A lovely lunch yesterday at the Peacock Inn, Boraston, nr Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire. It was the first day of their special Christmas menu, and I had a Tournedos Rossini. This is one of my favourite dishes, not seen much on restaurant menus these days, so it was a much-anticipated meal. And it was fantastic - fillet of Herefordshire beef, with fresh foie gras and a black truffle Perigueux sauce, served with turned potatoes. It looked pretty as a picture and tasted superb with a nice glass of French cabernet sauvignon wine. Jean the chef is French and knows how to cook and present this dish to perfection. The foie gras was set on a crouton that sat on top of the steak, which was handy for savouring the individual elements of the dish, and there was a very generous serving of beautifully thinly sliced fresh black truffle.
Other Christmas menu choices include traditional roast turkey with a prune stuffing, grilled noisette of halibut with a creamy sorrel sauce, and vegetarian chestnut and wild mushroom gnocchi. The cost for four courses and coffee is £24.95, with a supplement of £7.50 for the Tournedos Rossini - this is excellent value for money and I will be returning for more before the truffles run out.
Yesterday evening we went to a special event at the Ludlow Food Centre, organised by Strutt and Parker. There were interesting wines to try from John Villar Wines Ltd, including a delicious Dinastina Vivanco Cranza Roija, and a St Hallett Shiraz/Granacche 2009 from Australia which was rich and dense. The high-point was St Hallett Old Block Shiraz 2006, complex with nice tannins and damson, ripe plum and cherry tones. Lots of nice food to sample in the store and I came home with some lovely pork terrine, fresh corned beef, Shropshire cheeses, and a pot of delicate little cornchons.
