The Kingham Plough, again!

A little gem found in the countryside within Cotswolds. My friend and I have dined here before in 2011.

We enjoyed our last experience in the Kingham Plough and thought that the food was fantastic where local resources were used and the fresh ingredients well utilised.

Despite recent reviews (on Tripadvisor), some good, lots bad, I decided to bring my parents there based on my previous experience.

This pub/restaurant serves food which is a cross between fine-dining and pub grub. Food you normally find in a pub, carefully decorated like one can find in a fine-dining restaurant.

Outside the Pub

On the table

The tables were presented in a rustic way, like you would find in some of Jamie Oliver's restaurants.

Lager

Bread and Butter

Nothing better than nice warm bread with a big spread of creamy butter to start the evening.


For starters.....

Cockle and Sweetcorn Chowder with New Potatoes

We had the cockle and sweetcorn chowder with new potatoes. It came beautifully presented with a pot of fragrant chowder and a colourful array of yellow sweetcorn, green parsley, little cubes of new potatoes and dainty cockles.

Chowder

The cockles were very fresh and the sweetness of sweetcorn subtlely coming through the light and fresh chowder.


Then for the main course.......

Madgett's Farm Chicken Breast, Sweetcorn and Baconstuffed Leg, Hash Brown and Alan's Stick Beans

The chicken breast was well seasoned, soft and tender with a nice crisp skin. The stuffed chicken leg was really juicy and sweet with a smoky and salty flavour coming from the bacon. I loved the hashbrown made with lots and lots of thin potato strips then fried into a biscuit, giving a very crisp texture!

Poached Cornish Haddock, Smoked Haddock Fritter, Samphire and Butter Sauce

The poached haddock was really fresh and nicely cooked through. The fritter was an absolute delight, fried to perfection with a very tasty batter which gave a nice crisp.

And the star of the night......

Rump of Hereford Beef, Horseradish Butter, Triple Cooked Chips and Daylesford Leave

Rump of Hereford Beef topped with a big round slab of horseradish butter (melting on the hot steak), served with triple cooked chips!

Medium-cooked

We ordered the steak to be medium-cooked. The chargrilled steak was very juicy, tender, sweet and had a fragrant 'BBQ-smoky' flavour. The rich and creamy butter melting on the steak was just the perfect compliment and one would not need any sauce of any kind to enjoy this steak!


The chips, TRIPLE COOKED CHIPS, were mmmmmmmm.........mmmmmmmmmmm......mmmmmmmm......delicious!

If you have watched Heston Blumenthal cook triple chips on TV before, you will know what I mean.

A super crispy outer layer that goes 'crack, crack, crack' as you take each bite, with a super fluffy and soft inside. This is what I call the most delicious chips you will every try!

We thoroughly enjoyed our food within a light-hearted and relaxed environment!

The English Country - Cotswolds

On our second day in the beautiful Cotswolds, we visited several towns and villages and decided to have English cream tea in one of the many tea shops in Stow on the Wold.

St Edwards Hall, Stow on the Wold

After a big English breakfast at the hotel, we decided to have a light lunch. So we went to one of the many tearooms/coffee-shops in the village to have a proper English tea.

Egg and Watercress Sandwich

The egg and watercress sandwich I had was delightfully light and tasty. The egg was well boiled, seasoned and creamy with mayonnaise.

Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam

The fruit scones were nicely baked, risen well and warm with sweet fruits dotted through them. A big slab of clotted cream and a big slab of strawberry jam on the scones was just simply delicious! That's what I like about English afternoon tea.

Stow on the Wold

Then we went visiting a fairy-tale like, pretty village called Lower Slaughter, which is part of The Slaughters in Cotswolds. We also visited Bourton on the Water, which is next to The Slaughters. Another beautiful town with lots to see like the Birdsland, a perfumery museum and a motor museum.

Then it was time to feed ourselves again and we went to this very nice country pub restaurant in Chipping Norton.

The Masons Arms

The Masons Arms (recommended by The Good Food Guide) looked everything like an average pub, but it also offers a very beautiful room for fine dining next to the bar.

A very warm and inviting place with a nice ambience.


To start......

Basil Gnocchi, Roasted cherry tomatoes and Truffle soup

The truffle soup was thick, creamy and well seasoned. It had a really rich, acidic flavour of tomatoes running through it and the fragrance of truffle peaking through.

The basil gnocchi in the soup was very fragrant and beautiful with the strong notes of spice from the basil.

A very nice starter to increase one's appetite for the next course!

Poached loin of rabbit, carrot and orange soup, carrot rappee

The poached loin of rabbit was well executed with a very good combination of flavours from the sweet and acidic carrot and orange soup.

The rabbit meat was nice,soft and tender and the carrot rappee gave a nice crunch to the dish.


To follow......

Pan roasted breast of Gressingham duck, fondant potatoes, honey glazed baby onions, red cabbage

My housemate's second duck dish in two days!

The duck this evening was well cooked (not as pink as the day before's) and not too tough, the meat retained its juiciness and was well seasoned.

