The Mucky Badger

Archive for January, 2010

Location & Photos

The Plough at Eathorpe,
Fosse Way, (Just off the B4455), At Eathorpe,
Nr Leamington Spa, Warwickshire,
Tel: 01926 632557 – (Opening Hours Only)

Review

Most weekends I find myself driving down the Fosse Way to Leamington Spa. If you know Warwickshire at all you’ll appreciate the beautiful rolling English countryside which is but a 5 minute drive from the modern concrete metropolis that is Coventry. The area holds much adventure and excitement for me because I’m still fairly new to the area so finding good places to dine adds to that experience.

This weekend I passed the Plough, as I do every weekend, only this weekend something spoke to me. It said “You’ve been driving down this road for months now and you still haven’t tried that place. Now look! Lunches £4.95…what more could you want?”

I was hungry. But it was Friday night and lunch was a long time off. So I vowed that this was to be the weekend I was to dine at the Plough. I’m glad I convinced myself.

Of course, as with all my predetermined places to eat I started the test that evening. As this is the first review of a place to eat let me tell you about how I intend to mark the places as I write this one.

First off, the question is, does the establishment have a website with a menu? The Plough does (http://www.plough-at-eathorpe.co.uk/) . It’s well designed and it ticks the menu box, but as the site says, the dishes are locally sourced and subject to change without notice. This is fine in my book as that makes the visit just that little bit more exciting. The menu is just the right size but I do note that there is a high dependency on cheese in dishes. This does prove problematic for some diners (especially my companion who is allergic to all dairy). None the less, there was a dish that suited her needs and many more to suit mine. There is also an evening menu available too containing similar dishes to those served at lunch with a few extras thrown in to boot. My companion and I were able to make our decisions that evening and the anticipation for lunch the following day grew.

The Plough passed the second test too. On arrival to the near empty car park, we were concerned that the place might not actually be serving, I guess this is how places go out of business as some people are intimidated by empty restaurants as there are some who are intimidated by full restaurants. But that isn’t the point winner. No, the points go to the warm welcome we received from the very friendly bar staff. We were shown to our seat and presented with an already familiar menu. However, my previous nights selection was not present on the lunch menu of the day but that is fine too as I do appreciate that meals are subject to ingredient supply and also to other factors.

The third test also won points. The men’s toilet  was very clean. It wasn’t the dining room at the Savoy Hotel but it was sufficient. There was no bad odour nor was there anything to suggest that the loos were neglected. This is an important thing in my view as the kitchen staff may well use that same toilet themselves and a clean toilet…well to me it means that the chef isn’t necessarily pissing in the soup.

Fourthly the food itself. I opted for the Whitebait and the Cod. My companion went for the Whitebait and the Stew.

The Whitebait – I adore whitebait. Someplaces do too much, others do too little for a very high price, but at £1.95 the amount I got at the plough was spot on. They were a little bit too well battered which made me think that they were from a freezer bag and the tartar sauce was just right too but could have been a little bit cheekier with the introduction of garlic. The dish was accompanied by a salad and a slice of lemon. Another improvement I would have made would probably have been a small chunk of homemade bread, but that’s me.

The Cod – The cod was presented in the menu as being cooked in their own beer batter, served with chips and with peas. The fish itself was a good size considering. Now I know some of you will be screaming “OMG! Think of the cod stocks man!” but I wanted to see if the cod was cod and I’m always keen to try out batter. I wasn’t disappointed. While the cod might have actually been pollock (it didn’t have the flavour of cod and was a bit too flakey) I wasn’t going to hold that against them. The batter was crisp and firm and the chips a delight and half. The peas, Birds Eye finest, but again, I wasn’t going to be too critical on that level.

The Beef Stew – The beef stew is served with potatoes, carrots, parsnips and a huge dumpling. I am pleased I didn’t opt for the stew though as I am not a big fan of parsnips, again, it would have been good to mention the foul beasts in the description on the menu, but I wasn’t eating it so I can’t fault them. My companion noted that with a quarter of a plate left to go she was already starting to feel very full and uncomfortable. This is a good sign and she definitely enjoyed the meal too.

