< Previous50 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFOOD & DININGThe Chantry, the hotel’s bistro stylerestaurant, is decorated in a cool andcalming way with shades of blue andgrey. The vast, open plan eatery wasclearly a pull for everyone, from businesspeople to local diners. The menureflected its patronage with some old pubfavourites – fish and chips, steak etc – tomore adventurous options. Pan fried scallops started my meal, andthe delicate flavour of the shellfish waspreserved in a subtle béchamel sauce. Adusting of smoky paprika and a daub ofbalsamic added a piquant aspect. Mypartner, looking for something a littlemore robust, selected the hot and coldsalad of poached egg, Lincolnshiresausage, crispy bacon and mixed leaves.The strong salty flavours of the meatwere at home with the creamy egg,while the tangy leaves added that muchneeded freshness. It was a salad for alltastes, one that’s sure to convert a fewnon-believers. Pairing my scallops with a fish mainsaw me selecting the sea bass, served ona bed of wilted cabbage and bejewelledin briny capers. The juice and zest oflemons went through the dish, impartingSt JamesHotel,GrimsbyAdjacent to Grimsby Minster andoverlooking the fisherman’s memorial andflower beds, St James Hotel has a centraltown location attracting customers newand old to wine and dine. We stopped tosample their menu and were left with agood appreciation for the town. a lively zingy flavour aswell as bringing out thebest of the fish. Its skinwas crispy, while themeat was cooked to itsbest. Keeping to thetheme of her starter, mypartner elected for thepork belly, accompaniedwith cabbage and amustard cream. Thissauce was just what thepork needed to cutthrough its richness and add that touchof sweetness. The meat, layered as it was,provided different levels of texture. Therewas the unctuous underbelly, thesucculent outside and, of course, thecrackling. It would take a heart colderthan mine to not appreciate goodcrackling, and with its salty crispiness, itwas a delight. For dessert, I changed tack and wentfor something a little more indulgent.Apple pie, ever the childhood delight,never fails to put a smile on my face.Served with custard, it was a sweet,cinnamon-tinged finish to the meal. Mypartner, meanwhile, enjoyed theraspberry Eton mess sundae. It was ahybrid dessert, combining the best ofboth the creamy meringue favourite andall the naughtiness of an ice creamsundae. For our final course, we were presentedwith a cheese board boasting pungentstilton, camembert, Edam and cheddar.Sliced on biscuits, with grapes, applesand chutney, we left pleasantly full andmore than happy with our experienceand service at St James Hotel.To book a table for yourself, visitwww.corushotels.com/grimsby or call 01472 359771.50_Layout 1 17/07/2017 11:58 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY51FOOD & DININGHaving won a number of awards andaccolades for its local produce, serviceand inventiveness, the reputation of theComfy Duck precedes it. For my visit Ifound it comforting, the décor like a timecapsule, with the menu, appropriately, amixture of old and new. These werefarmhouse favourites and comfort dishesgiven fresh vitality, with the cunningculinary efforts of its chefs. To start, I took a punt on a picnicfavourite with the pork & sage Scotchegg. There’s little to be done for theappearance of a scotch egg – it is anorange orb, after all – but the Comfy’schefs presented it with a technicoloursalad on an earthenware plate. A beautyto behold, certainly, with the subtleflavours making for a more delicate tastethan I’d expected. Often seasoned towithin an inch of their life, the starter wasa new way of seeing the humble Scotchegg.For my partner, the starter came in theform of a recommendation. The waitingstaff were an utter delight, offeringinsight into the dishes, and makingsuggestions where needed. In thisinstance, my partner accepted the offer ofmonkfish scampi. Elegantly presented andencased in a well-seasoned airy batter,the dish proved that you don’t need theseaside to enjoy scampi. Our onlycomplaint was that there wasn’t enough!My main course consisted of Kashmirilamb, a braised boudin of lamb shoulderpunctuated with chilli, garam masala andturmeric, and served on a bed ofcardomon and lemon rice. Despite itsconstituent parts all being big flavours,the dish itself was lightly perfumed. Overthe course of