Escala, Clevedon, Somerset Spanish restaurant review

It wasn't planned, but there was something quite fitting about guzzling Spanish tapas whilst England were beating Spain in a penalty shootout during the final of Euro 2025.

Occasionally checking the score on my phone with a glass of Spanish wine in one hand made the agony of penalties a lot less stressful than usual.

My unusually relaxing penalty shootout experience took place at Escala, a Spanish restaurant that's been open on Clevedon’s seafront since 2021. With its beautiful views across the Severn Estuary to Cardiff, I could easily see why it was so busy on a Sunday evening.

Escala serves more than just the obvious tapas classics, although they’re there if you want them. More exciting plates include the likes of salt cod croquetas, cockles with white wine, and scallops with Coronation butter. Throw in produce sourced from the excellent Mevalco and an interesting selection of Spanish wines by the glass, and it makes for a very compelling proposition.

We started with lovely glasses of Cava, a Villa Conchi Brut (£7) for Mrs G and a Vilarnau Rose (£7.50) for me and then moved on to glasses of Verdejo from Diez Siglos (£7) and an Albarino from El Cameron (£10.50).

On the food front, pieces of densely meaty and smoky chorizo (£8.50) were bathed in a sticky, sweet and fruity cider and red wine reduction. Mrs G had to restrain me from tipping the remaining liquid straight into my gob.

Berenjenas con miel (£7.50) is one of my favourite tapas dishes and a must order whenever I see it on a menu. Tender aubergines coated in a light batter could have been a bit more assertive in their crunch, but they were deliciously drizzled with sticky and toasty molasses.

Jamon and short rib croquetas (£6.50) delivered well on the flavour front with their big meatiness coupled with a paprika-laced chorizo mayo and crisp shards of jamon. But, a huge chunk of beef, which was sat in my croqueta's core, detracted from the silky bechamel that normally makes them so enticing.

A chicken thigh (£10.50) was beautifully juicy with crisp skin and accompanied by an excellent charred leek and lovely earthy and nutty romesco sauce. A deep green mojo verde was another very nice sauce but its big punch of acidity meant it slightly dominated the other components on the plate.

The only real dud of the meal was a pan con tomate (£4.50), which we ordered to mop up all the delicious sauces and dressings on our other dishes. Seemingly shop bought ciabatta was topped with a rather one note sweet tomato concasse that lacked vibrancy, a good honk of garlic or the grassiness of olive oil.

The stars of the meal were the two salads we ordered. Both were examples of excellent produce put together with consideration.

A colourful selection of fresh and sweet heritage tomatoes (£6) was dressed with top notch olive oil, thinly sliced shallots and a scattering of sea salt.

Even better, were pieces of bitter chicory (£7), that paired beautifully with nuggets of pokey blue cheese, the crunch of hazelnut and a fresh and zesty orange dressing.

We had a good meal at Escala with lovely service in a beautiful setting. If you ever you find yourself in Clevedon looking for a meal on the seafront, then it's well worth checking out. Especially so if you’re looking to transform a penalty shootout into a relaxing experience.

The Details:

Address - Escala, 12 The Beach, Clevedon BS21 7QU

Web - https://www.escalatapas.co.uk/

Telephone -  01275 217600

The Olive Kitchen, Martock, Somerset cafe review

Located in a tent at the back of a rather chichi looking industrial estate in the Somerset village of Martock, the Olive Kitchen is no ordinary workers’ caff. 

Serving a lunchtime menu of Middle Eastern inspired salads, sandwiches and grills as well as classic breakfast dishes, the Olive Kitchen utilises fresh produce from its kitchen garden as well as meat sourced direct from a local farm. 

To drink, I had an excellent iced americano and a very good Clear Head alcohol free beer from Bristol Beer Factory whilst a friend enjoyed a rather pretty raspberry concoction. 

On the food front, Mrs G was a fan of soft laffa bread wrap (£14) stuffed with a flavour-packed combination of halloumi, sweet potato fritters, gooseberry relish, yoghurt and fresh salad. 

I had the Merguez smash burger (£18), which saw a pair of big-spiced lamb and beef patties stuffed into a soft bun with crispy onion rings, garlic mayo, and pickled jalapenos. Accompanied by crisp fries and well-mayonnaised red cabbage slaw, it was a very tasty burger.

But, the standout was the Olive Kitchen mezze platter (£19), which was a real sight to behold. A kaleidoscope of colours, the well-sized platter was laden with halloumi fries, leek and feta croquettes, sweet potato fritters, broad bean hummus, roasted carrots, spicy rice, and spiced pear chutney amongst other things. It’s fair to say that I was rather envious. 

One mate supplemented their platter with excellent sticky pork belly skewers (+£5) and the other with good Mansaf chicken (+£4).

The Olive Kitchen’s other main attraction is a very impressive looking display of cakes, tarts and bakes.

With a big dinner in store, I shared a slice of raspberry and vanilla sponge. It was just as well, because it was massive. Light and soft of crumb, the tart raspberries balanced well with the sweet vanilla icing. It was an excellent sponge.

A warm piece of pecan pie topped with a dollop of vanilla ice cream also got the thumbs up. 

We had a delicious lunch at the Olive Kitchen. With its flavour-packed Middle Eastern inspired dishes, delicious bakes and friendly service, it’s a charming place for a casual lunch.

