Gastropubs of the South West

When the majority of people reading this started going out for a drink or a meal as part of their social lives, things were simple: there were pubs and there were restaurants. You could get a meal in the former as long as it was a ploughman’s or it was served, for some bizarre reason, in a basket - and you could, if you were feeling unimaginative, order a bottle of beer in the latter. When you think about it now, it was obvious that a fusion of pub and restaurant would eventually take place. 

This article as it appeared in the RAW Food & Drink PR pages of the Western Morning News

Enter: the gastropub. A term invented in the early 1990s when a pub called The Eagle at Farringdon in London began making a name for its exceptionally good food. Three decades later you could argue that most public houses have reinvented themselves as gastropubs. Today I know of only a handful of establishments in the West Country which major on booze and serve no cooked food whatsoever - the rest have menus, dedicated staff and kitchens, even if they do not set out to win foodie awards. 

Which, given the overall number of pubs involved, makes it all the more remarkable that Devon and Cornwall now boast no fewer than seven establishments in the official UK listing of the Top 50 Gastropubs. 

The results of the annual Estrella Damm Gastropub Awards were announced this week and one industry spokesman commented: “When you consider the relatively small population of the far South West and set that against the millions who live in cities where going out at night is part of everyday life, it is really impressive that Devon and Cornwall can notch up seven gastropubs in the top 50…”

The recent Estrella Damm Gastropub Awards

Which is why (despite the fact that none of the establishments mentioned are represented by RAW Food and Drink PR for whom I work) we put together this special feature celebrating how fortunate we are to have so much good food on our doorsteps. I say that as a Somerset lad, but the way, a county which alas does not have a showing in the Estrella Top 50.

Without more ado, let’s name the seven and their placings… 

Top of the West Country gastropubs and coming in at the UK’s Number Nine there’s The Mariners at Rock. This is followed in 14th place by The Cornish Arms at Tavistock. The Pyne Arms at East Down near Barnstaple comes in at 17; The Mason Arms, Knowstone is in 22nd place; The Swan at Bampton, 25; The Five Bells Inn, Cullompton, 34; The St Kew Inn, Bodmin, 35; and The Cadeleigh Arms, Tiverton, 48.

So does the term “gastropub” have some kind of official definition? Michael Belben and David Eyre, the guys who set up The Eagle back in 1991, said their dream was to  offer a “casual, good value approach” to dining using top quality ingredients which, until that time, could only be found in expensive restaurants.

A spokesperson for William Reed, the company which stages the Estrella Damm Awards, commented: “Arguably, the gastropub sector was given a further shot in the arm by the smoking ban. With customer habits radically altered and people turning away from ‘wet-led’ venues, preferring to drink and smoke at home, pubs started to have to embrace new sources of revenue, and food started to play a much bigger role.

“Nowadays, the gastropub market is vibrant and booming, with top end chefs offering fine, Michelin-starred dining experiences in a pub environment, through to more traditional but high quality pub classics, all of which is represented in the Top 50 Gastropub’s list.”

She explained: “The list is created by an academy of several hundred judges spread throughout the UK who vote for their top three gastropubs from those they have visited in the past year - votes are then tallied to produce our top 50 list. The academy is made up of food industry experts, chefs, operators, food writers and journalists, all of whom keep a close eye on the market and trends.”

The wonderful Masons Arms at Knowestone, just south of Exmoor

The annual awards ceremony is organised by the publican’s publication, The Morning Advertiser, which says the top 50 is the definitive list of the best gastropubs in Britain.

Speaking from his waterside gastropub at Rock, Paul Ainsworth commented: “When Emma and I refurbished The Mariners our goal was to create a special place for locals and visitors alike to meet and enjoy great pub food, while soaking up the beautiful view and making happy memories. 

“The Mariners team is passionate about delivering great food and service, so to have our pub included in such a prestigious award for the third year running, particularly against such incredible competition, is truly humbling.”   

Paul Ainsworth (left) among the gastropub winners

Chef Olivier Certain who produces stunning dishes at The Masons Arms, Knowstone, told me: “We are delighted to be included once more in the top 50 Estrella Damn list this year - it’s such a privilege and honour to be ranked number 22 and has given the whole team a massive boost for 2022 after the past two years of challenges. 

“Last year we were listed 44, so we climbed 22 places which is an amazing achievement!”

