Still in Ludlow, while Forelles seems to be in something of an existential crisis at present, the great joy of dining at Mortimers remains. The welcome is nicely judged, the preprandial drinks in the panelled bar (livened up on this visit by a remarkable pair of octogenarians elegantly dressed like something out of PG Wodehouse, she whose 87th birthday it was, giggling away charmingly like a schoolgirl being chatted up by a first boyfriend, and wearing a summery, sweet straw hat) so absolutely right with the only hors d‘oeuvres of which Ambrose Heath would have approved nuts and crisps (though I failed to follow his rules on the only aperitif which should be acceptable - dry sherry - opting instead for a cooling, relaxing Hendricks and tonic).
And so, to the exquisite panelled dining room, where I was comfortably seated, watered, wined and delivered of the signature plate of three breads and three butters. I had opted for the extremely well priced 3 course lunch (£45 for three course plus bread) and was very happy with my choice of perfectly pan fried sea trout nicely balanced with pickled cucumber, soothed by herb crème fraiche and tickled by dill.
The main was an exciting prospect - pork tenderloin served as a generously sized portion. It was tasty but sadly much too dry - it really did need to have had a shorter cooking time. The accompanying herb mash and finely shredded, acidic cabbage were fine balances for the pork but perhaps more sauce would have helped to counter the dryness of the meat.
I thoroughly enjoyed my dessert - a lovely light strawberry cheesecake with deliciously sweet strawberries, a nice base to it, delightful little meringues, red berry gel and good vanilla ice cream. The meal concluded with three mignardise just as it had started with three breads and three butters. An intentional symmetry I suspect and one I rather like.
I do like Mortimers and now look forward to my visits there with considerable anticipation.
Rating:- 🌞
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