One man’s loss is another man’s gain, and this was certainly the case when the three rosette The Swan in Islip sadly closed in December, freeing up its chefs to look in a new direction.
No 14 Wesley Walk was one of the first to benefit, Aaron Godfray taking over the reins in the kitchens in January, being ‘Witney born and bred’.
The acclaimed cafe, opened by Ryan Humphrey in January last year EXCLUSIVE: What to expect! We preview new cafe/restaurant No.14 Wesley Walk in Witney has been doing a booming trade from day one.
But Ryan still jumped at the chance of elevating their food offering by bringing in Aaron and changing the menu accordingly, which we were desperate to try.
Stopped in our tracks by the glass fronted counter framed with an irresistible array of cakes, pastries, quiche, buns and more, we forcibly walked past and sat down in the light, airy cafe/restaurant.
We dived straight in, the menu equally as mesmerising, packed full of goodies, and ordered far too much. Because how can you resist the halloumi, new potato and red onion hash with poached egg and hollandaise sauce (£12) or the rarebit crumpet with roasted leeks and burnt leek mayo (£12), the infamous club sandwich (£9), the quiche of the day, or the hollandaise stack (£13)?
The outright winner was the loaded hash browns, made like a rosti, the potato grated and then packed tight and fried a rich brown, the bacon crispy and generous, the hollandaise bright yellow with just the right hint of lemon, topped with micro leaves, the paneer light and crispy, and next level in terms of execution and taste.
The hash was very similar (our bad), the halloumi bouncy, the baby potatoes al dente. The quiche was also excellent, a staple in any cafe, but here the filling rich, moist and strongly flavoured, the pastry crumbly but firm. If you’re going to do it, do it properly!
The only false note was the crumpet rarebit, crumpets having a savoury comeback at the moment, but the rich cheese sauce had been baked on and sat on the top rather than perforating through the holes and making it all gooey and juicy.
Then the No 14 Chicken club sandwich with chips and a side salad, packed full of Mayfield egg mayo, lettuce and tomato, the chicken moist, the bread from Marks Cotswold Bakery. Again simple but satisfying.
Where to start with the cakes? After much discussion, and not much room left – a slice of the moist blueberry sponge, the filling sweet and light, and the treacle tart, hugely popular at No.14 for good reason, and just like your gran used to make, with a dollop of clotted cream.
Aaron must be pleased then, judging by the packed interior? “Changing the menu was a team effort and quite collaborative. Everyone gets to chip in with their ideas, but in the kitchens we make everything from scratch, (except the bread), seven days a week,” he says.
“Of course it’s different to The Swan but I’m using all the skills I’ve learned in a different way. At No.14 it’s about maximum flavour and focusing on producing really good quality, comforting classics – nothing overly fancy but we aim to make great food and do it well.”
And how is he finding it? “It’s really busy here so you have to work fast, especially at the weekends, but I’m really enjoying it and have a much better work/life balance.
“There’s a great vibe and atmosphere at No.14 and our food is a little bit different, plus you can see it all being made in the open plan kitchen,” he shrugs, “I’m happy.”
No.14 Wesley Walk, Witney https://www.no14wesleywalk.co.uk