The potato fondant was rich and buttery but tasted a little bit bland and could have been better if the edges were browned a little bit more.

The red cabbage was well cooked (much better than the day before's) and complimented the duck dish really well.

Pan roasted fillet of venison with mustard crust, spiced pear & blueberry vinaigrette, roast new potatoes

The venison dish was beautifully presented.

The spiced pear was sweet, soft and had the wonderful flavours of spice. The blueberry vinaigrette was thick and rich with its acidity cutting through the strong taste of venison meat.

I loved every bit of this dish but the main ingredient of this dish was a bit disappointing. Although the venison was medium cooked, I found it rather tough and dry.


To finish......

Vanilla creme brulee and raspberry sorbet

The vanilla creme brulee was amazingly delicious. It was light and creamy with a very well balanced vanilla flavour to it and the raspberry sorbet was wonderfully sour.

A very nice dessert to end the meal after a heavy main course.

Lime Posset with cherry compote

The lime posset was wonderfully citrussy and had set very well. It was thick and creamy, a dash of that sweet cherry compote with each mouthful of the refreshing lime posset was just perfect!

I was pleasantly surprised with such fine food being served in pubs dotted around the beautiful country of the Cotswolds!

The English Country - Kingham, Cotswolds

Cotswolds is "one of the most 'quintessentially English' and unspoiled regions of England, UK." 


It is also "the country's largest officially designated 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty'".

Cotswolds is not only an area of outstanding natural beauty, it also provides outstanding food with sources from many farms in the area!

On our first evening in Cotswolds, we drove 17 miles to a lovely old pub that offers fine dining - The Kingham Plough. This pub is one of the '16 things not to miss' according to The Rough Guide to The Cotswolds!

Inside the pub

A lovely village pub with simple and contemporary but warm ambience. Warmth emitting from a beautiful fireplace with real logs burning that gives out a very nice wood smell.

Fireplace

Complimentary bread and butter

After we placed our order, we were served a complimentary bread with butter served on a wooden chopping board which makes it look very rustic.

The bread was warm with a crispy crunch to the outside and surprisingly soft and stringy inside where the gluten had perfectly worked in a well made dough. A spread of cold, rich and smooth butter on the bread is just perfect!

Upside down foraged mushroom tart, Hereford snails and parsley foam

When the starters arrived, we were greeted with two very beautiful and nicely presented plates of food made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients!

The upside down foraged mushroom tart looked like mushrooms on a bed of grass with some leaves on the ground. The parsley foam was technically well-executed and flavoured the snails really well.

The foraged mushroom tart was very well seasoned and stuffed with different kinds of mushrooms which gave it different textures and flavours.

Confit duck leg partridge terrine, local quince cheese on toast, pickled quince

The confit of duck leg partridge terrine looked amazingly appetizing too. The terrine was very well seasoned and full of flavours.

The sweetness of duck meat complimented with the fruit-like sweetness of the pickled quince was very delicious.

The toast was also very unique. The toast was perfectly toasted with a nice crunch to it and the quince cheese sandwiched in between was nicely sweet and thick (imagine the jam in Jammie Dodgers biscuits). Mouth-watering delicious!

Slow cooked belly and cheek of Tamworth pork with shallot custard and black cabbage

This duo of pork dish was delicious beyond description! First mouthful of that slow cooked pork belly with the wonderfully reduced sauce was just heavenly!

The belly was very tender that it almost melted instantly in my mouth and the sauce was so tasty and rich in flavours.

The pork cheek was perfectly cooked (not overcooked that it breaks into pieces and not undercooked that it becomes tough) and the sweet and fragrant shallot custard with slightly sour black cabbage was just so delightful.

The pork crackling was of course wonderfully crunchy. Even the curly kale was well seasoned and nicely cooked.

The chef's attention to tiny details of the whole dish was just amazing!

Breast and leg of mallard and celeriac fondant with braised red cabbage

Mallard, as I learnt from a TV show, is a wild duck.

Starting with the vegetable, the broccoli was very fresh, sweet and had a really nice crunch to it.

The mallard breast was pink, a bit too pink for my friend's liking though, but very nicely seasoned and well complimented with the celeriac fondant.

The braised red cabbage was a bit like the Eastern Europe's sauerkraut, good flavours despite my housemate finding it a bit too soft. A little of crunch would have given another dimension of texture to it.

Overall, a well executed dish with very good flavours!

Divine chocolate and salted caramel millionaires shortbread

Finally, to end the meal was the pub's own chocolate creation to collaborate with chocolate week.

Diving chocolate and salted caramel millionaires shortbread was indeed divine, dark, smooth and rich!

The dark chocolate ice-cream was very nicely bitter and sweet with some crunchy crushed biscuits at the bottom, creating a very good combination of textures and tastes.

The ball of chocolate resting on top of the shortbread had a surprise of white chocolate mousse on the inside which was sweet but not sickeningly sweet.

A very sweet and rich dessert perfect for anyone with a very sweet tooth!

This is what I call pub grub with a difference!