the meal, the flavoursdescribed a symphony on my tongue,culminating in a crescendo on the lastbite. Its presentation was rustic andunpretentious, echoing the eatery itself.My partner’s Comfy sliders were theopposite. It was a proudly display trio ofburgers lined up on a wooden slab andaccompanied with skinny fries and slaw.Made up of lamb & yoghurt mint, BBQpulled pork & chicken, and cheese &bacon, the miniature burgers added anelement of fun to the meal. My partnerwasn’t immediately sure which was which,so taking a bite was like a lucky dip.Fortunately, each had its own merits andtaste profile, leaving us in no doubt by theend. Dessert, ever the easiest option, was adelight. My dark chocolate marquise wasthe very definition of indulgent. Acting asboth a textural and flavour counterpart, theaddition of crushed meringue and mangosorbet kept it fresh. My partner stuck to anold favourite with the cherry bakewell tart,a light and fruity end to the meal andserved with a moreish vanilla custard. It might be that we’re both greedy, orthat the desserts were simply too good toresist, but we split a third sweet betweenus – a white chocolate parfait withsummer berry compote and raspberrysorbet. Sweet, complex and delicious,neither of us regretted our decision. The Comfy Duck, LacebyFamed for its historic architecture and local produce, Laceby is one ofLincolnshire’s best kept secrets. Situated against this charmingbackdrop, the Comfy Duck pulls in diners from across the county. To find out more about Laceby’s favourite eatery, or to book a table for yourself, visitwww.thecomfyduck.co.uk or call 01472 872248.51_Layout 1 17/07/2017 11:59 Page 152 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFOOD & DININGAlthough all diners won’t be helpingthemselves to an assortment of courses,we were treated to a delectable eightcourse meal, offering an insight into thechefs’ creativity and aptitude with foodand flavour. From the forthcomingstarters was a smoked duck dish withblack pudding and a crispy poached egg.For me, the latter was the standout, withthe crunchy exterior adding a hithertountapped dimension to the humblepoached egg. The second starter was the most avantgarde of the evening. Typically, pannacotta is thought of as dessert, but here itwas reimaged as savoury. Honey andmustard, to be precise. Served on slate, itwas accompanied with beetroot, candiedwalnuts and, most excitingly, balsamicballs that burst in the mouth in anexplosion of sweet-tangy flavour. Anunusual and daring dish, one that willsurely go down a storm with diners. The third was an old favourite. There’slittle that can be done to reinvent theprawn cocktail. At least that’s what wethought going in. The harmonious MarieRose sauce and fresh plump prawns weresumptuous in their own right, but at thebase of the dish was a tomato gel,adding a sweet, zesty tang. This one willbecome an instant favourite, and anideal accompaniment to an afternoontipple. Duck made a return for our first mainwith the pan fried breast with roastedcarrot, carrot puree, dauphinoise potatoand a robust red wine jus. The dish wasan exercise in perfection, with the meatpink and succulent, and the carrot incontrast with the gamey flavour. For me,though, the highlight was the potatoes. Atouch of garlic and a parmesan toppingmade these the best dauphinoise I’ve hadthe pleasure of eating. The second main course, and by farand away my favourite, was the porkwellington. The loin was wrapped inblack pudding to keep it moist andencased in the richest, flakiest shortcrustpastry imaginable. The sage and onionpuree on the side was a revelation, whilethe cider jus provided the sweetness porkcraves. For the third main, we were treated toa pan fried salmon fillet with a crabcroquet, a mussel, a lightly curried creamand parsley oil. It was everything I’d wantfrom a fish dish and more. The croquetteand gloriously crispy salmon skinprovided a dose of texture while the lightsauces took a step back for the seafoodto speak for itself. Proof that we do indeed have a secondstomach for dessert, the first of our sweetduo was brought out and I was inrapture. A salted caramel tart withpistachio ice cream already ticked all theright boxes, but the taste was off thescale. While salted caramel so often failsto deliver, this was rich, sweet and, mostimportantly, salty. It come through as anafter taste on each bite and enhanced thechocolate and caramel flavours. The second dessert, and a fitting endto our banquet, was a raspberry andleminchello semifreddo served with aflourish of raspberry coulis and kirschsoaked cherries. The presentation wasdivine and the delicate flavours andtexture made it a light and lasting end tothe meal.Don’t just take our word for it, seefor yourself. Visitwww.millfieldshotel.co.uk or call01472 356068 to book a table. Millfields Hotel, Grimsby We’ve long championed Millfields Hotel as one of Grimsby’s best restaurants, and havingtasted some of the highlights from their summer menu, that reputation is wholly justified. 