Having visited and loved Beef and Pudding several times over the last few weeks I thought it would be nice to try another venue in the New Moon Pub Company group. Luckily for me my date offered to drive so off to the pretty village of Weaverham we went and visited The Hanging Gate Inn. 30 minutes drive outside of the city centre, it isn’t the easiest place to find, but the leafy surroundings are well worth the trip.
We were seated in the main restaurant and handed our menus which are similar to the offerings at Beef and Pudding. The specials board had an impressive selection and, having only really visited Beef and Pudding in their first few weeks of opening, I haven’t experienced this there yet. My date chose the curried carrot and parsnip soup from the specials to start with me choosing the ham hock terrine from the main menu.
Tuesdays are wine club across the group with all bottles half price at The Hanging Gate Inn. Taking full advantage I chose the Luis Felipe Edwards Viognier usually priced at £18.95. This is a fabulous wine that, at £18.95, is great value. Peach and pineapple are dominant on the nose with a lovely freshness on the palate with pear flavours.
Our starters arrived in good time thanks to the incredible efficiency of our waiter. At one point he was serving the whole dining room without a single flinch in his professionalism. I really hope other restaurants can take note of this service excellence! The soup had sweetness from the parsnip and just enough spice to give a warmth in the mouth without taking away the delicate flavour of the carrots. My ham hock terrine was course with little fat which, is perfect for me. The rum glazed pineapple it sat on was sheer heaven probably partly to do with the fact that these 2 ingredients are amongst my favourite things ever. The absolute winner for me was the buttermilk soda bread served with it. Made locally at Williamsons’ it is dense and flavoursome. Just how good soda bread should be.
Our mains also arrived in good time with my date opting for the Five Bar Gate burger having missed out on the Beefham at Beef and Pudding. I chose off the specials and went fairly light with the warm lamb salad. I knew I would regret my healthy option when the quivering burger plunged with a syringe of hot sauce arrived at the table. Not because I thought my salad would taste bad, but because it was huge and I was starving! The burger was pink in the centre topped with softly smoked chilli beef brisket, salty Cheshire cheese and the crispiest onion rings I’ve tasted. The horseradish was lost a bit for me and I didn’t feel it was needed. That said, I’m not a fan of it so I was pleased I couldn’t taste it! As with Beef and Pudding, the stock gravy was out of this world and the chips well seasoned.
My light option was also good with soft lamb served pink atop a mountain of green leaves. The toasted pine nuts complimented their earthiness as did the sweet pomegranate seeds that provided a pop every so often in the mouth. I do love these little things. The balsamic dressing was served drizzled around the side of the bowl which, I really liked as it meant I could dip into it when I liked rather than being over faced with it.
Applauding my own decision to go light on my main meant I felt virtually healthy ordering dessert and dived in with the crème brulee. Not going any lighter my date chose the brownie. The crème brulee had the perfect ‘crack’ from the burnt sugar and was served stabbed with a syringe of peppered raspberry vodka. On its own the vodka is sharp and dry but added to the crème brulee, gave the creamy dessert a new lease of life. I struggled to squeeze all the raspberry out of the syringe though which led me to spend a while squeezing it from various angles! The brownie was slightly overdone for my taste, I prefer a gooey centre that this didn’t have but the marshmallows were soft and the sauce a good accompaniment over anything else.
We left full and happy having received the best service I have experienced in quite some time and a wonderfully homey welcome from a restaurant that could be seen by many as a ‘locals only’ type place. I’ll be back when I’m planning on eating much dirtier as the Cheshire chicken curry sounds just the ticket and, with Old Sessions House recommended by our waiter, who would I be to argue? Now who’s driving?
This meal was paid for.
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