Lifehouse Spa, Essex

One of my favourite things to do is go to a spa occasionally for either a day or an overnight stay.  I have been lucky enough to have tried out a few in recent years.

I found out that there was a new spa opening in Essex and kept an eye on the web site for more details.  

So Lifehouse Spa opened in November 2010 and has now been open long enough to warrant a visit as by now any teething problem will have been ironed out.  Lifehouse were doing a special offer of “bring a friend for free” on most of their day or stay packages (ongoing for 2011 if booked by June 12^th).  I took the opportunity to book a one night classic stay for Craig and I which we took a few days ago.  The classic stay includes overnight accommodation, a 3 course dinner on the first day, breakfast and a 2 course lunch on the second day and a 50 minute house treatment each.

As the spa is in Essex we found it no problem (Craig is from the area originally).  It’s easy to find as the entrance has a big white sign.  We turned in and parked the car in the large car park then got our bags and made our way down the path to the main entrance.  As we entered we were greeted by a member of the reception staff and sat down at one of the desks where we filled out a health questionnaire each and were given our itineraries for the next 24 hours.  I had already given the times we wanted to eat lunch and dinner when I made the booking.  Our treatment time had been set for us but it was booked for the first day before dinner which I thought was the best time to have it.

We were shown to our room (we were upgraded to a better room) by a very nice and extremely keen young member of staff who proceeded to explain everything in our room i.e. the shower controls and how to use the safe.  The room was nice and big and had a lovely view over the gardens complete with balcony doors.  The bathroom had a large shower and toiletries, shower caps, robes and slippers were provided.  There were also plenty of towels for us both.  The room had a drawer which is actually a lockable safe.  This was really handy to leave your valuables in.       I didn’t have my laptop with me but the drawer would have been big enough to store it if I had.

One of the key cards that we were given was split so it was taken away and a new one returned to us very quickly.  One of the key cards needs to go in the slot to work the electricity.  The tea & coffee tray in the room was well stocked including a really nice range of herbal teas.  Once we were alone we had a quick cuppa while unpacking a few bits and pieces and getting changed.

Now we were ready to go and explore the spa, so dressing gowns on and map in hand off we went.  We were given a token for a free tea, coffee or soft drink so we headed up to The Strawberry Tree for a coffee while we looked at the class timetable and decided what we wanted to do.  Coffee ordered and we sat out on the terrace overlooking the gardens.

We had been given a timetable of activities and I wanted to try at least on thing while we were there and also use the gym facilities.  We decided to book into the Breakfast club “playtime” session.  More about this later.  Other activities on offer were Krank it up, Bootcamp, Zumba, Yoga and ViPR 3D.  the activity's start at 7am each morning and end at around 8.30pm.  everything on the timetable you are given is complimentary and you can sign up more as many or as few as you like (or none at all).  They do ask that you book in for any class or activity you wish to join so that they know how many people are doing what.  

Coffee finished we popped down to the retail area as Craig wanted to buy a pair of swim shorts (a forgotten item).  Unfortunately there was only one pair on sale in the wrong size so he was going to have to use his gym shorts and let them dry.  The shop sold a wide variety of beauty products including some of the brands they use in the spa (Jessica and Babor). I was very tempted by a bright pink Lifehouse hoodie but unfortunately my size wasn’t available.

After this we headed down to the pool area for some relaxation.  Here we found a large Jacuzzi with two hydrotherapy jets, a sauna, steam room, salt steam room and swimming pool.  The Jacuzzi is big enough for about 8 people at a time and was lovely and warm and the bubbles nice and powerful.  There are also two flat areas where you can lie down in the bubbles.  I tried both steam rooms and the sauna all of which I enjoyed.  There are 2 experience showers in which you can have different temperatures of water rain over you.  There is also an ice cold plunge pool which I was not brave enough to try although I did stand on the step and put both feet in up to my ankles.  That was more than enough for me.  Next door to the wet area is the swimming pool which a decent enough size to get some lengths in if you want to.  If like me you just want to relax then there are lots of really comfortable sun loungers around the pool.  I took advantage of these while I read one of the many magazines dotted around the pool.

