We’re officially in the middle of game season here in the United Kingdom and for those who enjoy the sport of shooting, or for those who enjoy indulging in the delicious game that comes from shooting, this time of the year is warmly welcomed. Well, as warmly welcomed as it can be with the bitter breeze in the air at the moment.
Most will say it’s the season for comfort food and we’d be lying if we didn’t agree! Game pot pies or warm breast of pigeon on sour dough toast are just a couple of ways that you can enjoy the delicious delicacies that this time of year brings.
Here at the Potager Restaurant, our head chef David Smith and his team love using local produce and utilise all of the ingredients that are grown in our very own Potager Garden. So for this season’s special, David has created a delicious pheasant dish that uses pheasant sourced locally from Chilgrove – and seeing as we quite like our pheasants running about Crouchers Orchards estate, we thought we’d leave them be! The supplier in Chilgrove is also just a small family run farm and as we’re a family run independent business ourselves, we know and understand the importance of supporting local and independent businesses – especially at this time of year.
Although we’re sourcing the pheasants locally and many people believe that pheasants are native to Britain, they actually originate from Asia and the nearest genuine wild pheasants to Britain can be found in Romania. It was said that the Roman’s brought the pheasants to Britain and that they were quite common by the 15th century.
Nowadays, you see them everywhere throughout the countryside and as pheasant is one of David’s favourite game to cook with, it would be silly if it wasn’t our new Thursday special. So, with his team, David has created the delicious dish of roast pheasant on the bone with braised cabbage and pancetta, confit potato and a superb Champagne and pheasant jus to be the star of our brand new special at the Potager Restaurant. You can wash it down with a gorgeous glass of our house Merlot for just £17pp at either lunch or dinner every Thursday until the 31st January. It sure does sound like a tasty way to warm up this winter!
However, if pheasant isn’t your thing or you just don’t fancy it, then you can still dine from our seasonal a la carte menu where you can indulge in dishes such as roast fillet of hake with new potatoes, spinach and a tasty crab sauce. Or perhaps you feel like some good old fashioned comfort food? Take a look at our Bar Bites menu that includes Cumberland sausages and mash with a rich onion gravy that’s sure to satisfy your hunger and put a smile on your face. But maybe you’ve got a sweet tooth and fancy 2 courses for just £19pp from our set menu, where you can choose to finish on a sweet note with our classic vanilla crème brulee or warm plum flan served with stem ginger ice cream.
Find out more or book your table for Pheasant Thursdays online here or the old fashioned way by picking up the phone and calling us on 01243 784995.
