Review: Dinner at River Cottage Canteen

Winchester seems to have a vast number of new restaurants popping up left-right and centre; Cote, Rick Stein and Wagamamas are all set to move in. The most recent, opening just last week in Abbey Gardens, is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Canteen.

 

Having been invited to eat at The Cottage for a pre-opening dry-run, I was very excited to see what they’d done to a building that I’d seen stand empty and unused for so long.

Upon arrival we were met at the door by charming waiting staff who escorted us to the perfect table overlooking the predominance of the restaurant. What was in danger of being a very cold building has been draped in the most beautiful rope lights that show bare filament glowing yellow; the light and candles bounce off white walls and creates an atmosphere of warmth and happiness which is only accentuated by smiley, chatty staff who are happy to advise and suggest dishes. 

Our waiter, Henry, was friendly, happy and knew everything that he should have. His personal recommendations were useful throughout the night and made the whole experience more personable.  It was really nice to go to a nice event but there be an undeniable chilled-out feeling; no one was stressing out or panicking or hovering. 

The menu was larger than expected seven dishes to start, seven for mains, three sharing boards and the choice of six side dishes. Unfortunately (for me) I don’t eat fish and the menu was quite fish heavy, but for anyone else I imagine having the choice was wonderful – everything I saw coming out of the kitchen, including Fish, looked wonderfully presented and very generously portioned. I had the beef brisket which was delightful and still so wonderfully pink in the middle and James has the Wild Boar Chop which needs a steak knife but is beautifully cooked none the less.

 On a wall near our table was a little chalk board which sported the local produce companies – it was nice to know, really nice actually, that people care where their food is coming from. If anyone has seen Hugh’s River Cottage television show, you’ll know how hot he is on local and responsible sourcing. Brimfield’s vegetables is just one of the companies that River Cottage is sourcing produce from – Brimfield’s sell all different kinds of fruits and vegetables as well as a vast variety of bread and eggs (sourced locally and ethically) and have set up shop in Kingsworthy, so not far at all! 

Other flavours and food stuffs that seemed quite popular throughout the River Cottage night were pumpkins and squashes; peppering the menu with autumnal flavours as well as apple and elderflower flavourings stocking up the bar in their own Apple & Elderflower Champagne, Apple Mojitos and more. 

Whilst on the subject of the bar, I’d like to jump-up-and-down praising River Cottage for sourcing local ale too; not just local ale but Saxon Bronze - a local ale made by one man entirely on his own.  Steve used to work for the Flower Pots Brewery in Cheriton that has given us Gooden’s Gold, Perridge Pale and more. Now, he works on his own at his King Alfred’s Brewery in Winall, Winchester brewing his ales less than two miles away from River Cottage.  His Saxon Bronze is so popular that he sometimes struggles to keep up with the demand, other times he has enough spare time to whip up some of his Winchester Pale Ale which is equally as well received. 

Dessert was probably my favourite part of the night – I don’t often eat desserts, but when I do I like to choose carefully. Spoilt for choice at River Cottage we shared the Lavender Pannacotta that came with autumn raspberries, wood sorrel and vanilla shortbread AND we also had some salted caramel ice cream on the side. Salted Caramel by Jude’s Ice Cream is also a cleverly sourced product – Jude’s is from Winchester and there are currently six magnificent flavours. For a company started by one man, who named his company after his wife, they’ve done miraculously! The pannacotta was perfect; again the portioning was huge (I am NOT complaining) and we could only just finish. The lavender flavour was just right and was far from the overwhelming soapy taste you can sometimes get. 

Overall, I had a wonderful time. The guests all seemed happy and excited to see what was in store for them and that’s one of the nicest things – locals being excited about local business that use local produce.  Would I go back? For sure, I’ve already booked a table for my Graduation day so my parents and grandmother can enjoy it too. My Nan’s very opinionated so we’ll see what she makes of it!

So, to everyone at River Cottage especially Henry, Becky and Mark – thank you for a wonderful night. We’ll be back soon and we’re telling everyone how great you are.