After we had finished in the pool area we headed to the bar to refuel before our treatments.  Craig ordered an afternoon tea and I had a roast beef & horseradish cream sandwich and a coffee. It was lovely sitting in the bar as it is surrounded by glass walls and was really light and bright.  There are plenty of magazines and newspapers so it’s easy to loose yourself.  My sandwich was nice enough although I couldn’t really taste the horseradish.  My coffee unfortunately was like rocket fuel.  Now I like my coffee, in fact I drink far too much of the stuff but this was so strong I couldn’t finish it.  Craig’s afternoon tea arrived on a 3 tier cake stand.  The bottom layer had a couple of smoked salmon finger sandwiches which Craig said were very nice.  The middle tier had a selection of mini cakes and pastries.  These were beautiful and were like little works of art.  On the top tier was an apple & cinnamon scone, clotted cream and a mini pot of jam.  I had a bite of this and it was lovely.  The bar area got very busy at this time of day with other guests also ordering tea and cakes.  This meant that a few mistakes were made by the staff such as no teaspoon for the tea or knife for the scone was brought.  However as soon as we asked it was rectified very quickly.

After we had eaten tea we headed up to the relaxation lounge to wait for our treatment time.  This lounge area is huge and there are plenty of sofas, chairs, relaxing beds and 3 electric massage chairs.  I loved sitting in one of these reading a magazine and getting a massage.  It’s nice and quiet in the lounge which means you can fall asleep if you want to.

When it was time for our treatments we went to the spa desk (The Hub) and we were given a buzzer and told to go and relax nearby and the buzzer would go off when our therapist was ready.  My buzzer went of first so of I went.  I was taken into one of the treatment rooms for my house body massage.  I was a little disturbed to discover that I was expected to get onto the massage bed into the same sheets as the person before me!  Either that or the bed had been very hurriedly made.  Anyway I decided to just get on with it and got onto the bed.  The therapist then began my massage. It was a nice enough treatment but it did feel a little rushed even though it was 50 minutes.  However by the end of the massage I was nicely relaxed.

I met Craig back in the lounge.  He had a house facial which he thoroughly enjoyed.  He did look good and he was very pleased with the whole treatment.

Nicely relaxed it was time to head back to our room to a quick coffee before we got ready for dinner which was booked for 8.30pm.  We were told earlier in the day that if we wanted to we could wear our robes all day including to dinner.  We didn’t do this as after wearing them all day it was nice to get dressed; however one or two others wore theirs.  

By the time we arrived in the restaurant it was very busy.  We were shown to a table and given menus and a wine list.  Yes I did just say wine list.  This may be a spa but there is no detox here.  I ordered a lovely (large) glass of rose which would help me to relax a little bit more.

We were really pleasantly surprised by the food at the spa.  In the past some of the food I have had in spas has been functional rather than anything else. But here it is restaurant quality, using local ingredients and good very well.  For the price we paid for an overnight stay the food represented excellent value for money.  It was a 3 course menu with plenty to choose from in each course.  All the waiters have ipads which they use to take the orders.

To start I had crab risotto with Greek yoghurt.  I love risotto although have never had yoghurt in it before.  It was delicious and not too claggy.  It was a fairly small portion but plenty for a starter.  Craig had the Corned beef & piccalilli which he said was very good.  I did try a bit and I agree it was very good.  It looked great on the plate as did most of the food we had over the weekend.

We had ordered some bread to nibble on while we were waiting for the starters but unfortunately it didn’t arrive until we had asked for it a couple of times.  It finally arrived after the starter plates had been cleared.  The bread tasted lovely but I’m not convinced it was 100% fresh.  I suspect it was from lunchtime earlier in the day.

Next we were given a surprise course of raspberry foam.  I thought it was odd to be given something sweet at this stage however once I tried it I didn’t care; it was amazing.  Floating on the top of the foam was popping candy. I haven’t had this for years and it was a real surprise.  I think this was one of the highlights of the food all weekend for me.

