232. Lambs Of Sheep Street.

 

  Having booked my hotel in Stratford upon Avon to see the two Henry VI plays (yes, I know there should be three) which I was to see on two consecutive nights (in reverse order, yes, I know, but that’s the only way I could do it and it’s not as if I didn’t know the ending) I discovered that I had made the reservation for the same dates in March as they should have been in April and of course it was on one of those non-refundable cheaper rate deals so rather than lose my payment I gathered up the dog and off we trooped through the pretty fields of Warwickshire to the town of Shakespeare.

  Of course it just had to be Mothers Day weekend didn’t it? so the chances of eating anything but overcooked cod and chips or something in one of the cloned bistros in Sheep Street were minimal but then I remembered that Michelin still listed Lambs of Sheep Street (seemingly therefore not a cloned bistro replica). An early evening reservation was available so after walking Lucy The Labrador in the RSC Gardens I set off on my 30 second walk from our room in the Shakespeare Hotel to Lambs.

  Timber framed Lambs certainly reeks of Shakespeare and anyone visiting the town probably needs to dine there just so that they can swoon at its deeply Elizabethan ambience. The building dates back to the early 16th century and is thought to have been a part of the Shakespeare Hotel called The Shades where coachmen would settle down to a quiet drink after a day on the road bringing 16th century travellers to Stratford. In 1913 Lewis Carroll’s nieces opened a tea shop in the building and for much of the time since then it has been a place to repair to for sustenance. But, given all this atmosphere and history do food lovers need to dine there, as the Michelin Guide suggests, for the quality of the food? Well yes, I think they do.

  Things did not start too well with a bowl of quite expensive but undistinguished bread being served with a stingy amount of unremarkable butter. But putting that behind us the starter of seared scallops classically, and why not?, served with pea purée and crispy pancetta looked pretty and was cooked beautifully. The scallops were small but delicious and nicely cooked. A very enjoyable starter.

  I was delighted with my main course of beautifully cooked and generously portioned halibut with its beautiful tender, white flesh complemented by a fine beurre noisette nicely dotted with tiny cubes of cucumber and tomato with capers and samphire and sitting on a bed of excellent crushed potato. A very satisfying and wholly enjoyable dish.

  I was determined to see this fine meal to its logical conclusion and so went on to choose a vanilla panna cotta with a passion fruit sauce. Light and wobbly as it should be. Transiently I thought that the panna cotta was too sweet but the acidity of the passion fruit cut in just at the right moment and all was well with the world.

  This was good food and a meal which deserves to be recommended by the French tyre people. It has clearly kept its standards up for a long time and I look forward to dining at Lambs again.