Review - Fallowfields Country House Hotel

There’s a morality tale unfolding at Fallowfields —one about the underdog triumphing, a story that Hans Andersen or the Brothers Grimm would have seized with glee. Like Fizzy in Bugsy Malone, singing Tomorrow Never Comes, his tap shoes kept hopefully in a shoebox under the piano while he cleans the floor, the understudy has finally come out of the wings, and a star has been born.

It all began when Fallowfields’ head chef Matt Weedon, and his front-of-house wife Rachel, left rather quickly last year.

Instead of panicking, owners Anthony and Peta Lloyd realised that the answer to his problems was staring him right in the face, in the shape of sous chef Mark Potts.

So instead of calling in the big guns he promoted Mark to head chef and has been reaping the rewards ever since. Why they waited so long is another matter altogether, because the food Mark is producing at Fallowfields is magnificent.

Suffice to say, the lunch we experienced was of such a high calibre and so beautifully executed that I was almost lost for words. I say almost because I’ve still got to produce 1,000 for this review. But I was taken aback at the fun, novelty and attention to detail exhibited in his food and the lovely relaxing ambience of the place, important when so many are put off by the term ‘fine dining’.

People worry they will have to sit up and beg instead of enjoying themselves, that they don’t know enough about the food and wine, are not dressed properly, that they won’t fit in. Fallowfields is different. Yes it’s formal, but it’s also welcoming, friendly and gentle, the restaurant a beautiful, big, open room whose large windows exhibit the views over the Fallowfields farm where much of the meat and vegetables hail from, and where on this winter’ s day the sun was warming the frosted lawn.

What Fallowfields does concentrate on is the food. That’s evident from the moment we arrived, seated in the snug and served the menus, drinks and some exquisite amuse-bouche — beetroot and truffle arancini balls which boded well for the seven-course taster lunch to follow.

Led into the dining room, nothing prepared us for the ingenuity of the starter: the kitchen garden box, which arrived quartered, perfectly reflecting the ethos of the kitchen and the gardens, while injecting a wonderful sense of humour into the proceedings and charming the socks off us at the same time.

The box changes seasonally, depending on what’s being grown in the farm garden, but we had leek and potato soup served with a chive sticking out of the flower pot; a tiny venison pie shaped like a mince pie, topped with mash; an ice cream cone in a jar, the cone filled with Jerusalem artichoke ice cream and pear compôte; and some deliciously sweet slices of barbecue-braised pork belly.

With six courses to follow I won’t recount each and every morsel that we ate, except to say that they were all of the same exceptionally high standard. The second course was a Fallowfields quail shoehorned into a take on a full English breakfast, like something out of Alice in Wonderland and served with a tiny bottle of home-made mushroom ketchup.

The rabbit cannelloni with tiny sliced radishes and a salt-baked turnip purée was another high-light, the soup and sandwich course a cauliflower foam in a tiny glass served with a deep fried gruyère slice. Elvis, eat your heart out.

The slices of venison came with parsnip, vanilla and pear, and for my vegetarian friend the roast onion tart came with a dandelion and burdock dressing, like Enid Blyton and Percy Thrower cooking together — but Michelin-starred.

Just a taster: Fallowfields beef and onions with English wasabi

Her wild mushroom with confit egg, parmesan, truffle and wood sorrel option was a bit dark and damp, a bit undergrowthy, but the arrival of the pre-dessert cleanser — a pina colada granita complete with tiny diced pineapple, pineapple foam and a coconut tuile — was so exquisite I didn’t know quite what to do with myself.

The stem ginger brûlée and poached rhubarb was a sight to behold, as was the lemon meringue slice with cardamom ice cream and lemon sorrel. The cheese course, an optional extra, was also exceptional, although we had to start picking up the pace as we neared the end, the clock ticking, the school gates waiting. I had to decline coffee and home-made chocolates, I write through gritted teeth.

But as we left, the prevailing feeling was one of genuine delight and astonishment at the meal we had experienced.

Writing about it now, it was as if it had never happened, a fairy story, a figment of our imagination. Could we really have dined in such style for £59 a head all in? We weren’t drinking but still. In which case all I can say is go. Fallowfields is a charming discovery and comes highly recommended.

Fallowfields Country House Hotel 
Faringdon Road, Southmoor with Kingston Bagpuize, OX13 5BH
01865 820416 or www.fallowfields.com

Restaurant opening times: Monday and Tuesday closed, Wednesday to Sunday lunch noon-2pm, dinner Wednesday to Saturday 6.30-9.30pm and Sunday 6.30-9pm.
Parking: Plenty.
Key personnel: Peta and Anthony Lloyd, head chef Mark Potts.
Make sure you try the... tasting menu. A flight of matching wines ranges from £14 per person to £32 per person.
In ten words: Get down there and try out Mark Potts’ fabulous food.