Conclusion

The Plough at Eathorpe is a traditional English pub restaurant affair. Indeed, it is more of a country restaurant than a pub and it’s location on the Fosse Way (B4455) means that it is reliant on reputation and passing trade. It certainly deserves recommendation and a very prominent reputation for excellent food and service. Comparatively, other local eateries in which I have dined, such as the White Lion in Radford Semele and the Red Lion in Hunningham it provides good service and food for much less. Indeed, while the Red Lion in Hunningham boasts a much wider selection of local fayre, the Plough seems to go that little bit further, perhaps because of the peacefulness of the surroundings (the Red Lion’s pneumatic tube order delivery system does get annoying after a while).

In all, an very pleasant dining experience scoring an 86% score.

CV33 9DQ

The Plough at Eathorpe is one of those rural pubs that you drive past thinking “I must go there one day”. I finally got the chance to try out their wares on Saturday for lunch. All their ingredients are as locally sourced as possible and therefore fresh and tasty. However I was surprised to see cod on the menu. In all the Plough offers excellent food in pleasant and peaceful surroundings for a very reasonable price.

Review to follow

Baking bread is so wholesome it is a kin to that nice tingle you get after having a good poo.

It’s also just as simple.

For this recipe you will need:

1lb 2oz Strong White Flour
1oz Butter
1oz sugar
A little bit of salt
1tsp fast acting yeast
10fl oz warm water
About 2 tbsp of cinnamon
Some raisins or sultanas

In a bowl mix the flour with the butter, cinnamon, raisins, salt, yeast and sugar.

Make a little well in the centre of the mix.

Add the water.

Slowly work the water into the flour using a knife or your hands.

When you’ve made a nice pliable dough flop it onto your worktop (not your laptop) and knead well by rolling into a sausage shape with the palm of your hand, folding it in and rolling again.

Shape into whatever shape you are intending to bake and cover with a damp tea towel. Place in a nice warm area for an hour or two. Until it’s doubled in size.

Bake in a preheated oven at 230°C for 30 mins.

Allow to cool before serving.

Nom.

So I thought I’d start this food odyssey by cooking one of my favourite dishes.

Based on secret KFC recipe, my flour seasoning is now at Mark VI. It is an experimental dish and is very low cost. All you need are the following:

Chicken breast (local if possible)
Flour
Your spice collection
Italian Mixed Herbs
Milk
Oil for deep frying

Pour some milk into a bowl. If you are allergic to milk you might try soya milk or even egg, but I don’t recommend egg as the texture goes a bit odd.

In another bowl add a good amount of flour, not loads but enough.

Then go to your cupboard and raid your spice rack. As I said, this is very experimental. I’ve found that the spices you need to always stick with are powdered garlic, garam masala and curry powder. You may also want to add some cumin, mace and chilli powder.

Next attack your herbs. I found copious amounts of Italian Mixed Herbs helped, but consider also plenty of marjoram and maybe some fenugreek leaves (methi).

Mix the herbs and spices well into the flour. Use your fingers to work them in. At this point you can also add some salt and pepper if you like. I did and it does add to the flavour.

At this point you will want to heat your oil in a suitable saucepan or in a deep fat fryer. You want the fat to get nice and hot but not too hot or the flour will burn. Make sure there are no children about who might mistake the chip pan for some smarties or any elderly people who might want to throw the hot fat about the place and also, don’t stand on a chair to do this. You might have an accident and people will mock you for being stupid.

While the oil is heating dip your breast (the chicken one) into the milk. Then dip the wet breast into the flour. Make sure the flour coats the breast well.

Repeat the dipping process. Into the milk. Then into the flour.

And again.

And again.

Right, that should be enough. Ensure your fat is at the right temperature and carefully lower your breast (again the chicken one) into the fat. Allow to cook for 4-6 minutes.

Take the cooked chicken breast out of the fat. Chuck it onto some paper to drain before serving on a plate with plenty of chipped potatoes. Indeed, if you cook the chips first, you can keep them warm in the oven, or vice versa, but I suggest you do the chips first as the chicken might go soggy in the oven.

And there you have it. Tasty deep fried chicken. Cheaper than KFC. And you could serve it in a box if you really wanted that authentic experience. Or let it go cold and give it to a passing motorist.

Brilliant