Before a big evening meal, it's always important to have a light lunch to preserve your appetite.
With seven hours to go until my birthday blowout, we decided
to pop in for a snack in the bar at the Three Horseshoes in Batcombe.
Things rapidly escalated...
Owned by Margot Henderson of Rochelle Canteen fame, the Three Horseshoes is an olde worlde Somerset pub with a chic edge that's currently ranked at number seven in the Top 50 Gastropubs list.
Their menu, which is scattered with offal and seasonal
ingredients, is understandably of a similar ilk to Rochelle Canteen and St
John.
Eyecatchers included fried pig’s head and ketchup (£12), grilled merguez with roast peppers (£23) and mutton, leek and wild garlic pie (£23). A smaller bar menu also offers dishes like devilled pig skin (£4) and a cheddar toastie (£9).
With one eye on our evening meal, we ordered a few dishes from both menus to share.
We both stuck to the Three Horseshoes' alcohol-free draught beer option – Wiper and True’s excellent Tomorrow lager.
To start, a trio of crisp and peppery hot pink radishes (£13) were absolute whoppers. They were excellent dredged through salty and smoky whipped cod’s roe and the rich yolk of a duck egg.
A planetary scotch egg (£6) had its own gravitational field. The golden crumb, thick layer of juicy pork mince and a runny-yolked egg were all good. But its light seasoning meant it needed a bit of something something. Fortunately, a dollop of fiery English mustard solved the conundrum.
For main, we ordered a pair of big buns.
The first soft white bap was filled with crumbed white fish
(£13), mixed leaves and creamy sauce gribiche. It was good but it lacked a
punch of seasoning – perhaps a few more cornichons, capers or green herb in the
sauce gribiche would have done the trick.
There were no issues with a salt beef bun (£13) that was stacked high with a slab of tender spiced meat, an ooze of Ogleshield cheese and the light acidity of pickled red cabbage. It was a belter of a sarnie.
Dessert saw the standout dish of the meal and the wheels really falling off my light lunch plans.
A trencherman’s portion of treacle tart (£11) combined thin,
golden and crisp pastry and a soft toasty filling with a compelling kick of
citrus. A dollop of clotted cream sealed the deal.
We had a delicious lunch at the Three Horseshoes and their refined, yet rustic seasonal cooking was right up my street. I’ll most definitely be going back for a more substantial meal next time we’re in the area.
P.S. in case you had any worries, of course my appetite
returned in time for dinner.
The Details:
Address - The Three Horseshoes, Batcombe, Somerset BA4 6HE
Web - https://www.thethreehorseshoesbatcombe.co.uk/
Telephone - 01749 326147
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