During my three stays in Stratford upon Avon with my dog last autumn, I had hoped to have lunch at the Michelin-listed Howard Arms in Ilmington, about 7 miles distant from Stratford. It is dog-friendly in the bar area and it would have been an ideal place to take Lucy The Labrador but the public transport timings did not fit in with my plans. However, on another visit to Stratford, a friend gave us a lift and it was an ideal opportunity to visit this lovely public house.
We were not disappointed. Built from attractive stone which told us we were approaching the Cotswolds, the oak-beamed interior was immensely welcoming and rusticly cosy. We had been allocated a well-lit table in the bay window and our accompanying dogs made themselves comfortable on the stone flags. This was a place where it was very easy to make oneself very comfortable which we duly did.
To start we shared a portion of excellent Cotswold Crunch, treacle and ale bread served with some lovely smoky lardo and gorgeously deeply yellow Holmleigh Farm butter. I had a starter of potted duck, whipped liver parfait with crispy skin and slices of nicely toasted milk loaf. This was profoundly tasty and the parfait was smooth and delicious.
There were at least two menus - the standard dining room menu and the blackboard menu. It was also possible to order sandwiches for a lighter meal. My companion ordered from the blackboard choosing battered haddock, which was very well cooked, accompanied by some excellent chips which would have been difficult to improve on, having, as they did, all the attributes sought in a fine chip and with them were crushed peas and tartare sauce. I chose Tamworth pork fillet, which was perfectly cooked with an excellent slice of black pudding. The dish was alas served a little cooler than was ideal but the butternut squash and sour cabbage were pleasing.
For dessert I chose a pleasing apple parfait with delicious sweet pear and adroitly cooked Yorkshire rhubarb, salted caramel and walnuts. It’s arguable that the presentation on the dish, as with the previous courses, might have been a little fussy but it was all very colourful and attractive. My dining companion choosea well made tart with muscavado mousse, blood orange, spiced granola and crême fraîche sorbet and enjoyed it thoroughly.
This was an enjoyable lunch in a pleasing setting with good service.
Rating:- 🌛🌛🌛🌛
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