A birthday party, too many bottles of wine and a hangover later we were on our way back from Lincolnshire to London. Thankfully I’m the passenger and have the hard task of sitting in the car eating my weight chocolate and having the occasional nap. The downside of it however is being left alone with my laptop. If I’m in the car for any length of time and hunger strikes, I find myself delving into the Michelin website and seeing what’s close by – just in case. Switch the location settings on, get the Michelin map up and who’d have guessed it – the next junction was a little village called Ryhall and with a pub whose name sounded so intriguing there was no way we weren’t going to stop – The Wicked Witch.
The surroundings of this pub really are rather beautiful. A gorgeous tiny bridge is as idyllic as can be, the houses are mostly stunning and the tiny River Gwash is picture perfect. The setting couldn’t be any better. Inside the pub it’s cosy, perhaps a little dark – but with its name it sort of works. The story of this place is also rather interesting too. Having only survived for a short few years, closing in Summer of 2014 and then recently reopening, but with something special up its sleeve – a talented head chef named Dameon Clarke.
So how’s the food you ask? Well – it’s all rather spectacular. Being the crazy bread fanatic I am, we got off to a good start. Fresh, fluffy and well-flavoured bread accompanied by rich and salty butter which had a nice sour edge to it. Starters however were where you get to see just what’s going on in the kitchen – it’s all very modern and experimental. A deconstructed sushi dish compromised of fresh tuna, mango sorbet, sushi rice, soy and ginger jelly. A classic mix of Japanese flavours but completely reinvented and it worked so well. Who wants sushi ever again when you can have this? Equally as good, if not better was the goats curd with pickled beetroot, walnuts and pear sorbet. The kitchen here loves a good sorbet on the plate. Perhaps the dish looked a little messy, but flavour wasn’t compromised one bit and each mouthful was an absolute delight to eat.
While our starters were very good, one of our main courses was unbelievably good. To look at, this confit duck was rather classic and reserved but take a bite and you can’t help but be taken back slightly. The duck was the finest confit duck I think I have ever eaten. The skin was incredibly crisp and the meat every bit as succulent – and the jus, well it just kept on giving. Full flavoured, rich, intense, glossy and then you get the sweetness and smokiness from the soft chunks of chorizo. Incredible. Even the mash was perfect. Smooth, fluffy and buttery. If this dish is on the menu order it, it really will change your life. Being British we did the good old Sunday deed of ordering the Sunday roast. A gargantuan offering with a Yorkshire pudding the size of my face, lots of fresh veg and some very cheesy cauliflower cheese. A solid Sunday roast offering.
I kept telling myself not to order dessert. I was so full from the extra-large portions on offer here at The Wicked Witch and I’ll admit putting away our sweet course was a hard, unnecessary task – but one well worth every moment of it. Hands down the best treacle pudding I’ve ever come across. A word I’ve never used before in writing but the only way I could best describe it – orgasmic. I had my hand on my forehead at one point in a stunned state of enjoyment. No matter how full you’re felling you need to make room for this – no excuse.
The Wicked Witch was an absolute gem of a find on our journey back from Lincolnshire to London. The name of the place is intriguing, the wine we drank was good and the food – well it’s simply stunning. In terms of improvements It’s a struggle but if I’m being very picky then perhaps the dining room could do with a little tlc, same with the outdoor drinking area and plating a little more precise, but otherwise there is very little to fault about The Wicked Witch. It’s wickedly good.
8.5/10
