337. By Bus To Evesham.

 

  Evesham is a moderately large, bustling town with a distinguished role in history - it was the scene of the Battle of Evesham where the future Edward I defeated the rebel Simon de Montfort. Its place in English culinary history is rather less notable - a single Evesham restaurant has only ever been included in the Michelin Guide and then for just one year - the Italian restaurant, Fontaine de Trevi in 1989. 

  I and the dog were holidaying in Stratford upon Avon and, becoming more familiar with the public transport links to surrounding towns and villages, as well keen to take the dog with me for company, I decided to take the bus to Evesham and even though now it seems there is no dining establishment in the town to be singled out for the excellence of its cuisine, I was hopeful I might find a dog friendly pub serving good food.

  The Royal Oak appeared to fit the description but when I read about it on the internet a message popped up saying it was not presently offering food and so I singled out the Trumpet Inn instead. It had a pretty exterior and an attractive collection of flowers in hanging baskets, barrels and window boxes - the management clearly took pride in the place and had worked hard to make it look welcoming. A blackboard outside the door made the point that any diner that day could choose to have curried goat which sounded promising. The interior was nicely decorated in red and white and had the feel that working people supped there and it was all very welcoming including one of the local customers who fed biscuits to a grateful Lucy The Labrador.

  A starter of prawn cocktail was too big an attraction to resist and it arrived generously portioned, the salad crisp and fresh and the Marie Rose sweet and delightfully mildly spicy. 

  Then to the curried goat. The presentation was rustic and the serving generous. The rice was well cooked but a little wet. The goat was in quite small chunks but it had a pleasingly mild flavour compared with lamb and the sauce was excellent. The accompanying naan was obviously bought in and, with all the rice, probably not necessary but that did not stop me eating some and enjoying the lightness of it. This was honest, home cooked food at a modest price. Service was friendly and helpful. So generous were the portions that a pudding sadly was out of the question and, in any case, the bus back to Stratford, which runs just hourly, was due.

  The dog and I journeyed back to Stratford enjoying the lovely Worcestershire and Warwickshire countryside, catching sight of Cleeve Hill near Cheltenham where the Cotswolds begin, on the comfortable bus passing through Bidford on Avon, Harvington and Salford Priors with its large number of modern houses. There’s a lot of exploring to do yet in this southern part of the Midlands where Gloucestershire intertwines with Worcestershire and Worcestershire mingles with Warwickshire and Oxfordshire tries to get in on the act too. And many charming south Midlands dining establishments to experience. Here and there, dining all around the Midlands, that’s Lucy The Labrador’s and my mission and it continues.

Evesham -

The Royal Oak

Rating:- 🌛🌛

327. Summer Heat (5 - Carter’s Of Moseley).

  Carter’s of Moseley had announced that things were going to change - for the summer at least - and its faithful diners only had a matter of weeks to enjoy a meal in Moseley they’re recalling past pleasures. A canny move. Naturally, not knowing what was going to happen and keen to once more dine of its remarkable dishes before it was too late I reserved a table and back I went.

  The welcome was as warm as ever and the restaurant looked unchanged until I noticed that there was now a chef’s table, presently occupied by young people who did not seem to be having any money problems though as it was the middle of the day, you might have thought they should be out at work. In the 1920s we had the idle rich, now we have the idle middle class.

  My dining companion, who had never dined at Carter’s before despite living just a short distance away, chose the middle priced tasting menu, we really did not think that our alimentary tracts would be able to deal with the Full Monty

  And of course the meal turned out to be everything that one might have expected. Old favourites were not afraid to make an appearance and brought much joy with them - Cornicsh mackeral and kelp, the glorious oyster <pearl> and the so very meaty DW chicken <thigh>. I sometimes think that a restaurant that sold just canapés and appetisers might be the most successful restaurant around - if they were the quality of Brad Carter’s amuses gueules that would certainly be the case.

  Following a delightful summer tomato dish there was another old favourite - Carter’s twist on Matthew Boulton’s Birmingham soup which the 18th century inventor and industrialist devised to feed the hungry poor though Carter’s version was more likely to feed the satiated comfortably off. Memorably the dish is decorated with a lovely tuile which reproduces the outdoor decor of Birmingham’s notable Central Library.

  The trout dish was a great favourite enhanced by the force of the flavour of sea buckthorn and trout roe. Beautifully barbecued duck with a nice crispy skin to be shared by two diners was served as the main course with fine carrots and faux rice - this part of the dish was my least favourite ingredient - the ‘rice’ produced from barley, I find unconvincing and I am not particularly keen on the texture of the ‘rice’ (but it has to be said that my dining companion found it to be perfectly satisfactory).

  The dessert was lovely. And how very pleasing to have a cherry dessert. It was pretty and delicious. A work of art as was, of course, the brilliant strip of chocolate decorated with the pattern of the Birmingham Centre underpass. Carter’s had once more delivered the goods.

Rating:- 🌞🌞.

  And so, what will Carter’s be up to this summer? It looks like an excursion to Evesham is on the cards.

From the Birmingham Post 29 June 2023 -