Donna and paul Berry at The Swan, Bampton

Bampton’s chef-patron Paul Berry, who co-owns The Swan with his wife and fellow award-winning chef, Donna, said: “We can’t believe we have made the Gastropub top 50 list for the sixth year running and we’ve come in at number 25, especially after such a rollercoaster two years. We’re so proud and would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to our dedicated and hardworking team, who we couldn’t do this without.”

So, this is only the briefest look at the region’s top foodie inns, but perhaps we all should be doing a little more dining out this year once the pandemic is finally clear. Like everything else in life, it’s a use it, or lose it situation and there will be a great many of us who rejoice in the idea that you can dine as well in the West Country today as you can in any metropolitan city in the land.  

RECIPES

Ham hock Scotch eggs, with pickled chicory and blue cheese - as served at The Cornish Arms, Tavistock

Ingredients

4 x Eggs

200g Diced cooked ham

160g Sausage meat

40g Grated parmesan

1 x Egg yolk

2 x Hearts of chicory

100ml White wine

100ml White wine vinegar

100ml Water

100g Caster sugar

Sea salt

Black pepper

Pané

200g Plain flour

2 Eggs (with a splash of milk)

600g Panko bread crumbs

To serve

80-100g Blue cheese

Micro herbs

Red mustard frills

Red vein sorel

Method

First, bring a pan of water to the boil and have a bowl of ice water close by. Lower the eggs and boil for 6 minutes. Then place the eggs into the ice water and allow to chill for at least 5 minutes. While waiting for these, combine the sausage meat, parmesan, ham and egg yolk and season with a little black pepper. Once mixed well, leave to stand in the fridge. 

Slice the chicory at the root end, releasing the leaves. Discard the outer/discoloured ones leaving the inner leaves. Place these in a deep narrow container. Bring the wine, vinegar, water and sugar to the boil, once the sugar is dissolved pour over the chicory leaves making sure you completely cover and press down so that the leaves are totally submerged. Cling film and allow to stand at an ambient temperature.

By this time the eggs should be chilled. Gently peel by cracking the shells on the side of the bowl.

Remove the meat from the fridge and split into 4 (around 90g per egg) form each piece into a rough circle and form around the egg, taking care not to squash/break the egg. Once smoothed round, place each egg first into flour, then beaten egg and then bread crumb. Then repeat the egg and bread crumbs once more. This acts as an extra protection when deep frying the egg to allow the meat to cook and not split open.

We use panko style bread crumbs for the pané as they do not take on the grease and remain dry / crispy. When dipping in the egg mix, shake off excess and avoid unevenly shaped/thicker breaded areas.

Now the scotch egg and chicory are ready, deep fry the scotch eggs, lowering them gently into a deep fat fryer at 190ºc for 4 minutes. If you don’t have a deep fat fryer, you could use a heavy based sauce pan with enough oil to submerge half the egg and continually move with a slotted spoon taking great care – this would take a little longer to cook, about 6-7 minutes.

To serve

Dress your plate with a few pieces of blue cheese, drained chicory leaves and micro cress. Use a serrated knife to cut the egg in half, season the yolk with fresh black pepper and sea salt.

Treacle tart recipe - from The Swan, Bampton

It’s that time of year, when a bit of comfort is needed. Here’s one of our favourite recipes to try – treacle tart.

Pastry ingredients

250g of unsalted butter

175g of icing sugar

450g of plain flour

1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

How to make it

Place the butter in a bowl and beat until creamy.

Gently add the icing sugar and mix.

Add the salt and vanilla extract and add 50 grams of flour. Add the beaten egg a bit at a time. Add the flour in again a bit at a time until crumbs form. Wrap the pastry in cling film, lightly pat with your hands and place in the fridge and rest for 2 hours. Blind bake until crisp like shortbread for 25 mins at 160°c.

Filling – what you’ll need

120g of unsalted butter

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

6 tble spoons of double cream

250g of brown breadcrumbs

Good pinch of salt

2 tins of 900g golden syrup

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan until it starts to go a nut-brown colour, then take off the heat. Mix the egg, egg yolk, cream and salt in a bowl.

Heat the syrup gently for a few minutes until hot. Add the brown butter. Then the creamed eggs followed by the breadcrumbs. Mix well then pour the mixture into the tart case. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes at 160°c then reduce the temperature to 140°C and cook for a further 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.