This was cleared away and after what was an extremely long wait our main courses arrived.  I had the Essex bird free range not so Coq au Vin.  This was basically a deconstructed coq au vin.  It was alright but could have been much better.  Unfortunately both main courses were luke warm and mine needed a lot of extra seasoning to give it flavour.  It did look good on the plate though.  Craig had the Pork belly with aspails cider sauce, sauerkraut, smoked raisins, bacon croquettes and broad beans. He enjoyed this and had no complaints other than it could have been hotter.  To go with the meal we ordered a side order of vegetables and potatoes.  To be honest these were awful.  Both the baby carrots and the halved new potatoes in the dish was dried out and shrivelled up.  I think they had been sitting under a heat lamp for some time. They tasted ok but looked awful.

After the main course we ordered dessert.  I had the champagne jelly with strawberry sorbet and pistachio cake.  This again was beautiful and tasted delicious. The bubbles in the jelly fizzed in your mouth when I pressed my tongue against the roof of my mouth (the child in me came out). It was great to have a completely dairy free (not including the pistachio cake) choice on the dessert menu which is something that doesn’t happen to often. My only niggle was the dessert was served on a piece of slate which was lovely except that when the sorbet started melting it started to slide off.  As the waitress put it down in front of me I had to stop her pushing it back on with her fingers!  Craig had the cheese plate which was accompanied by pickled walnuts, quince paste and 2 types of chutney and crackers.  

After dinner was over we were both to tired and chilled out to stay up so we headed back to our room to bed.  The bed was super comfy and huge and the duvet was so soft I wanted to bring it home.  I mostly slept like a log although I did get really hot in the night and I had to open the balcony door wide to cool down.

On the second day we decided to get up early to go for a run in the grounds before our playtime gym session.  So the alarm went of and we were up, dressed and out at 6.30am.  run completed we arrived in the gym to meet Shelly for our session.  As well as Craig and I there were 4 other people doing the session.  During the next half an hour we played a variety of fun games and did some circuits both in the gym and in the outdoor area.  It was one of the best training sessions I have had and wish I lived nearer as I would become a gym member here.  The gym is very bright and cheerful and full of good handheld equipment.  They do not have any “weights machines” which I think is a good thing.  Instead there are kettle belle, ViPR’s, TRX ropes, cones, dumbbells, Swiss balls and many others I don’t remember.  Shelly, on of the gym staff was really good to work with and highly motivated.  We also met another gym instructor who had the same energy.  After half an hour I was shattered and ready for my breakfast.

So after a quick shower and change into our robes we headed down to breakfast.  We were seated and given menus and our tea & coffee order was taken.  We both ordered the full English with poached eggs.  While we waited for that we went up to the buffet for some juice.  There was a choice of 5 juices including pink grapefruit which I had and really enjoyed.  There was a selection of fresh, dried and poached fruits, cereals’, meats and cheeses and pastries.  White and brown bread was available to toast yourself when you were ready.  Our cooked food arrived and it was all very good.  The egg was perfectly poached and the sausage was really tasty and very good quality.  It was all very fresh and lovely and hot. Other hot dishes on the menu were smoked salmon & scrambled eggs, American pancakes & maple syrup, porridge and kippers.

Breakfast over and we went to the pool to read the paper while our food went down.  When we were ready we got back into the Jacuzzi for a bubble.  I felt something hard and sharp under my foot and when I reached down I pulled out of the water one of the metal covers which had cover away and corroded.  It crumbled a bit in my hand and I could still feel parts of the metal under my foot.  I put my robe back on and took the metal piece through to the reception.  To be fair action was taken straight away.  The Jacuzzi was temporarily shut while one of the staff got in armed with goggles and a net to clear out the debris.  To be honest if I hadn’t have been so shocked and cross at the time I would have found this scene very funny.  Especially as there was the lady from reception standing guard in her high heels to stop anyone using the Jacuzzi.

Drama over and another swim and a bit more relaxing and it was time to check out of the room by 11am.  You don’t have to leave the resort yet but they do ask that you leave your room on time and put your bags in either a day locker or with reception.  By the time we had done this and read a few more magazines while sitting in deck chairs on the lawn it was nearly lunchtime.

