COTSWOLD Food


Simply streets ahead


Just off the main drag in Nailsworth with a handy cut- through to the car parks there is something quite amazing going on in the kitchen of one of the town’s unassuming- looking eateries. Sue Smith dined at mark@street as it celebrated its second birthday.


THE bar stools along the big glass front window looking out on to the street offered a vantagepoint to sip a cocktail and await the arrival of my dining companion. In the interim period before her


arrival I was served promptly by smiling, cheerful staff who didn’t blanch when I asked if I could store my just purchased sausages in their fridge rather than leave them sweltering in my car.


My Pimms came along with a tall


glass of cooling iced water and within seconds the sticky humidity of the day began to pale. Later we were guided to a fresh,


minimally decorated dining room with soft, pale sea-green walls, exposed brick, coir matting, wooden floors and starched white tablecloths. With our orders taken, a basket of


homemade bread arrived with a choice of Focaccia, black treacle and granary rolls. So far, so


fantastic. Soft and freshly baked, the signs were good but little did we realise just what a treat this was going to be. Starters of


Cornish Crab and Pressed Ham Hock and Parsley Terrine with Chicken Liver Parfait and Foccacia Wafer stopped us in our tracks. The flavours


and the freshness were staggeringly good. And when we


thought that was really as good as it


74 COTSWOLDESSENCE | September - November 2013 www.cotswoldessence.co.uk


could possibly get along came the mains. Rare, Slow Roasted Lamb with


Evesham Asparagus and Peas with pressed Potatoes and Sweetbreads for me and Fillet of Sea Bass with Parsley and Champagne Cream with Samphire Grass and Jersey Royals for my friend. The restaurant was almost full,


including a celebrating party of 10 and then we discovered that Chef Patron, Mark Payne was producing all this single-handedly in the kitchen, having already that day covered the lunch service. This chef has talent by the


Champagne bucket -full. He says he knew from an early age that he wanted to make a career out of his passion and flair for cooking. After training at catering college at


Stratford-upon-Avon he went on to hone his craft at Claridges in London and at the capital’s trendy restaurants The Atlantic and The Avenue.


Breast of Kingscote Pigeon, Pickled Plums, Roasted Raddichio and Sesame


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