This week I was invited by the lovely
Jessica Donnithorne at Cambscuisine to join the team at
The Cock in Hemingford Grey for their staff summer menu tasting session. Cambscuisine are the brand behind some of our favourite meat-based restaurants in Cambridge such as
Smokeworks, St John's Chop House, The Tickell Arms,
Cambridge Chop House and the Cambridge Dining Company. They have some exciting plans afoot for a second Smokeworks this summer and they are keeping their lips firmly closed on any location info or finer details - exciting! The Cock is their pilot venue, having been open since 2001 and I got to join
Will Findlay and his close-knit team of chefs (including George & Fabiene) and waiting staff to sample their new seasonal menus. I was also joined by Pina at
One Two Culinary Stew, a fellow blogger so I was in superb company for some food geekery. Will has been Head Chef at The Cock since 2006 and his fresh ideas and passion for locally sourced ingredients is addictive, I felt like a part of the team and got to chip in with my own thoughts on the dishes and help with any suggested additions or changes throughout -
what an honour. The team carry out these tastings in order to get the service team familiar with every dish, making them truly knowledgable when it comes to customer questions throughout service. I'm aware that this is probably the norm for most pubs and restaurants, but it's been a while since I've seen such a friendly team that get on like a family - it was like being around a table for a family celebration, it didn't feel business-like at all, the atmosphere was
inspiring.
What can you expect to order at this picturesque village pub/restaurant? Well, if you simply want to visit a local village pub for a beer garden experience, you are welcome to enjoy a bar snack and a pint whilst soaking up some rays in the garden or curled up by the fire. However, you can also expect to sit in their restaurant and enjoy a high end dining experience - minus the huge price tag. In fact, the prices are
more than fair for the quality of dishes in front of me this week - I was mightily impressed and I'm truly not just saying that, I had no idea just what they had to offer! Most of the dishes are also gluten free too, you won't be disappointed as a coeliac, there's no dull options here! A starter can range from between
£5.50 - £7.50 and a main can vary between
£11.50 - £20 (or if you fancy the Beef Wellington Sharing platter, rem, WOW!) then you can pay £48,
£24 per person and you are in for the Wellington of your life.
The À la Carte starters include the following dishes: ▽ Fried truffle gnocchi with caramelised onion puree, pickled wild mushrooms, garlic oil & rocket
▽ Soup of the day (changes every few days)
▽ Smoked brie with pickled apple and roast grape salad with sage pesto
▽ Duck parcel with sweet & sour cucumber, sesame, spring onion & soy dressing (My personal fave!)
▽ Seared pigeon breast, radish & baby gem fricassee, black cherry gel
▽ Cold smoked pork fillet, piccalilli puree, soused vegetable salad
▽ Rabbit & black pudding terrine with carrot jam, mixed leaves
The À la Carte mains include the following dishes: ▽ Asparagus, pea & truffle risotto with rocket, parmesan & truffle oil salad
▽ Rosemary & garlic polenta, watercress, radish and chilli jam
▽ Lamb rump, pea & mint puree, confit potatoes, black pudding, chantenay carrots & red wine gravy
▽ Guinea fowl supreme with rosemary potato bake, asparagus, mushroom puree, wilted spinach & madeira sauce
▽ Braised spiced pig cheek & belly faggot with Mouli, carrot & red cabbage slaw, coriander Miso broth
▽ 9oz Sirloin steak / 14oz Butler steak with hand cut chips, herb roasted tomato & Cafe de Paris butter
▽ Beef Wellington to share with Lyonnaise Potatoes, salt baked carrots, buttered greens & port sauce Best advice to avoid disappointment?... Book your table before you go, or else you WILL be disappointed! The menu changes every 3 months or so and the fish menu and pudding menu will all change within the next few weeks too - I cannot wait to find out what they have in store! You can see
my little geeky video of this tasting afternoon here! [youtube height="HEIGHT" width="WIDTH"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4eWe0h9Yhc&spfreload=10[/youtube]
www.cambscuisine.com 
Please note - This visit was complimentary following an invitation to view this venue and meet the team. I am in no means obliged to blog or write about their offerings, but I simply choose to share with my readers, should I enjoy the experience. The service team that work on the day or duration of my visit are not aware of my reasons for visiting, to enable a fair review. Any questions or to discuss a "Secret Stay" or review, please do email:
hello@misssueflay.com You can also read about Miss Sue Flay's
"Around The World In 80 Stays Challenge" here. If you liked this video, you can view
my other video reviews here! All images © 2015 Miss Sue Flay, these may not be used or reproduced without written permission from the owner, many thanks in advance.