Lunch was a 2 course affair this time.  To start I had the chicken liver parfait, beetroot jelly, honeyed walnuts and gingerbread.  Wow, what a great dish.  I have no idea how the chef got the beetroot jelly around the parfait, it was very clever. The parfait was really smooth and delicately flavoured.  Craig had the Oxford Blue Welsh rarebit with grape chutney.  He said this was ok but not very cheesy and a bit dry.

For our main course we both had Dedham vale beef, truffle foam, roasted cherry tomatoes, frisee salad with bacon a Maldon salt seasoned chips.  We both agreed that the beef was tender and delicious and cooked just right.  The chips were big chunky fat chips so not at all greasy.  All in all a lovely lunch to end our spa stay.

After lunch we went back to the pool for an hour where I promptly fell asleep.  A sign of being contented and relaxed which is just what you should be after 24 hours at a spa.

So overall we both very much enjoyed our stay at Lifehouse Spa.  Yes there were a few niggles but nothing that can’t be fixed.  With a bit more staff training and attention to detail all of the niggles I had could be avoided.  It’s a lovely spa and we both felt very relaxed.  The bedrooms are very good and the food is brilliant.  The staff were all extremely friendly and the gym facilities excellent.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Lifehouse to my friends for either a day spa or an overnight stay.  I hope to go back later in the year with my sister in law for a treat when she has had her baby.

Lifehouse Spa

Sharon x

Secret Supper Club - Hari Covert (sshhh its a secret!)

Secret supper clubs or Underground supper clubs (they have various names) have become more popular in recent years partly due to the recession.  People are no longer willing to pay high prices for mediocre food in a restaurant when there are other more interesting options out there.

I have been aware of the supper club movement for some time due to my regular reading of other food blogs (some of my favourites are linked on the right).  I have always found the whole concept intriguing and have wanted to go to one for a long time.  But living in Kent there is not much opportunity to do this.  Most of the well known supper clubs operate in London (somewhere, can’t tell you where because it’s a secret).  A few months ago I decided to Google it and see if there is anything in Kent and I came across two.  One in Bromley which caters for Gluten Free diets and the other in the Tunbridge Wells area; Hari Covert.

So onto Hari Covert’s (get it?) website for some research and I found a wealth of information.  Past menus, future dates of dinners, rules, and lots of fab photography of some of Hari’s food.  So I decided to put in a request for a table for 2 at one of the May suppers.

Hari only holds dinners twice a month on consecutive evenings and only has 12 spaces at each dinner.  You may think this isn’t much but what I haven’t yet point out is that Hari’s restaurant is……..in his home. Yes that’s right, in his home.  His conservatory is turned into a mini restaurant where he cooks for and entertains 12 perfect strangers like me and Craig.

So rewinding a bit, I put in a request and soon got an email saying I needed to confirm my request on the first day of the month.  The places are only released in the month in which the supper is held to give everyone a chance of getting a booking.  So on the 1^st of May I confirmed and soon received a phone call from the mystery Hari where we had a chat and double confirmed that we were coming.  No money changes hands in advance but he does take a credit card number to secure the booking.  Four days before the dinner an email arrived with the address and final details of the supper club.  I wont be sharing this with you though as it’s a secret.  One of the rules of attending is that you never disclose who Hari is or where he lives.

So last Friday evening, glad rags on and wine in hand (its bring your own) we arrived outside Hari’s and rang the bell.  I will be honest and tell you that I was a little nervous as I wasn’t sure what to expect.  The door opens and there stands the mystery man himself with a big welcoming smile.  By his powers of deduction he worked out that we were Sharon & Craig.  We were ushered in and up to the kitchen were we walked through to get to the dining room.  It was open plan so we were able to watch Hari cooking, something you don’t get in restaurants very often.  I loved the fact that Hari’s kitchen is a normal domestic kitchen with normal domestic cookware.  No industrial sized burners and double ovens. 

