I'm a huge Angela Hartnett fan and have been meaning to check out Hartnett Holder for an age but I can barely be arsed to go round the corner for a pint of milk in this weather, let alone voyage to Hampshire for lunch. However book three features a road trip to the New Forest so I figured what better excuse than research....
Seriously, a spectacular lunch and the best £20 I've spent in 2014. (Is it 2014? Good grief, I just had to Google what year it is. Being a full time writer makes you go a little doolally at times.)
Anyway, the arancini alone were worth the trip. I always have a lot of love for these golden balls, but the white onion and rosemary ones were exceptional.
Then a starter of smoked salmon with caperberries and lime creme fraiche
And a salad of beef with rocket, parmesan and a stunning lemon oil vinaigrette
Then a perfect squid pasta with celery
Hake with red peppers
and a show-stopping black cabbage, garlic, cream and caper side dish with chilli, that I could have eaten ten times over - gutsy and spicy and creamy and entirely more-ish.
Killer puddings of rhubarb, cream custard and hazelnut crunch
and chocolate parfait with pistachio ice cream
Petit fours...
£19.50 before service, and that includes coffee!
Exceptional quality ingredients, perfectly executed - a damn near flawless meal. The memory of that cabbage dish, even now eight hours later, is keeping me in good cheer.
Seriously, a spectacular lunch and the best £20 I've spent in 2014. (Is it 2014? Good grief, I just had to Google what year it is. Being a full time writer makes you go a little doolally at times.)
Anyway, the arancini alone were worth the trip. I always have a lot of love for these golden balls, but the white onion and rosemary ones were exceptional.
Exceptional quality ingredients, perfectly executed - a damn near flawless meal. The memory of that cabbage dish, even now eight hours later, is keeping me in good cheer.
