It had been a dissapointed start to what i thought was going to be a fruitful and foodie- fulled day. We had arranged to go to the foodies festival at Tatton Park, Knutsford which from all the advertising i had seen promised to 'Celebrate the finest in local, seasonal produce, specialty food and drink, culinary and restaurant talent across the UK this Summer'. I have to say i was slightly disappointed, most of the producers were willing and genuinely excited to promote their products to you but a small handful seemed uninterested and fed up, i respect the fact that they had been there the two days previous but having had first hand experience at selling your wares i know how important it is to keep a friendly face and a passion for the produce that you are selling, there will always people who will be aloof but don't let this minority bring you down as the majority of people that visit your stall are keen to find out as much information as they can about your product and are not there just for a free taster, engage them in a pleasant conversation and you can be sure you will have a returning customer.
It also could of been a bit lack - luster due to the fact that the rain was coming down at a near horizontal angle and the gusts of wind that were tossing people around back and forth as if they were an empty plastic bag in a storm, this did nothing to lighten our spirits.
We returned to the car feeling a little flat - We have know these foodie festivals in the past to prove quite a good lunch - time alternative down to tasters being given away and there are normally a number of different eateries available. After much debating R had settled on what looked like a juicy and tender roast beef bap, unfortunately instead of juicy and tender he got chewy and tough.
Prior to our outing i had already been contemplating on where we could visit for dinner, ( always one step ahead) and i had come up with a number of different suggestions in the area, this part of Cheshire being truly a little gold mine of quality places to relax and eat.
I have always seen the Roebuck advertised with its recognisable artistic sign and had visited their website to check out the menu only to be pleasantly surprised that they had been voted Cheshire Dining Pub of the year 2010 in the Good Pub Guide - this had to be a sure sign that we were making the right choice as Cheshire is full of first- class pubs which all provide a high standard of dining.
I absolutely dread going somewhere we've not eaten before as i cant abide paying for a meal that was below standard, its not that were looking for Michelin starred quality we just want interesting and tasty meals at appropriate prices ( and also i felt we were going completely off my recommendation so the pressure really was on me).
The Roebuck is situated in a very charming and picturesque corner of mobberly which could be easily missed. Its only surroundings are a three tiered garden area, which on one of those few sun scorching days we have in this country you sit back and feel like your in distant shores as a palm tree shelters you from the sun. It also overlooks another quaint pub which looks equally as welcome and family friendly as the Roebuck.
Another sure fire sign that we had picked the right place was that it was proving near impossible to park, this is usually a good indicator that the food is good. After around ten minutes of skulking around the car park and road side, just at the point R was about to break a space reveled itself.
Once inside i was pleasantly surprised to see how many ample sized tables there were with enough space to fit a least six at most tables, there were no tiny round tables poked into corners that are hard to reach or waitress's trying to fit in narrow gaps whilst trying to serve people.
We were welcomed at the bar by the very friendly staff whilst we waited for a table ( having not booked we thought we would just turn up on the off chance). We used the short wait to pore over the extensive menu at the same time trying extremely hard not to stare and look longingly at the food being brought from the kitchen.
After twisting their arms behind their backs my sister and her boyfriend (Gavin) had decided to join us which enabled us to see a good range of the meals being served.
To start R had Goats Cheese Tart - One off the specials board it came as a perfectly round disc of puff pastry with a slightly sharp crumbled soft goats cheese that was softened by some sweet roasted shallots which tasted slightly caramelised and a small nest of lightly dressed frisee salad leaves.
Lee - Ann enjoyed crisp and daintily battered king prawns which was pared well with the hot and spicy sweet chilli sauce, Gavin had decided to have the Rosemary Focaccia with kalamarta Olives and oils which priced at £4.95 was extremely reasonable as it was more than enough for me to share with him too. The smell of the focaccia was enough to get your taste buds tingling but for it it be dipped into the luscious and syrupy balsamic vinegar mixed with olive oil it became heavenly.
For mains R had no doubt in his mind that after watching mouth open the roast beef being served, that was the one for him, for Sunday's are not only a day of rest but a day to enjoy the long standing british tradition of having a roast dinner. However he was a little downhearted, the meat was for more superior to what was slapped on a bap at the food festival, cooked at medium rare it was thickly sliced and succulent to taste, the thing that in R' opnion greatley let it down was the roast potatoes. Being able to throw out amazing golden rosemary sented roasties R was greatly disappointed to find that those served to him were slightly stale in taste and tired looking.
Lee - Ann more than enjoyed her small sized portion of Local beer battered market fresh fish, mushy peas and handcut maris piper chips, a fantastic alternative to the massivley sized standered portion.
The only slight draw back were the chips- cut like hand sized bricks although impessive in size they had lost there chippy taste and crunchiness, which led to them being quiet stodgy in texture.
Gavin, wanting something light and fresh chose the Thai beef and king pawn salad with coconut and lime dressing , agin another dish which was fantastic for value,came piled high with a mixture of salad leaves that glistened in the coconut and lime dressing and tender peices of beef and king prawn which looked as if they had been delicatly placed as though it was a piece of artwork, nestled gently between the loose leaves.
After great delibaration ( another fault of mine ) I finally decided upon Fresh Plaice served with clams and a chive and butter sauce. To order this dish is totally out of character for me but im determined to broaden my palet range rather than just sticking to salad evey time we go out.