We were shown to our table and given a very funky wine bag to cool our drinks in.  I liked it so much I have googled it and put a link here http://www.drinkstuff.com/products/product.asp?ID=5234&nav=bc

We got chatting to Julia while we waited for the other guests.  Julia comes in to help serve the food and look after the customers.  She was such an interesting character with a very cool job (which I can’t disclose).  She looked after us so well throughout the evening (thanks Julia if your reading this).  Once the rest of the guests arrived we were given a glass of bucks fizz and a selection of canapés.  These included tapenade on bruchetta, tomato soup shots, and risotto rice balls (Arancini di Riso).  The rice balls are literally risotto that is formed into a small ball, covered in bread crumbs then deep fried.  They were delicious.  We had these last year in New York on a food tour of the city and we both agreed that Hari's were much nicer.

Time for the starter of Local Asparagus and Goats cheese tart.  This was served with a garnish of green leaves including pea shoots and something that we think might have been pursulane, and sautéed asparagus tips.  The tart filling was light and fluffy and extremely nice.  An excellent start to the meal.

Next came the main course of Roasted Pork Tenderloin served on a bed of mixed beans and Chorizo with a Beer & Caraway jus.  Jersey royals accompanied the meal.  The pork was wrapped in Black Forest Ham which kept the meat moist and added lots of flavour.  The beans included green beans which Hari told me he always tries to include somewhere in each meal (Hari Covert……..get it!).  Both Craig and I really enjoyed this dish and cleared our plates (except for a few beans I left on the plate).

Main course plates cleared and along came the cheese course. Normally a course I avoid like the plague due to my dairy intolerance.  I should say at this point I didn’t tell HariWinterdale Shaw.  This was a mild cheese with a creamy taste.  I found out the dairy is open on a Saturday morning to visit and to buy the cheese.  Hari will be holding one of his supper club events at the dairy later in the year.  You can visit their website here http://www.winterdale.co.uk/ .  Then there was a soft cheese which was named Hari’s buttons.  It was a little round of soft cheese studded with alcohol infused raisins.  These were lovely although I only had a little bit as I was being careful.  The porridge oat biscuits that accompanied the cheese platter were interesting.  They were extremely crunchy and had a lovely toasted flavour.  They went perfectly with the cheese.

After the plates had been cleared away we had a short pause before dessert was served. During the meal Julia and Hari both mingled and chatted while they went about their tasks.  Both of them have really interesting backgrounds which made excellent conversation.  Dessert was homemade strawberry meringues with cream and ice cream and strawberries with a sauce, sprinkled with crushed pistachios.  I asked for mine without the cream or ice cream and even with these missing it was absolutely delicious.  Our wedding dessert was Eton mess which is one of my favourites so I was really pleased that this was on the menu as it is so similar.  It looked beautiful on the plate.  Also the meringues were chewy on the inside which I love.  We were each served a glass of dessert wine.

After dessert a pot of coffee and a plate of homemade chocolate truffles were produced.  I didn’t try a chocolate but Craig declared them delicious. The coffee was really welcome by his point because the lovely Julia kept on topping up my bucks fizz!

So it’s the end of the meal, we were very happy and relaxed and not to mention full to bursting.  We start to think about leaving as we have an early start the next morning.  The table of six also at the dinner had well and truly settled in by this point and the volume was increasing by the minute thanks to the flow of wine they had brought with them.  So now its just a question of “paying the bill” before we go.  On the table was an envelope into which you put in how much you choose to pay for the meal and service.  A £30 donation per head was suggested.  Both Craig and I felt that this was more than fair and in fact very cheap.  You can over pay if you want which we did a little.  It would have been more but stupidly we didn't account for this and didn’t have any extra cash on us. £30 for four courses plus coffee, chocolates, drink & canapés on arrival and a glass of dessert wine is excellent value.  Especially if you take into account the quality of the food and the cooking.

If you have never been to a supper club before and I suspect that most of my friends reading this haven’t then I urge you to give it a go.  It’s a brand new eating experience which I really enjoyed.  Restaurant quality food in a home setting for a low price.  How could you not like it.  I would love to do something like this in my own home and its something I am going to do in the future if I ever move house (the one I am in wouldn’t accommodate this venture).

If you live in the Maidstone area then Hari Covert is the supper club to go to (he is not in Maidstone but not too far…..that’s all I’m saying).  You can go to his web site here http://haricovertundergroundrestaurant.wordpress.com/

Or if you live elsewhere in the country or even outside the UK here is a link to a list of other supper clubs http://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/page/supperclubs-by-location

Give it a go.

