Shropshire Magazine

Main course.

Neil Thomas enjoys the evident skills of Fishmore Hall’s head chef – and takes advantage of an overnight stay

Head chef David Jaram.

People from all over the UK will flock to Ludlow this month for the town’s 15th annual food festival. Thousands are drawn every year to this gastronomic celebration, which showcases the very best local produce. This year’s extravaganza, centred in and around the town’s medieval castle from September 11 to 13, promises to be no different.

It is a truth now universally acknowledged that Ludlow and good food are inextricably linked. The heady days when Ludlow was regarded as the gourmet capital of the provinces may have passed with the departure of luminaries like Claude Bosi and Shaun Hill to London and Wales respectively. Their legacy, though, remains and there are still a handful of hugely impressive restaurants and star chefs. In culinary terms, Ludlow still punches well above its weight.

Contributing hugely to this epicure’s delight is Fishmore Hall, the classy boutique hotel and restaurant on the outskirts of town. The airy 80-cover restaurant overlooks the rural landscape and seasonal menus all feature ingredients from producers from the Shropshire Marches.

The àl a carte offering looked as fabulous as it had been on our previous visit, but this time my wife Vanessa and I chose the set six-course tasting menu. Headlined ‘A Taste of the Marches’ it highlights everything that makes dining out in Ludlow such a rewarding 

experence. Talented head chef David Jaram has put together a combination of outstanding flavours, with a selection of wines that not just complement but positively enhance the food. This is not merely a meal, it is an intricately put together dining experience, assembled by someone with a flair for flavours and an artist’s passion for presentation.

There were a couple of occasions when wine and food mingled on palate that we actually had ‘hmmmmmmm’ moments. Be honest, when was the last time you experienced that during a meal. I’m sorry if this sounds pretentious because it’s not meant to be. It’s simply that in the course of our busy lives so many of us eat so much that is, at best, bland and at worst, downright bad. It’s the pace of modern life – we eat standing up or slouched in front of the television, we wolf down junk in a rush, and then pop down indigestion tablets to deal with the consequences. Produce and provenance are too often pushed to the back of the queue in favour of cost and convenience. Too many of us simply don’t have the time to learn to cook for ourselves. Expediency is making rotten eaters of us.

We relaxed and dined for more than three hours at Fishmore. I’ll bet many people don’t sit at a dining table for that long over the course of a week.

Relaxing on a comfortable sofa, we enjoyed pre-dinner gin and tonics and amuse-bouches in the elegant lounge. Then we were ushered to a window table where, bathed in glorious mellow early evening sunlight, we enjoyed sumptuous views of rolling countryside and Clee Hill in the distance.

Pampered

There we were pampered by first-class service, each dish explained clearly and concisely, without affectation, along with its accompanying wine.

Smoked salmon with natural yoghurt and apple textures came with a refreshingly chilled Pinot Gris. Superb.

Ham hock terrine with madeira, celeriac remoulade and pea bavarois, was served with a Chateau Villerambert rosé. Superb.

Cornish crab and coriander salad with avocado, lime confit and caviar, served with a local wine Clee Blossom. Superb.

Roast lamb with gnocchi, sautéed sweetbread and confit shallot, with a 2005 La Paternina Rioja. Superb.

A selection of local cheeses with Ferreira ruby port. Superb.

Gianduja (dark chocolate and hazelnuts with cherries), served with Vin Santo Del Chianti. Superb.

This had the potential to be a serious belt-stretching experience but portions were expertly sized and service cleverly paced. Sorbets refreshed the palate for new sensations to follow. As food came and went, dusk gradually gave way to darkness, and subtle lighting and gentle candle flames in the restaurant created romantic hues of their own.

For food, wine, service and ambience, Fishmore Hall takes some beating. 

This has much to do with the vision of owner Laura Penman and her head chef. Jaram was part of the launch team when the  hotel opened in September 2006. He worked under then-executive head chef Marc Hardiman and between them they earned two AA rosettes within 10 days of opening.

Though only 27, Jaram has achieved a great deal in his short career. His experience includes The Haycock at Wansford, Nunsmere Hall in Cheshire and The Greenway in Cheltenham. He now heads a seven-strong team at Fishmore.

Main course.

“He was the obvious choice to promote when Marc Hardiman moved on from Fishmore Hall. David was already showing strong commitment to our philosophy – locally sourced seasonal food, and the pursuit of excellence. Being located in Ludlow, we have an enormously high standard to match, and the management of the hotel feel confident that David has both the skills and the ambition to achieve this,” says Laura. “It is this attention to detail that helps us to maintain and build on our reputation as a great foodie hotel,” she adds.

Of course, one of the great advantages of dining at a hotel is that it gives you the option of pocketing the car keys for the night and indulging in the glories of the grape – particularly if, like us, you live so far away that a taxi ride home would double your tariff for the evening.

Of course, as my elderly mother is wont to remind me from time to time, you don’t need to drink to have a good time and there are those who will warn you of the evils of liquor and that a drop of sherry in your trifle will lead to the everlasting bonfire. You can, of course, enjoy the Taste of the Marches perfectly well with a glass of water but it seems a shame when the menu matches wines so perfectly with the food. If you’re not a regular drinker, it might warm your cheeks a little but the quantities here aren’t likely to mark you down as someone who orders secretly by the case.

The dining room.

Slick

The Taste of the Marches menu is £55 a person with accompanying wine at £29.50 so, to show I’m slick at arithmetic, a couple would get enough change out of £170 to buy something at The Pound Shop. For many people this might appear to be a steep evening out but, believe me, it represents value for money. Fishmore would certainly be the place to celebrate a special occasion.

Our evening was enhanced by an overnight stay, for the excellence and attention to detail in the restaurant extends to the rest of Fishmore Hall. This beautifully restored Regency house boasts15 luxurious contemporary bedrooms and luscious designer bathrooms. Fishmore Hall is easy on the eye, both inside and out. A palette of creams, whites and neutrals are used to great effect from bedrooms to public areas to the restaurant, with accents of raspberry and dark brown along with modern crystal and mirrored light fittings and accessories.

Our room was bright and spacious with an emperor-sized bed. As you would expect of a boutique hotel, the bathroom was the last word in luxury, with slate walls and floor, a vast double-ended bath and a walk-in power shower. The Moulton Brown toiletries demonstrate the standard we are talking about.

This was a thoroughly superb evening. Ludlow’s reputation as a centre of gourmet excellence seems in safe hands.

• Fishmore Hall, Fishmore Road, Ludlow SY8 3DP. Telephone 01584 875148. www.fishmorehall.co.uk

Note: Gastronomes might be interested to know that at Fishmore Hall on October 22, 2009, Christophe Gallot will be hosting an informal dinner, sampling the best wine from boutique vineyards in France. David Jaram will be creating a four-course meal to accompany the featured wines.