The Plough, Wavendon
There are few restaurants around Milton Keynes that really blow you away.
But The Plough in Wavendon is something of an exception.
Entrepreneur Jon Todd, driven by this dearth of destination venues, took over the Plough in Wavendon in 2007 determined to turn it into a truly first class eating experience. And he has certainly succeeded, winning two AA rosettes and two Foodie Awards since then.
Three years on, the elegant restaurant has been reinvigorated with a lick of paint and, more importantly, a new head chef.
Chris Smith, who worked as an apprentice to the late Peter Chandler at Paris House, is continuing to produce food of the impeccable standard for which The Plough has become renowned.But there's a new menu which will be constantly evolving.
My visit to sample the new offerings was actually my first to The Plough. But I went with high expectations, having heard nothing but good reports about the place. And I was not disappointed.
I always think it's a good sign when a restaurant produces those extra little touches that aren't on the menu, which the French do so well.
So when the waiter brought over an amuse bouche of battered king prawn with a lemon dipping sauce, I felt confident more good things were to come.
This little taster nicely whet my appetite for the starter I had ordered of scallops with pork scratching. This came with a garlic confit and velvety celeriac with truffle, which was superb.
My friend had the pear, walnut and blue cheese "sandwich" – infinitely more sophisticated than the name implies – and was equally impressed.
The unsolicited extra that followed was an incredibly refreshing shot of cucumber and lemon juice – to cleanse the palette, of course.
And every item was described in detail by the waiter, whose service I really could not fault.
This is the kind of restaurant where nothing is rushed. That's not to say it is slow. But all the food is freshly made to order and this clearly takes longer than your standard gastropub fare. Besides which, it's worth savouring.
Having said that, Jon recognises that to attract custom throughout the day, the kitchen needs to quicken the pace over lunch.
So businesses considering a lunchtime visit can now expect shorter waits than they might have experienced here previously.
My main dish, however, was one that had taken hours of loving preparation.
The Woburn Venison, with mulled wine and chocolate, is marinated for three days and vacuum-sealed before being slowly oven cooked.
Presented with exquisite mulled wine jellies and cranberries and a "swipe" of chocolate, as well as smoked potatoes and port salsify, this is an absolute work of art – as well as being delicious.
My friend's duck breast and leg with a vanilla and orange caramel, tarragon pomme puree and carrot was just as impressive.
For dessert I had a rhubarb and apple crumble with granny smith sorbet and rhubarb jelly, while my guest had a chocolate amaretto souffl with milk sorbet.
Our meal was rounded off with another attentive special touch – beautifully hand-crafted petit-fours.
Visiting on the Tuesday after Valentine's weekend, the Walton Road restaurant was almost empty, adding to the feeling of exclusivity.
But the ambience was still warm and welcoming and lacked the pretentiousness of some fine dining restaurants.
Clearly the place is not usually so quiet though and the dining room can seat about 45, with room for more outside in better weather, catering for up to 120 with a marquee.
A two-course lunch is priced at 20, while a three-course dinner costs 55. This really is great value for the quality of the food, service and surroundings.
Unfortunately on the night we ate here the head chef was off sick. But it is a massive credit to his team that the food was still of such an exceptional standard. It certainly lived up to – and far exceeded – my expectations.
A Michelin star may have evaded this restaurant up to now, but the team is working on it.
Let's hope there's one on the way.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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