Sharon x

Roka

Craig was away in China on my birthday this year so we decided to have a belated celebration this weekend.  I’m bit rubbish at making decisions so when he asked me where I wanted to go for a meal it took me ages to decide.  I originally decided on The River Cafe in London and Craig went ahead and booked us a table.  However the more I thought about it and the more reviews I read the less I wanted to go.  So we cancelled that and booked instead to go to Roka which is a Japanese restaurant in London.  Japanese is a good choice for me because many of the dishes tend to be both low fat and dairy free.  So I know I can leave the restaurant with a clear conscience and no stomach ache (from the dairy).

We started the day with an early 2 mile run in the park followed by a session in the gym.  Then it was home, shower, dress and on the train to London.  It was a gorgeous day so instead of using the tube all the way we went as far as Oxford Circus then we walked from here.  It was only about 15 minutes and we had plenty of time before our 1pm booking.

We arrived at the restaurant and were greeted by two staff that very quickly found our booking and showed us to our seats.  I say seats and not table because a feature of the restaurant is the robata grill which customers can sit around and watch all the cooking action.  When we first sat down I did think about changing my mind and asking for a table as I felt a bit restricted for space.  However once I got settled I relaxed a bit and it was fine.  A waiter gave us both food and drinks menus and asked if we wanted to order a drink straight away.  We had decided we were going to have a few cocktails so we just ordered a bottle of sparkling mineral water while we looked at the menu.

To get us in the mood for food we ordered a cocktail.  I went for a Lipstick Rose which is rose petal vodka, and champagne.  Craig had a Banzai Mule which is vodka, ginger beer, pineapple juice and fresh lime juice.  Both drinks were very refreshing and did a great job of wetting out appetite.

So now we got down to the serious business of deciding what to eat.  Easier said than done.  We considered the tasting menu as this removes the problem of having to make any decisions.  The problem was that I won’t eat raw fish so I couldn’t have this menu.  The menu stated that the tasting menu had to be ordered by a minimum of two people so that was that.  No tasting menu for Craig today.  After taking some advice from a waiter we decided to order a selection of dishes each and then share the ones we both liked.

So I ordered Fried Tofu & White Asparagus Maki rolls to kick of. This was a new dish for me as I usually stick to avocado or cucumber fillings.  Craig persuaded me to be a little more adventurous and I'm really glad I did.  It was presented like a little piece of artwork on a plate and it tasted as good as it looked.  The white asparagus was crunchy which I didn’t expect.  I have had white asparagus on holiday abroad in the past and I remember it being sloppy!  This time is was really good. Next was Beef, Ginger & Sesame dumplings.  Another dish which was presented beautifully and it didn’t taste bad either. Next came one of my favourites, Vegetable Tempura.  Carrot, red peppers, aubergine, mushroom, green beans and asparagus were all dipped in a light batter and deep fried until they were crispy but still a very pale golden colour.  Next came Tender stem broccoli with ginger & miso.  This was delicious although I’m not quite sure what was in the dressing.  It was red and looked like grains.  Whatever it was it tasted lovely.  This went with the final dish I chose which was Lamb Cutlets with Korean Spices.  Four decent sized cutlets arrived with a garnish of cucumber in a sesame dressing.  The meat was so juicy that it felt like I had taken a sip of my drink with each mouthful.  The spicing was just right but the sauce to dip it into had a kick to it.

Craig ordered his absolute favourite dish; Sashimi. The raw fish was spanking fresh and looked absolutely beautiful in its presentation bowl surrounded by ice.  Each slice of fish was the thickness of my little finger and was cut with absolute precision.  There was tuna, salmon, swordfish and two others that I don’t remember.  After this came Black Cod, Crab & Crayfish dumplings.  The flavour was very delicate and I could have eaten the whole plate of this myself (one to order again).  Tiger Prawn tempura was next.  Five huge tiger prawns were again dipped in the tempura batter and deep fried until a pale golden colour and really crispy.  The prawn inside was cooked to perfection, not that chewy texture you can get when it’s over cooked.  The last dish for Craig was Beef fillet with Chili, Ginger and spring onions.  The meat was sliced into very fine slices so you just had to pick up a piece with your chopsticks, dip it in the accompanying sauce and eat it.  It was cooked medium rare (as requested) and it just melted in the mouth.  The sauce that came with it was delicious.

