River Cottage A to Z menu tasting: Review

Look! That’s me and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Slightly starstruck! I met him at River Cottage Canteen on Whiteladies Road in early November, when I was invited to a special lunch that had been organised for the launch of the new River Cottage book: River Cottage A to Z.

It’s not so much a cookbook as an encyclopedia of ingredients: detailed descriptions of various fantastic ingredients from alexanders to zander, along with information on new ways of cooking them and recipes dotted throughout. We were there, on the day, to eat our way through a sharing menu of dishes from the new title, interspersed with anecdotes and stories from Hugh about both the book and River Cottage.

The menu was certainly a diverse one: four courses with numerous tasters of dishes served at each, on sharing boards each serving two people.

The afternoon began with Hugh addressing the diners, talking about the River Cottage characters who have contributed to the new book and how each of them has a different voice: Nick Fisher characterising the fish he writes about, Pam weighing ingredients with perfect precision and more. But, he said, while they all have a different voice, they all share one thing in common: “a true commitment to the simple idea that where your food comes from really matters”. If you know where your food comes from, he says, it changes the feeling you have when you cook, and the food tastes better too.

He continued by talking of politics, and of how big industries and farming movements who “own” the politicians are trying to take away our choice when it comes to food, dictating what we should be putting in our mouths. But, he said, “it’s only if we put up with the mediocre that we’ll continue to be given it” – and he’s right.

The lunch was all about celebrating diversity, and finding both new ways to explore old ingredients, and exciting ways to use new ingredients. And so the lunch – with all veg provided by Riverford, and with the River Cottage Canteen’s ovens on the blink (chef Charlie James and his team did an amazing job, considering!) – began.

The first board featured a thick and creamy cauliflower and nigella soup, drunk straight from the cup: the texture was beautifully silky, the nigella seeds added crunch and an oniony flavour, while small cubes of fresh tomato sprinkled on top added lighter flavours. The cardoon bruschetta with thyme and honey was certainly different, the sweetness of the honey tempering the slightly bitter flavour of the thistle; while the squash, shallot and mushroom tart combined creaminess, tanginess and earthiness in that order, although the pastry was a little underdone.

The lemon-cured herring on the second board was one of my standout dishes of the afternoon: the lemony cure took away some of the fishiness to give a more delicate flavour, and it paired perfectly with a simple mix of fresh, crunchy green apple and a little mayonnaise. The pouting fish fingers were incredibly delicate – in terms of both the flavour of the fish and of the batter – but I felt they could have done with a little more seasoning.

The buttermilk and sage onion rings certainly weren’t underseasoned: while their texture was a little oily, the buttermilk made for an incredibly light batter with just the right amount of sage coming through. The final dish on this board? A creamy, slightly sour-flavoured chunk of beautiful Laverstoke Park Farm organic mozzarella, paired with a garlicky blend of spinach, watercress, chard and lentils.

I could have demolished the entire sharing plate of mains by myself – in particular the rabbit ragu with celery and tarragon. The tarragon flavour was the star of the show, pairing perfectly with the slow-cooked rabbit that flaked under the fork. Delicious.

I also loved the creamy saffron-spiked speltotto, while the spicy kohlrabi wedges were crisp on the outside, tender in the middle, and certainly packed some heat. The ale-braised ox cheeks were melt in the mouth tender and incredibly rich, while the walnut and blue cheese soufflé was autumn on a plate: the lovely tang of the blue cheese pairing perfectly with the finely crushed walnuts that decorated the edges. The salad was amazing too: a blend of Cheddar, raw celeriac and fresh apple, along with red cabbage, that I’ll definitely be replicating at home. 

Of the three desserts we were served, my least favourite was the rye chocolate cake: while I loved its brownie-like texture, moist and dense, the chocolate flavour was a little too delicate – I felt it should have been richer. The apple and chestnut crumble had an incredibly sweet topping thanks to the chestnut flour and sugar combination, while the added pumpkin seeds gave it a satisfying crunch. I loved the idea of combining both eating and cooking apples for the filling: the former keeping their shape and the latter breaking down for a bit of a different texture.

The bay leaf syllabub? Well, that was a revelation: the bay added a delicate flavour to this light, airy and boozy dessert, while the blackberries on top gave it a lovely autumnal feel.

The lunch was a fantastic way to showcase the new book, bringing to life recipes that have been carefully created and curated by the River Cottage team. It’s a beautiful book too – it would make a great gift for anyone who takes a keen interest in specific ingredients and where they come from. At 708 pages, it’s a hefty tome – and at the time of writing, it was available for £26 via Amazon.

Many thanks to the River Cottage team for their kind invitation – and for encouraging me to be more creative with the ingredients that I use week in, week out!

Please note: our meal was received free of charge, but this in no way impacted on our opinion. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the venue did not see this review before it was put up on the site.