The Details:

Address - The Olive Kitchen, Stoke Road, Martock TA12 6RR

Web - https://www.olivekitchensomerset.uk/

Telephone - 07380 732437

Holm, South Petherton, Somerset restaurant with rooms review

After 20 years on TV, Great British Menu still attracts the hottest culinary talent from across the UK and has made household names out of chefs like Tom Kerridge, Aktar Islam and Angela Hartnett.

Alongside winning a Michelin star or securing a glowing review from a national restaurant critic, it seems to be the most sure-fire way for a restaurant to secure a boost in bookings.

I recently read Sally Abe’s excellent autobiography where she talked about the increase in reservations that she saw at the Harwood Arms and the Pem during her appearances on the show.

One contestant to put in a respectable performance this year was Nicholas Balfe, a self-taught chef from Yeovil, who previously founded the highly regarded Salon and Levan in London before moving back to the Somerset village of South Petherton in 2021 to open Holm.

Representing the Southwest, Nicholas made it through to the regional finals with some delicious looking food.

Coincidentally, a friend of ours had suggested a trip to Holm the week before Nicholas appeared on the show, at which point I’d never even heard of it. Fast forward a week later and I was biting their hand off for us to get booked in.

Located in a former bank in the heart of the village, clearly a lot of love and dosh has gone into stripping Holm’s building back to its bare bones and furnishing its dining space and seven bedrooms with high end furniture, beautiful fabrics, and chic art.

It’s undoubtedly one of the most stylish and comfy places I’ve stayed in the UK.

But, enough about the interior design, let’s talk about the food. With a focus on seasonal and local produce, Holm’s cooking is contemporary yet not too fussy.

When we arrived, a pair of squidgy chocolate and sea salt cookies waiting for us in our room got things off to a very good start.

Included in our well-priced £357 dinner, bed and breakfast rate was a multi-course tasting menu for two, which would normally set punters pack £85 a head. There’s also an a la carte available if that’s more your bag.

During the evening, we worked our way through a few lovely bottles of wine including a Pierre Chainier Cremant de Loire (£52), a Ciu Ciu organic Pecorino with a nice touch of oak (£45) and a clean Les Cadoles Macon Chardonnay (£54). Slightly disappointingly, despite having a compact wine list, a couple of other bottles we wanted to try were sold out.

A quartet of snacks to kick off the meal were all very good indeed.

Treacly crusted warm sourdough was excellent with silky whipped butter.

A bright and summery green gazpacho hummed with cucumber, garlic and green herbs.

A leaf of green vegetation was the vehicle for delivering flakes of trout and savoury and citrusy anchovy mayonnaise to my mouth.

Golden cube-shaped Westcombe cheddar fries had a good poke of cheese and tang of pickled walnut. But, I do like a melty ooze when cheese is involved, and these were just a little too firm in texture for me.

Onto the first course proper, and slices of meaty cured sea bream were bathed in a palate-livening ponzu dressing and topped with slices of zippy pickled radish and sweet cicely leaves. However, I wasn’t a fan of a definite back note of fishiness to the dish.

Next up was a very good pasta dish. Agnolotti pillows were filled with creamy herb-flecked ricotta and bathed in a potently rich and cheesy pecorino sauce punctuated with the occasional sweet pea. Golden cheese crisps provided very good texture contrast.

Onto the meat course, and a chicken breast and lightly crumbed piece of chicken thigh were served with a piece of charred hispi cabbage topped with a wild garlic salsa verde, a glossy chicken sauce and a blob of punchy wild garlic mayo. However, I must admit that I struggle to get excited about chicken breast, even when it’s cooked as well as this.

The cheese course (£10.50 supplement) divided opinion. I was a fan of soft and creamy Yarlington topped with a big dollop of spiced apricot chutney and fennel seed cracker sticks. Others felt that the cheese was slightly dominated by its accompaniments.

Dessert was one of the standouts of the meal. A scoop of smooth milk ice cream was accompanied by fragrant macerated strawberries.

The knockout centrepiece was a warm strawberry frangipane sponge with a soft almondy crumb dotted with pieces of fruit. Someone really knows how to bake at Holm.

Petit fours were very good too. A dark chocolate salted caramel was reminiscent of a luxury Rolo whilst airy honeycomb was the gift that kept on giving as I was still picking bits out of my teeth for a good while later.

After an excellent night’s sleep, we had a superb breakfast the following morning. Somerset apple juice was accompanied by nutty homemade granola with thick yoghurt and spiced apple compote.

Thick slices of oak smoked trout were joined by homemade hash browns, fudgy yolked eggs, and more of that excellent sourdough. 

If breakfast wasn’t already generous enough then sticky yet not too sweet cinnamon buns were offered for dessert. Whilst Mrs G guzzled hers there and then, I boxed up mine for a mid-morning snack.

We had an excellent stay at Holm and I’m very glad that Great British Menu led me to its doors. Whilst we had a few minor quibbles with dinner, it’s a charming destination and unquestionably one of the most stylish getaways I’ve had in the UK.

The Details:

Address - Holm, 28 St James's Street, South Petherton, Somerset TA13 5BW

Web - https://holmsomerset.co.uk/

Telephone - 01460 712470

The Three Horseshoes, Batcombe, Somerset pub review

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