Each dish is brought to you as it is ready but nothing is rushed.  When my lamb chops were put on the grill to cook our waiter came over and pointed them out so we could watch if we wanted to.  During the meal our water was regularly topped up and after each dish was cleared the waiter made sure our counter area was clean and tidy.

After we had finished eating, dessert menus were brought over.  At this point I was too full but I still like to have a look at what is on offer.  All the desserts sounded amazing and I wish we had some room to at least share one between us.  Instead we decided to head over to The Hummingbird Bakery in South Kensington for coffee & cupcakes.

I cannot fault Roka in any way.  The food was amazing, the service excellent, the decor beautiful and the atmosphere lively. It’s a restaurant that I will put on my list of places to go to celebrate a special occasion. Having said that, it’s not pretentious in any way.  You don’t have to dress up too much during the day; in fact there were lots of very casually dressed people.  I would say for the evening you would want to get the glad rags out though.  It was cool watching all the chefs at work.  We were particularly impressed by the chef who was shredding spring onions into thousands of tiny rings no thicker than a paper clip.  That was the attention to detail paid to all the ingredients.

If you like Japanese or fancy giving it a go I would thoroughly recommend you try Roka.

http://rokarestaurant.com/

Sharon x

Supper Club – The Horseshoes @ East Farleigh

For the last three years I have been part of a supper club.  We are a group of woman who meet up once a month at a different venue in and around Maidstone for dinner.  There are about 16 members with between 10 and 14 attending each event.

We try to pick a new venue each month with one of the ladies volunteering to organise.  Occasionally we do a return visit to a venue we all really liked or if we cant think of anywhere new.

We also sometimes do one of the chains if there is a good voucher on at the time which can save quite a bit of money at the end of the night.

So this month I volunteered to do the organising and I suggested we go to The Horseshoes in East Farleigh.  It’s somewhere that I have been going to with my husband since it opened.  When I say since it opened I mean since it changed from the Brewers Fare to what it is now (a huge improvement).

As it’s only up the road from where we live its easy to pop to for a nice meal that doesn’t cost the earth.  I particularly enjoy going there in the winter in the evening when the log fire is lit and there is hearty food on the menu.

So, I phoned the landlord (Paul) and booked a table for 10.  This was fine but he said that as we were a large group we would need to pre order our food.  After a bit of discussion he kindly agreed that we didn’t need to do this and we could order from the full menu.  Fantastic.  Unfortunately our numbers rose quickly to 16.  This is really unusual as it’s normally between 10 and 14 of us.  So I called Paul back and told him our numbers had increased and we agreed that I would get all the ladies to pre order their food from a set menu.  I will be honest I was a little worried about this but once I received the menu via mail it was fine.

There was plenty to choose from including 7 starters and 7 main courses.  The starters ranged from £2.60 (Home baked bread with herbs, olive oil & cabernet sauvignon vinegar) to £9.95 (Duo of baked cheeses, petit camembert & goat’s cheese brulee topped with caramelised onions served with baked breads).  The main course choices ranged from £7.95 (Chefs baked fishcakes with a lemon crème fraîche and a side salad) to £15.95 (Char-grilled rib-eye steak with baked beef tomato, grated shaved horseradish, a cracked black pepper sauce and home-cut chunky chips).  Drinks and desserts were ordered on the night.

So after sending out a quick email, all the ladies replied with their food choices and the list was emailed over to the pub in advance.

I had intended to arrive early but best laid plans and all that!  When I did arrive several of the ladies were already there drink in hands chatting away.  At this point Sam, one of the staff came over and introduced himself and checked a few details on the food order.  Sam was lovely and to be honest I would go back just to have him look after us.

