L I V E 2 4 -SE V EN
DINE L IKE KINGS AT ECKINGTON MANOR
LewisLoves.com is a Cotswolds and South West lifestyle blog run by Adam and Sarah Lewis, sharing the very best the area has to offer. “Food is a particular passion of ours, and we can't wait to share our hidden gems with you. You can also follow us over on Twitter @adamlewisloves and Instagram @sarahlewisloves for foodie inspiration and much more besides."
Eckington Manor's head chef, Mark Stinchcombe, won MasterChef: The Professionals in 2015 and thankfully has stayed at Eckington Manor with his wife and fellow head chef Sue to grace the glorious Worcestershire countryside with his cooking. We ventured over one Friday lunchtime to check it out.
It’s always pleasing to receive warm, freshly baked bread to start a meal although I am equally frustrated on the odd occasion when I am presented with a stale hunk of bread and miniscule pat of butter. Eckington Manor didn't disappoint; their miniature baguettes, and fennel rolls were light, fresh and served with a game changing chicken butter.
For her main, Sarah chose a cheddar cheese and cauliflower lasagne, served with roasted cauliflower, cumin and capers; a successfully unusual take on a classic dish. I plumped for leg of locally sourced venison, cooked perfectly pink with confit swede, crunchy pumpkin seeds and cabbage. Knitting it together was a rich, sticky jus that I would have happily drunk straight from the pan. A reminder of how lucky we are to have such a breadbasket of wonderful ingredients on our doorstep.
After a small battle, I let Sarah have the poached rhubarb for dessert, specially forced in Yorkshire. This was a properly pretty rhubarb love affair with a mini doughnut, sorbet, agar tube filled with vanilla parfait and an olive oil biscuit. Mark even poaches the rhubarb in hibiscus to give the pinkness more vibrancy.
One dessert on the menu deserves a special mention; four layers of dark chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter ganache and salted milk ice cream. Appearing rather sculptural, with a shard of chocolate resting over the shiny ganache exterior, Mark revealed that it takes nearly a day to make. With all that effort, it’s no wonder the food is so magical.
Having dined like kings, it was then time to get our hands dirty. We followed Mark into the kitchen; thankfully not to do the washing up though! Eckington Manor is the UK's largest AGA cooking school and Mark taught us to cook a simple yet effective wild mushroom filled pasta dish.
We had some for dinner that night and it was incredible; we often make pasta but this showed how easy it is to take it to the next level. You just need a few pro tips to get you there (or a cheeky last minute table at Eckington Manor if you're feeling lazy).
Head over to
LewisLoves.com for a more in-depth review of the cookery school and overnight accommodation at Eckington Manor.
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