You’d never know when driving past the remote country pub The Greyhound in Letcombe Regis near Wantage that it serves some of the best food in Oxfordshire, if it wasn’t for the two AA rosettes displayed outside.
But step inside the warm, welcoming interior, take one look at head chef Martin Sherriff‘s delectable menu, and you’ll get a pretty good inkling of the incredible meal to follow.
Choosing however is a mighty problem, each dish and its components crying out to be tried, the innovation and care taken over each creation impossible to choose between.
But choose we did, going totally overboard in our quest to do Martin and his team’s cooking justice, although some might call it greed!
To demonstrate, the bread offering – oatmeal Irish soda bread with Marmite & Guinness whipped butter with a bacon crumb, and the Kalamata olive bread with sun-blushed tomato whipped butter and an olive crumble (£7).
‘the depth of the treacly bread, the delight of the salty, dark butter and the smattering of tiny bacon pieces defying belief’
It sounded divine and still took our breath away; the depth of the treacly bread and the delight of the salty, dark butter and the smattering of tiny bacon pieces defying belief. The olive wheels were light as sponge and complemented by the Mediterranean zing of the tomato.
As for the chip shaped hash browns with parmesan & truffle emulsion, we dived in headfirst. And from that moment on we were putty in Martin’s hands.
‘we dived in headfirst And from that moment on we were putty in Martin’s hands’
And that was before the starters – completely forgetting the golden rule to pace ourselves in our gluttony – falling at the first gourmet hurdle.
But perseverance is the key, so the twice-baked Leonard Stanley Gloucestershire cheddar soufflé, smoked haddock chowder (£10) was a must as a starter, as was the leek, potato and cheddar soup with fried chive gnocchi and a parmesan whip, throwing in the miso-glazed mackerel, XO sauce (a secret recipe containing scallop emulsion), chicken skin crumb, asparagus and broccoli purée (£12) for good measure.
‘The soup was just incredible, the flavour arriving in waves’
The soup was just incredible, the flavour arriving in waves; the delicate potato and leek enhanced with the light cheese cream, herb oil and delicately decorated with garlic flowers. Did we need the gnocchi? Maybe not but they were an extra little gift, if a little dense.
The light, fluffy cheese soufflé, pooled in the fishy broth could have done with more haddock, but I’m picking hairs here, and the mackerel and it’s carefully crisped skin was a brilliant example of fusion done well.
the lamb was a masterpiece, its intricate scarlet tuille framing the plate
As for the lamb (see main pic), what a masterpiece, the Tandoori rump arriving resplendent with a spiced belly samosa, red lentil dhal, tamarind & date chutney and a mint buttermilk (£28), its intricate scarlet tuille framing the plate. The meat was cooked beautifully, the samosa spicy and chunky, the dahl so good I ate it with a spoon. Bravo!
The Roscoff onion risotto with sunchoke crisps (Jerusalem artichoke), cured Arlington egg, parmesan whip and garlic flowers (£21), was the perfect size, framed in a circle and pretty as a picture, the onion leaves soft and fragrant.
‘The Greyhound lets the food do the talking, and boy did it spill the beans’
Much debate followed about the desserts, because not only are they one of Martin’s fortes, but we were filling up so sadly had to turn down the wonderful sounding black treacle & stem ginger sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce, candied pecans, vanilla & tonka bean ice cream. Next time!
Instead, the spiced Yorkshire rhubarb pain perdu, blood orange custard, rhubarb ripple ice cream (£10), a vegan dish as it turned out, the custard and ice cream matching the tartness of the fruit, which could have been stewed a bit more to reach that appropriate soft stringiness.
‘The clear winner however was the popcorn panna cotta with gingerbread foam, stout caramel, spelt & honey crisp, and toffee popcorn’
The clear winner however was the popcorn panna cotta with gingerbread foam, stout caramel, spelt & honey crisp, and toffee popcorn (£10), a veritable lesson in taste, texture and wobble. I’d eat it all over again right now.
No room for cheese then, although each is enticingly paired with a different chutney, compote, ketchup or jam, and on the way home we vowed to return and start at the end of the menu next time with the fromage and work our backwards.
‘congratulations to Martin and his team at The Greyhound for feeding us so magnificently’
So huge congratulations to Martin and his team at The Greyhound for feeding us so magnificently without any of the pomp and ceremony you find in so many high class gourmet restaurants. In short, The Greyhound lets the food do the talking, and boy did it spill the beans.
To summarise then, The Greyhound is a gourmet destination pub in every way, and one that you simply can’t afford to drive past next time you’re in that neck of the woods. So thank you to GM James Cameron for looking after us so beautifully. See you on our return!
The Greyhound, Letcombe Regis, Wantage, Oxfordshire, OX12 9JL https://www.thegreyhoundletcombe.co.uk
