Perfil de Herry Lawford

Despite being from Hampshire, I had never been to Mottisfont, and went on a beautiful winter’s day more for the cafe than the house, but enjoyed it all. The cafe is entered through the side of the house facing the river, and one passes two fabulously ancient plane trees, one with the widest girth in England. The heart of the Old Kitchen cafe is indeed the old kitchen, a large and light room with a huge table in the middle art which many can sit comfortably. But if one wants to eat separately, here are three other room to eat in. The food is amazingly good and is freshly prepared for each order. Pride of place goes to a delicious cheese and vegetable bake that was so good that the chef was persuaded to bring out the recipe. The gammon was also very tasty and came with and absolutely huge selection of vegetables, some on the plate and some in a separate dish. After that we couldn’t eat any of the traditional puddings on offer but had a gorgeous piece of millionaires shortbread and very good coffee (expresso of course). There are jams and other foodstuffs to buy and take away, and more in the excellent shop in the stables, but the cafe stole the show and can be highly recommended.

Having eaten here a couple of years ago and reported on good food but disorganised service, I returned recently for lunch and had a wonderful meal. The restaurant is in the middle of nowhere and you almost rush past it on a nondescript piece of road just north of Highclere Castle, but turning into its ample parking areas, the smart cars there seem to have simply driven a few miles from the Peat Spade, another great inn.

This time it wasn’t full and the service was far better, but the food and drink weren’t just good but exceptional, and extremely reasonable to boot. We started with a glass of house white – a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc which was delicious – and some very good bread and unsalted butter. I had the mussels and clams in a white wine broth which come daily up from Cornwall, and I can declare that they were the best I have ever tasted. The mussels were so fat and full that the dish could have made a meal on its own, while the clams, as ever, added a subtly the taste of the sea. The onion-rich broth was perfect and almost got finished!

We then had the fish and chips, which came perfectly presented and was exceptionally delicious. One could perhaps quibble that twice or thrice cooked chips would have been even better, but these were crispy outside and fluffy inside, with a small dish of mushy peas to underline the fact that the dish was supposed to be authentic and not ersatz Belgian. Liver and bacon was pink and perfect, and could hardly have been bettered. A lemon posset followed, which was a good way of cleansing the palate after such a fine meal. I can’t recommend The Yew Tree highly enough for lunch, especially with a bill (without service) of only £42 for two. There is wi-fi in the bar.

Bless Google yet again for leading us to Androuet. My friend, an inveterate cheese-hound – had been extolling the virtues of the original Audrouet in Paris – where she had eaten thirty years before and had a book of cheeses published by them. But although we discovered that the Paris shop no longer includes a restaurant, we also found that Androuet had opened in Spitalfields Market and within days we had booked and visited.
It was superb! Others such as cathbyron have commented knowledgeably about the shop and I won’t add anything to their praise except to agree, but next door in the tiny restaurant we had the most lovely meal. The duck’s egg, cheese, rosti and mushroom dish was absolutely delicious, while the burger, topped with a gorgeous blue cheese, was faultless and extremely tasty. We also had glasses of a such a fine organic sparking rose Pinot Grigio that we decided to buy a case for Christmas. Although the coffee machine wasn’t working and the service time is quite long as everything is cooked from scratch, we were well looked after by the French staff. Next time, we’d place our order and then browse the cheese shop while it was prepared.

One of the best specialist cheese shops in London. Strong in all regions including the UK

I am only going to mention one of the lines they carry, and that in a whisper…..the Barilla Sfoglia di Grano crackers. They are pure, light, crisp and flaky salted delights, with or without cheese.

We went to the Jetty on a friend’s recommendation and weren’t disapointed even though Alex the chef wasn’t cooking that day. It was one of the best meals we had had in Hampshire and they excel at souffles. We had the lobster souffle as a starter which was absolutely delicious – a creamy lobster bisque-type sauce and a richly seafood flavoured body. The fruits de mer were exquisite, served properly with mayonnaise and a vinegar shallot sauce. Then a passion fruit souffle that was so full of flavour and of such a fine texture that it brought a round of applause. Service, though the restaurant was full and we only arrived at 1.45, was exemplary. My only quibble was that the huge plate glass windows kept the sea views a little bit too much at bay; I would have liked to sense a bit of the sea breeze in the room, but we are very comfortable and the bill – at £43, extremely reasonable.

What is less well-known about the Royal Hospital, Chelsea is that you can hire out its beautiful rooms and grounds for events such as dinners, weddings and other parties. The State Apartments have great paintings around the panelled walls and are more intimate, while I can't imagine a more impressive place for a wedding reception than the Great Hall, lined with battle standards captured from foreign regiments (though one might have to be selective with the guest list....)

What a joy to find at the top of the High St in Winchester! A shop that sells all the old sweets that one thought had long disappeared. Buttered brazils, strawberry Fizz Wizzes, humbugs of various stripes, liquorice is all its awful guises (I hated it) including the packet of sherbert with a liquorice stick inside like a small firework. Those flying-saucer sherbets in different art-deco colours; aniseeed balls, pear drops, barley sugar, sarsparilla, sherbert lemons. A treasure trove. Interestingly, most are still made in Scotland and the North of England. It's a labour of love by the owner, Judith Burnett, to keep each jar stocked. How lucky we are that she does.

This must be one of the most interesting food courts in Europe. An old covered market, originally constructed in 1916, beautifully refurbished in glass to provide a base for some 30 individual stalls selling all kinds of food and drink. It's not so much a market (although you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables, fish and cheeses as well as bread) as a huge glass food court full of Madrilenos standing and talking over tapas, oysters and other delicacies while drinking wines and finos from proper glasses . It has a wonderful atmosphere and superb lighting, making it the prime destination around the Plaza Mayor in the centre of town.

The Livery Companies of the City of London are the descendents of the ancient guilds which controlled England's trades in the middle ages, and which now administer large charitable funds, as well as supporting schools, universities and almshouses. Their wealth is based mainly on bequests and gifts of land and buildings acquired over the centuries. Few of them have any links with their original trades, though a few, like the Goldsmiths, still do (see http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_herita...)

Of the 108 livery companies, the oldest make up 'the Great Twelve', and the Drapers - which once controlled the woolen cloth trade - ranks at No 3 in an order of precedence settled as long ago as 1515 (the Mercers - the general merchants - and the Grocers are No 1 and 2).

Most of the companies have splendid halls with wonderful collections of paintings and silver, and hold magnificent dinners for their members (called Liveryman) and for worthies such as the Lord Mayor and the heads of the armed forces. Fortunately, the halls can also be hired for parties, receptions and weddings and make fascinating venues, full of history.

The Drapers' Hall is argueably the finest of all, and one can hire the Livery Hall, the Court Dining Doom and the Drawing room for up to 400 people (though it's also possible to give small dinner) . Catering is by the hall staff and is high quality. Details of the rooms are available here http://www.thedrapers.co.uk/Banqueting/1_Introduction.html