This week I was invited by the lovely Jessica Donnithorne at Cambscuisine to join the team at The Cock in Hemingford Grey for their staff summer menu tasting session. Cambscuisine are the brand behind some of our favourite meat-based restaurants in Cambridge such as Smokeworks, St John's Chop House, The Tickell Arms, Cambridge Chop House and the Cambridge Dining Company. They have some exciting plans afoot for a second Smokeworks this summer and they are keeping their lips firmly closed on any location info or finer details - exciting! The Cock is their pilot venue, having been open since 2001 and I got to join Will Findlay and his close-knit team of chefs (including George & Fabiene) and waiting staff to sample their new seasonal menus. I was also joined by Pina at One Two Culinary Stew, a fellow blogger so I was in superb company for some food geekery. Will has been Head Chef at The Cock since 2006 and his fresh ideas and passion for locally sourced ingredients is addictive, I felt like a part of the team and got to chip in with my own thoughts on the dishes and help with any suggested additions or changes throughout - what an honour. The team carry out these tastings in order to get the service team familiar with every dish, making them truly knowledgable when it comes to customer questions throughout service. I'm aware that this is probably the norm for most pubs and restaurants, but it's been a while since I've seen such a friendly team that get on like a family - it was like being around a table for a family celebration, it didn't feel business-like at all, the atmosphere was inspiring. 
What can you expect to order at this picturesque village pub/restaurant? Well, if you simply want to visit a local village pub for a beer garden experience, you are welcome to enjoy a bar snack and a pint whilst soaking up some rays in the garden or curled up by the fire. However, you can also expect to sit in their restaurant and enjoy a high end dining experience - minus the huge price tag. In fact, the prices are more than fair for the quality of dishes in front of me this week - I was mightily impressed and I'm truly not just saying that, I had no idea just what they had to offer! Most of the dishes are also gluten free too, you won't be disappointed as a coeliac, there's no dull options here! A starter can range from between £5.50 - £7.50 and a main can vary between £11.50 - £20 (or if you fancy the Beef Wellington Sharing platter, rem, WOW!) then you can pay £48, £24 per person and you are in for the Wellington of your life. The À la Carte starters include the following dishes: ▽ Fried truffle gnocchi with caramelised onion puree, pickled wild mushrooms, garlic oil & rocket ▽ Soup of the day (changes every few days) ▽ Smoked brie with pickled apple and roast grape salad with sage pesto ▽ Duck parcel with sweet & sour cucumber, sesame, spring onion & soy dressing (My personal fave!) ▽ Seared pigeon breast, radish & baby gem fricassee, black cherry gel ▽ Cold smoked pork fillet, piccalilli puree, soused vegetable salad ▽ Rabbit & black pudding terrine with carrot jam, mixed leaves 
The À la Carte mains include the following dishes: ▽ Asparagus, pea & truffle risotto with rocket, parmesan & truffle oil salad ▽ Rosemary & garlic polenta, watercress, radish and chilli jam ▽ Lamb rump, pea & mint puree, confit potatoes, black pudding, chantenay carrots & red wine gravy ▽ Guinea fowl supreme with rosemary potato bake, asparagus, mushroom puree, wilted spinach & madeira sauce ▽ Braised spiced pig cheek & belly faggot with Mouli, carrot & red cabbage slaw, coriander Miso broth ▽ 9oz Sirloin steak / 14oz Butler steak with hand cut chips, herb roasted tomato & Cafe de Paris butter ▽ Beef Wellington to share with Lyonnaise Potatoes, salt baked carrots, buttered greens & port sauce Best advice to avoid disappointment?... Book your table before you go, or else you WILL be disappointed! The menu changes every 3 months or so and the fish menu and pudding menu will all change within the next few weeks too - I cannot wait to find out what they have in store! You can see my little geeky video of this tasting afternoon here! [youtube height="HEIGHT" width="WIDTH"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4eWe0h9Yhc&spfreload=10[/youtube] www.cambscuisine.com 
Please note - This visit was complimentary following an invitation to view this venue and meet the team. I am in no means obliged to blog or write about their offerings, but I simply choose to share with my readers, should I enjoy the experience. The service team that work on the day or duration of my visit are not aware of my reasons for visiting, to enable a fair review. Any questions or to discuss a "Secret Stay" or review, please do email:hello@misssueflay.com You can also read about Miss Sue Flay's "Around The World In 80 Stays Challenge" here. If you liked this video, you can view my other video reviews here! All images © 2015 Miss Sue Flay, these may not be used or reproduced without written permission from the owner, many thanks in advance. 
No comments:
Post a Comment