The Specials Board – food and drink advertising in Surrey Life magazine

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Welcome to our new monthly foodie advertising feature, promoting the best of Surrey’s pubs, restaurants and shops

To feature in The Specials Board, contact Surrey Life advertisement manager Ade Holder on ade.holder@archant.co.uk or 01903 703745

Originally published in Surrey Life magazine March 2012

Chef of the month

Phil Dixon, The Mulberry
Address: Langshott Manor, near Gatwick Airport, Horley, Surrey RH6 9LN
Tel: 01293 786 680
www.langshottmanor.co.uk

What makes your cooking unique?
I think it’s because I don’t try and follow trends. I take the freshest, seasonal produce and using a combination of the team’s ideas, travels and of course guests feedback. 

Do you have a signature dish?
Not really as my dishes evolve daily! However, currently our guests seem to love our sea scallops with white chocolate caviar.

…and a top cookery tip for our readers?
Always use good quality wine when cooking! Put into your food what you would serve to a dinner guest. 

Foodie shop of the month

Wines @ West End
Owner, Gerry Price
Address: Next door to The Inn @ West End, 42a Guildford Road, West End, Surrey GU24 9PW
Tel: 01276 857884
www.les-vignerons.co.uk

What’s your best-selling product at the moment?
Rioja Tempranillo 2009, a really easy drinking red wine from Hacienda Lopez de Haro, which we import. Good for quaffing or with a Venison burger at The Inn.

Are there any Surrey producers you feel should be better known than they are?
Mike Marsh our ex-Kew gardener who tends the allotment at The Inn where we produce rhubarb, apples, pears, damsons, beetroot, salad leaves, runner and French beans, grapes (for chutney) and many different herbs. 

Tell us about the items our readers should keep an eye out for in the coming months?
Giesta Rose Touriga Nacional from Dao, Portugal. Fantastic, fresh and fruity for the spring. Douro wines generally are really worth trying and don’t forget the Farnham wine festival on Saturday March 10, from 4pm to 9pm, where you can taste hundreds of wines from local wine merchants. 

Pub/restaurant of the month 

The Fox and Hounds Restaurant & Bar
General Manager, Adrian Laws
Address: Bishopsgate Road, Englefield Green, Surrey TW20 0XU
Tel: 01784 433098
www.thefoxandhoundsrestaurant.com

What is your pub/restaurant most renowned for?
We are a stylish bar and restaurant blessed with a stunning location by the gates of Windsor Great Park, serving delicious food. We offer an extensive fine wine list, cocktails and real ales, and give a warm and professional service.  

How important is local produce for you and do you have any favourite producers?
We use only the finest locally sourced ingredients and regularly change our menus to reflect what’s in season. All our food, from our bread to our ice cream, is made freshly on the premises. 

Tell us what’s coming up in the next few months?
Following the success of a recent wine tasting supper, our next one is on Tuesday March 27. We also look forward to welcoming the arrival of spring and summer when our customers can hopefully enjoy the benefits of our wonderful outdoor terraced gardens.

Originally published in Surrey Life magazine February 2012

Chef of the month 

Stefano Talar
La Capanna
Address: 48 High Street, Cobham KT11 3EF
Tel: 01932 862121
www.lacapanna.co.uk

What makes your cooking unique?
I use traditional techniques without any artificial ingredients and I try to give my dishes a modern look, so they are both unique and original. I choose only the very best and freshest produce: meat from the farm and fish straight from the sea, but the most significant ingredient is my passionate love of cooking.

Do you have a signature dish?
Roast Gressingham Duck Breast – the duck is fried with ginger, soy sauce and fresh figs; the meat is very tender and the ingredients create an irresistible and unique flavour. 

…and a top cookery tip for our readers?
Don’t be afraid to experiment in the kitchen and try new recipes, but most of all, use your imagination, particularly with combining different and new flavours and textures. Presentation is important, but above all it’s the flavours and textures that make a good dish.

Foodie shop of the month

The Jolly Farmers deli-pub and restaurant
Address: Reigate Road, Buckland RH3 7BG
Tel: 01737 221355
www.thejollyfarmersreigate.co.uk

What’s your best-selling product at the moment?
Chalk Hills Bread from South Nutfield. They bake great local, artisan bread and have their own café in Reigate as well. They are fairly new but have built a reputation quickly and are one of the few remaining traditional bakeries. Please support them.

Are there any Surrey producers you feel should be better known than they are?
The great hand-made chocolates from Patagonia Bombón in Dorking, which have some really interesting flavours – cardamom, cinnamon and more. 

Tell us about the items our readers should keep an eye out for in the coming months?
There will be a great new range of our own Just so jellies to join those we already make, live rosemary, dill, cranberry, lavender, thyme and chilli. Also, some excellent local cheeses.

Pub/Restaurant of the month

Lingfield Park Racecourse
Address: Trackside Restaurant, Racecourse Road, Lingfield RH7 6PQ
Tel: 01342 834 800
www.lingfieldpark.co.uk

What is your pub/restaurant most renowned for?
During my 12 years here, I am proud to have built an award winning in-house team that care passionately about producing tasty seasonal menus. Whether it’s from a ‘grab and go’ outlet or fine dining in our restaurant, the standard of our offerings is high and gained a real reputation for value and quality.

How important is local produce for you and do you have any favourite producers?
Our aim is to utilise as much local and seasonal produce as we can and we are proud to the degree at which we succeed, sourcing our meat from butcher, Chris Major in Lingfield and working closely with our local vegetable supplier Hilliards. We’re lucky to be on the border of three counties (Surrey, Sussex and Kent) producing such a wealth of products.

Tell us what’s coming up in the next few months?
We’re already excited about the development work we’ve done on our summer menus, showcasing a variety of well loved favourites in a new and exciting way. We’re also constantly sourcing new local suppliers who challenge us with their superb ingredients.

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