Pony & Trap

Thursday 28th January 2010

This is a Crackerjack review of Pony & Trap. Do you agree? Rate and review this venue.

Food and drink: 8 / 10.
Service: 8 / 10.
Atmosphere: 8 / 10.
Value for money: 8 / 10.

There was a time when you only saw black slate tiles on a roof or a floor, certainly not being used as plates in restaurants.

I blame Michelin-starred chefs like Heston Blumenthal and Ferran Adria. As soon as these stellar chefs started to swap traditional round white plates for pieces of black slate, young chefs all over Britain rushed out to their nearest branch of B&Q to stock up.

If it wasn’t black slate tiles, it was huge white square dinner plates or wooden chopping boards on which they would also serve food.
Personally, I’m tired of being served food on anything other than simple white plates. As far as I’m concerned, black slate and wooden boards are a novelty that distracts from the food.

There was a lot of black slate going on at the Pony & Trap the other evening, but then this country pub in the middle of Chew Magna can almost be forgiven. A few days previously it entered the prestigious Michelin guide and we all know how much Michelin inspectors love all those frilly extras.

It was awarded a ‘Bib Gourmand’, which isn’t a coveted Michelin star – which can sometimes follow – but simply a recognition of ‘good food at moderate prices’.

The Pony & Trap is run by ambitious young chef Josh Eggleton, a former Gordon Ramsay scholar who returned to Chew Magna to open his first business after gaining experience in some of the world’s most famous restaurants.
Eggleton is an interesting chef because despite his youth, he cooks quite classic, old-fashioned food.

I don’t mean this as a criticism, but some of the dishes on the menu remind me of time-honoured examples from menus 20 years ago: pressed terrine of confit chicken, leeks and wild mushroom, pan-seared duck breast with braised red cabbage, honey roasted root vegetables and green peppercorn sauce; prune-stuffed saddle of rabbit wrapped in Parma ham with rabbit lasagne, carrot puree and pea shoots.

Parts of the menu read like pages of a Marco Pierre White or Roux Brothers cookbook from the 1980s – classic French-inspired fine dining, basically, which is surprising for a chef under 30 but also well-pitched for the well-heeled clientele in this smart country inn.

The Pony & Trap has a double identity. The pubbier bar is lined with old books, church candles, cider flagons and horse brasses, making for a cosy bolthole to enjoy pints of Butcombe Bitter after bracing country walks.

At lunchtime, the menu is more about ham, egg and chips, steaks and pies rather than fine dining, although the smart restaurant with its wonderful views of the neighbouring countryside is open for lunch and dinner.

In the evening, the food moves up a gear and the menu comprises six starters, eight main courses and seven desserts, giving people plenty of choice.
The menu sticks to the seasons as much as it can and a list of local suppliers is printed on the back, with namechecks for the likes of Chew Valley Smokehouse, Compton Martin Dairy, Newton St Loe Farm, New Manor Farm Shop and Bruce Millard who rears lamb at nearby Knowle Hill.

A starter of Somerset fried rabbit (£5.50) was an amusing take on KFC based on an idea from groundbreaking London restaurant St John. The tender pieces of bunny had been breadcrumbed, fried and served with a wedge of lemon and a dish of good tartar sauce. A novel idea with a rustic edge, it was well executed.

Served on a long piece of black slate, three plump scallops had been pan-fried to perfection and wrapped in smoked bacon. They were artfully arranged on the ‘plate’ with wheels of excellent black pudding, small nests of pea shoots and smears of baby food-like celeriac purée.

What was described as ‘lamb three ways’ (£15) was a mixed bag. The tower of sweetbread boudain was well-made and packed with flavour, but the roast rack was more like two chops with a good flavour but a higher proportion of fat to meat.

Best of all was a mini shepherd’s pie, which was perfect in every way and the star of the show. The accompanying jug of gravy was well made but the rosemary was overpowering.

I rarely order chicken in restaurants but this pan-roasted supreme of Radstock free-range chook had the sort of deep flavour and decent texture that only comes from poultry that has been properly reared outside.

Wrapped in smoked bacon and sliced into three rounds, it was stuffed with spinach which gave it an earthiness and arrived with sautéed hearts and livers and a rich, well structured wild mushroom sauce. At £12.95, it was also good value for the amount of work involved.

A bowl of vegetables – leeks, broccoli, swede and Savoy cabbage – was perfectly cooked with plenty of bite rather than the usual reheated, overcooked selection.

To finish, an Italian chocolate torte (£4.50) was dense and outrageously rich and served with a well-balanced red wine bay syrup, a scoop of Calvados-laced crème fraiche and some candied hazelnuts for crunchy texture.

A trio of lemon desserts – described as ‘a celebration of lemon’ (£4.50) comprised a tart crème brulee, a slice of moist lemon sponge topped with homemade lemon curd and a slice of zesty lemon tart that was let down by undercooked, chalky pastry.

Although there were a couple of slip-ups along the way, this was assured cooking with well-sourced ingredients in a comfortable, well-run gastropub.
With such sensible pricing, the Pony & Trap certainly lives up to Michelin’s recent award for ‘good food at moderate prices’.

I’m almost prepared to forgive them for using so many black slates.

Mark Taylor

Wheelchair access: Yes
Prices (dinner): Starters from £5; main courses from £10.50; desserts from £3.50

This is a Crackerjack review of Pony & Trap. Do you agree? Rate and review this venue.