The
Pheasant at Keyston, Cambridgeshire
Clifford
Mould found a mixed bag of
cooking in a rather upmarket
country inn
The
Pheasant is one of a group of
four inn restaurants on the edge
of East Anglia. They're owned
by John Hoskins, who holds a
rare and elusive qualification,
that of Master of Wine. The Pheasant
is all thatch and oak beams,
and unlike The
Hoste Arms or The
Crooked Billet, which we
also reviewed on this trip, the
atmosphere throughout is more
restaurant than pub. The large
bar area can be used for more
casual eating, and an informal
approach is the keynote. We were
greeted by a cheery restaurant
manager who ensured that the
quality of service remained high
during our visit.
The
chef is Clive Dixon, who has
a track record of country house
hotel cooking, including the
much vaunted Lords of the Manor
at Upper Slaughter. We
liked his crab served on a colourful
cucumber jelly, and his pan-fried
ox tongue was a welcome change,
but sadly obscured by a rather
too fresh horseradish dressing
applied to a nice fennel salad.
Macho vindaloo fans would probably
love it. The steak tartare was
good and coarse in texture, it
doesn't want to look like mince,
and the goat's cheese salad was
a good rendition of this perennial
favourite, but its greenery had
also been bullied into submission
by more of the rampant horserubbish.
The
meat for our rib-eye steaks(£13.50)
was well sourced and served simply
but properly (exactly as
asked for, rare) with marvellous "fat
chips" that are a byword
locally - we were told by our
hosts that we simply had
to try them. Eat your tiny hearts
out, French Fries! By contrast,
some of the dishes are ultra
modern. There was an extraordinary
post-modernist deconstructed "Shepherd's
Pie", (£13.95) complete
with inverted commas to signal
its arch-voguishness. The main
components were lambs' kidneys
and sweetbreads (great!) circling
warily around a centrepiece of
both mash and disembodied pie-crust
(silly!). I had the shin of beef,
which I expected to be in a stew
of some sort, but this was a
generous round of beef that had
been welded back together into
the shape of a tournedos topped
with mushrooms complete with
a slick and tasty reduction.
I
liked the sound of strawberry
trifle with lavender custard
and pistachio biscotti, but was
less then delighted at the kiddie's
concoction that arrived looking
like one of those layered coloured
sand souvenirs from Alum Bay.
The custard did not taste of
lavender and there was jelly in
it! Aaagh! Heresy!! For the authentic
and unadulterated experience,
take a look at Simon Hopkinson's
recipe in the Prawn Cocktail
Years. But the strawberry
sorbet and biscotti were both
excellent, as was the lemon crème
brulée with rhubarb sorbet. The
desserts are priced £5.95, and
I checked out others on their
way to neighbouring tables and
they looked very well made. I
expect there are many diners
who love the Alum Bay aberration.
As you'd
expect from an MW owner, the
wine list is extensive, and John
Hoskins has been adept at hunting
out bargains so there are plenty
of good ideas under £20. Amongst
the dessert wine selection I
was delighted to see Sherries
from Lustau. Where else could
you get a glass of San Emilio
PX for three quid? We indulged
ourselves gratefully.
The
Pheasant, Keyston, Huntingdon,
Cambridgeshire PE18 0RE
Tel: 01832
710241
The
Huntsbridge group also operate The
Falcon at Fotheringhay, The
Three Horseshoes at Maddingley
and The Old Bridge Hotel at
Huntingdon. For more information
email office@huntsbridge.co.uk