The plaice was perfectly cooked, the fish only needed gently teasing from the bones and it had a silken texture to it upon tasting. The sauce was beautifully rich but from what i could taste was prodominatly garneshed with fresh tarragon not chives, as what was decribed in the title. This to me only made the dish more delishious as the aniseed undertones from the tarragon went dreamily with the butter and the plaice.
It also could of been a bit lack - luster due to the fact that the rain was coming down at a near horizontal angle and the gusts of wind that were tossing people around back and forth as if they were an empty plastic bag in a storm, this did nothing to lighten our spirits.
We returned to the car feeling a little flat - We have know these foodie festivals in the past to prove quite a good lunch - time alternative down to tasters being given away and there are normally a number of different eateries available. After much debating R had settled on what looked like a juicy and tender roast beef bap, unfortunately instead of juicy and tender he got chewy and tough.
Prior to our outing i had already been contemplating on where we could visit for dinner, ( always one step ahead) and i had come up with a number of different suggestions in the area, this part of Cheshire being truly a little gold mine of quality places to relax and eat.
I have always seen the Roebuck advertised with its recognisable artistic sign and had visited their website to check out the menu only to be pleasantly surprised that they had been voted Cheshire Dining Pub of the year 2010 in the Good Pub Guide - this had to be a sure sign that we were making the right choice as Cheshire is full of first- class pubs which all provide a high standard of dining.
I absolutely dread going somewhere we've not eaten before as i cant abide paying for a meal that was below standard, its not that were looking for Michelin starred quality we just want interesting and tasty meals at appropriate prices ( and also i felt we were going completely off my recommendation so the pressure really was on me).
The Roebuck is situated in a very charming and picturesque corner of mobberly which could be easily missed. Its only surroundings are a three tiered garden area, which on one of those few sun scorching days we have in this country you sit back and feel like your in distant shores as a palm tree shelters you from the sun. It also overlooks another quaint pub which looks equally as welcome and family friendly as the Roebuck.
Another sure fire sign that we had picked the right place was that it was proving near impossible to park, this is usually a good indicator that the food is good. After around ten minutes of skulking around the car park and road side, just at the point R was about to break a space reveled itself.
Once inside i was pleasantly surprised to see how many ample sized tables there were with enough space to fit a least six at most tables, there were no tiny round tables poked into corners that are hard to reach or waitress's trying to fit in narrow gaps whilst trying to serve people.
We were welcomed at the bar by the very friendly staff whilst we waited for a table ( having not booked we thought we would just turn up on the off chance). We used the short wait to pore over the extensive menu at the same time trying extremely hard not to stare and look longingly at the food being brought from the kitchen.
After twisting their arms behind their backs my sister and her boyfriend (Gavin) had decided to join us which enabled us to see a good range of the meals being served.
To start R had Goats Cheese Tart - One off the specials board it came as a perfectly round disc of puff pastry with a slightly sharp crumbled soft goats cheese that was softened by some sweet roasted shallots which tasted slightly caramelised and a small nest of lightly dressed frisee salad leaves.
Lee - Ann enjoyed crisp and daintily battered king prawns which was pared well with the hot and spicy sweet chilli sauce, Gavin had decided to have the Rosemary Focaccia with kalamarta Olives and oils which priced at £4.95 was extremely reasonable as it was more than enough for me to share with him too. The smell of the focaccia was enough to get your taste buds tingling but for it it be dipped into the luscious and syrupy balsamic vinegar mixed with olive oil it became heavenly.
For mains R had no doubt in his mind that after watching mouth open the roast beef being served, that was the one for him, for Sunday's are not only a day of rest but a day to enjoy the long standing british tradition of having a roast dinner. However he was a little downhearted, the meat was for more superior to what was slapped on a bap at the food festival, cooked at medium rare it was thickly sliced and succulent to taste, the thing that in R' opnion greatley let it down was the roast potatoes. Being able to throw out amazing golden rosemary sented roasties R was greatly disappointed to find that those served to him were slightly stale in taste and tired looking.
Lee - Ann more than enjoyed her small sized portion of Local beer battered market fresh fish, mushy peas and handcut maris piper chips, a fantastic alternative to the massivley sized standered portion.
The only slight draw back were the chips- cut like hand sized bricks although impessive in size they had lost there chippy taste and crunchiness, which led to them being quiet stodgy in texture.
Gavin, wanting something light and fresh chose the Thai beef and king pawn salad with coconut and lime dressing , agin another dish which was fantastic for value,came piled high with a mixture of salad leaves that glistened in the coconut and lime dressing and tender peices of beef and king prawn which looked as if they had been delicatly placed as though it was a piece of artwork, nestled gently between the loose leaves.
After great delibaration ( another fault of mine ) I finally decided upon Fresh Plaice served with clams and a chive and butter sauce. To order this dish is totally out of character for me but im determined to broaden my palet range rather than just sticking to salad evey time we go out.
The plaice was perfectly cooked, the fish only needed gently teasing from the bones and it had a silken texture to it upon tasting. The sauce was beautifully rich but from what i could taste was prodominatly garneshed with fresh tarragon not chives, as what was decribed in the title. This to me only made the dish more delishious as the aniseed undertones from the tarragon went dreamily with the butter and the plaice.
Goats Cheese Tart
Local Beer Battered Fresh Fish
Thai Beef and King Prawn Salad with Lime and Coconut Dressing
Plaice with Clams and a Chive and Butter Sauce
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