chilli butter with crispy ciabatta’ £13.
Although it was still early in the evening, the restaurant was steadily filling-up with diners who seemed just as keen as we were to get a taste of the amazing menu at The Cowshed.
With our orders placed, we were treated to a complimentary cup of flavoursome and delicious tomato soup, which not only perfectly ‘filled the gap’ whilst we waited for our starters to be served but also offered the ideal introduction to the incredible dishes to come.
Our starters were artistically presented and tasted utterly amazing. The prawns were expertly cooked, succulent and bursting with flavour and Tara explained that the chicken liver parfait was everything that she’d hoped for: rich, velvety-smooth and complete with an unbeatable savoury taste.
The Cowshed has built an enviable reputation on the quality of its food over the last two decades, and my starter proved that restaurant is still at the top of its game.
With such a fantastic opening, we couldn’t wait to move onto the main course, but, when a menu is this good it’s never easy coming to a decision.
The mains simply had something for everyone: ‘Oven roasted duck breast with dauphinoise potatoes, garlic French beans, and a port jus’ £29.50 and ‘Parma ham wrapped chicken breast with wild mushrooms, spinach, breaded potato cake and a rich brandy cream sauce’ £24.50, to name a few.
Tara deliberated for a long time before deciding to choose: Pan roasted pork belly with black pudding croquette, honey roasted carrots, green bean medley, sweet apple and sage puree and a sticky cider sauce £25.50, whereas I quickly selected the ‘Pan seared seabass fillets with a red pepper and courgette medley, crispy sauteed potatoes, and a champagne cream sauce, finished with parmesan and truffle oil’ £27.
Tara wasted no time devouring her main course and she couldn’t help but enthuse about the tender pork belly, crispy crackling and mouthwatering blend of sweet and savoury tastes.
The seabass was simply the best I’d ever had! A perfect thin crust gave way to tender, delicate, flaky fish which was perfectly accompanied by the champagne cream sauce and of course, the red pepper and courgette medley.
Throughout the evening we were well-taken care of by an ever-attentive waiting team, who ensured that our drinks remained full and that we had everything that we needed.
When it came to dessert, we both knew that we probably shouldn’t indulge in a sweet treat as we’d been working hard to stick to our diets since January, but with food this special there was no way that we’d let some New Year’s resolutions get in the way of a pudding that’s simply too good to resist.
Spoilt for choice, we wondered whether to pick ‘Cowshed raspberry cheesecake with ginger biscuit crumb and raspberry ripple ice cream’ £8.50, ‘Cowshed apple crumble with salted toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream’ £8 or maybe even the ‘Belgium banoffee waffle with fresh banana, salted caramel sauce, crushed praline and vanilla ice cream’ £8.
Eventually Tara chose the tempting ‘Lemon posset with lemon curd, winter berry compote and lavender shortbread’ £8, I was keen to indulge my sweet tooth with ‘Cowshed brownie with steeped cherries, honeycomb, chocolate sauce and cherry ice-cream’ £8.50.
The desserts tasted as delightful as they looked and were well worth the additional calories! Proving that their sweet dishes were equal to their savoury creations, the culinary team at The Cowshed had truly amazed us with every course. In fact, I’d forgotten just how good the restaurant’s food really is.
So, there’s no excuses from now on, I will be making the time to return to the restaurant again, very soon!
Call: 07495 435456 or visit: www.thecowshedrestaurant.co.uk for more information and to book.
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