Our party had been seated in one of the large sections of the restaurant which we ended up having all to ourselves which was probably good for other diners as 15 ladies can get a bit loud!

So onto the food.  After waiting a while as one of the ladies was delayed out came the starters. 

I had the Cornish sardines on toast with a sweet pepper & fennel compote.  I have never eaten sardines before but I have always liked the look of them so I decided to give them a go.  And I was glad I did.  They came filleted and grilled laid on a large slice of toasted baguette with some compote.  Delicious.  It would also have made a nice main course with a few extra sardines.  The dish has inspired me to get some sardines and grill them next time we have a BBQ.  

The lady opposite me had the French onion and port soup, topped with a Wensleydale cheese crouton.  It was served very simply in a pottery soup dish which I think looked great against the colour of the soup.  The lady eating it was pleased to discover that the onions had been properly caramelised first which is something that doesn’t always happen with this dish.

A few of the other ladies had starters but had started eating before I could get a photo but they did all look delicious.  The presentation at The Horseshoes is very good.  Even the individual bread boards looked great.

Starters cleared and glasses filled and it was onto the main course.  Unfortunately one of the ladies had still not arrived due to a late work finish and a closed road.  We carried on without her and Sam agreed to have the chef keep her meal warm.

I had the baked fishcakes with a lemon crème fraîche and a side salad.  I had thought about ordering a side of chips as I didn’t think this would fill me up but I was wrong.  Two good sized fishcakes and a large side salad were presented together with half a fresh lemon and a pot of the lemon crème frache.  It was just enough and in the end I left some of the salad.  The fishcakes themselves were very light and fluffy and seem to have been baked not fried which I loved.  One of the reasons I had the fishcakes is because I follow the weight watchers plan so don’t eat fried food (too often ;-) )                                                                                    

                                                    

A couple of ladies next to me had the Scottish salmon fillet wrapped in light filo pastry served on beetroot, baby Potatoes & wilted spinach.  This was a really good dish which we all agreed was an unusual thing to see on a menu.  The baby beetroot that garnished the dish looked really good as did the roasted new potatoes.  They said it was lovely.  

Quite a few of the ladies had the Beechwood smoked duck on a salad of mixed leaves, orange segments and diced apricots.  The duck meat was really render and sliced nice and thinly so it was easy to eat.  It came with the fat on which some people wont like but it wouldn’t have looked or tasted right if it had been removed. It was a big bowl of salad and along with the oranges and apricots it was a filling dish.

The last dish I managed to get a photo of before it was demolished was the Handmade burger with gherkin, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, onion

& tomato relish, topped with emmental cheese and bacon, served with chips. Again, a really nice dish even though not all the chips got eaten.

After the main course was over the plates were cleared away and pudding menus produced.  There was a choice of ten puddings plus a cheese plate for those who like something savoury at the end of a meal.

Its at this point that I always wish A) I wasn’t doing weight watchers and B) I wasn’t dairy intolerant.  It makes the puddings and cheese a no go area for me.  Luckily several of the ladies ordered puddings so that I could take some photos.

First of all the best pudding of the night, The pudding sharer platter which consisted of two chunks of chocolate brownie which was cooked to perfection (squidgy on the inside, crusty on the outside), a bowl of Eton mess (berries, meringues, cream, all mixed together), two slices of new York cheesecake and a bowl of chocolate mousse topped with a dollop of clotted cream.  This was for two people to share but it could easily serve four.  It looked amazing and the little mouthful of brownie I had was to die for.

The other puddings ordered were Eton mess, Treacle & Ginger tart with clotted cream and Lemon meringue pie with berry coulis.  They all looked fabulous and plates were cleared so they must have been good.

Coffee all round was ordered and the evening was declared a success.  The bill was requested and including service charge and drinks worked out to £25 a head which is not bad at all.  I believe quite a few of the supper club ladies will be returning in the future.

If you haven’t been to The Horseshoes I recommend you give it a go.  They do special nights like Fridays Fish Suppers and Thursday Grill night.  They also do Sunday roast platters to share.  There is a lovely garden to sit out in on a hot day with a drink.    

http://www.thehorseshoeseastfarleigh.co.uk/

Sharon x