52_Layout 1 17/07/2017 11:59 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY53SOCIAL SCENEChestnut Homes hosted a stylish Charity Summer Ball recently, drawing some 200 guests from acrossthe county to Jocastas in Lincoln.The event proved a huge success raising over £3,000 for the Boultham Park Restoration Project; acharity that aims to restore the key features of the 50-acre grade II listed historic park and build aneducation centre and glasshouse for Linkage students.Chestnut Homes are a local house builder, based in Langworth, which has been building new homesacross the county since 1988. Chestnut Homes summer ballraises £3,000 for charity 53_Layout 1 17/07/2017 12:00 Page 154 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYSuspended from tall stalks, the tubular flowershang in congregations of pink; a chorus of funnelshapes bearing the same uniform spotting inside.A frequent sight up and down the countrybetween June and September, foxgloves areresplendent across Lincolnshire. These gatheredbouquets may appear like something from a fairytale but they aren’t without a sting in the tail. Aswell as being highly toxic to dogs and cats,foxgloves are also poisonous tohumans. They contain naturallyoccurring poisons that affect theheart, so while undoubtedlypleasant on the eye, they’requite deadly. With this grislyability in tow, the flower hasearned itself a number ofother names, chiefly deadman’s bells and witch’sgloves. There is as silver lining, though,as the very properties that causedeath can also be used medicinally.These benefits were discovered back in the 18thcentury where the extracted toxins were found toslow down the heart beat and increase thestrength of contractions to prevent edema.Modern medicine still uses these compounds inthe treatment of congestive heart failure. As amajor source of these compounds, the leaves andseeds of foxgloves are used in the manufacture ofcommercially available medicine. How many otherFrom the pastel pink of its petal to the charmingimage of its namesake, foxgloves are an eternalreminder of Britain’s rural beauty. Lincolnshirewildlifegarden variety flowers can claim that?Although pink is most apparent, foxgloves alsoproduces white flowers, though these are rare inthe wild. There has been a whole colour wheel ofvarieties created artificially including yellow andpurple. It’s hard to beat the originals, and there’sjust something about the blushing pink thatspeaks to gardeners and enthusiasts. A favourite ofthe flower bed and border, the bell shapedflowers brighten up many a countygarden, attracting butterflies andother insects. Among theirmost frequent visitors are thebees, whose diminutiveforms look tailor made tofit inside the flower. Thespecies is almost entirelydependent on the bee forpollination, and with theinsect in decline, thebeautiful flower could soon bedwindling. Adding foxgloves toyour garden is a sure-fire way toencourage bees and add an explosion ofcolour. Foxgloves are biennial which means that its lifecycle finishes after two years. A fleeting beauty,certainly, but one which gives the Britishcountryside a distinct fairy tale quality that inspiredmany a poet and romantic. Our gardens arelikewise filled with the adorable, yet deadly, flowersproving that true beauty never goes out of style. © Shutterstock / krasky 54-55_Layout 1 17/07/2017 12:01 Page 1© Shutterstock / Steve Bramall LINCOLNSHIRETODAY5554-55_Layout 1 17/07/2017 12:01 Page 256 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYWEDDINGSManor Estate, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire LN10 6PY.Tel: (01526) 352588 Email: info@the-dowerhousehotel.co.uk Web: www.dowerhousehotel.co.ukThe Dower House Hotel offers a delightful choice of setting, whether your wedding is a small intimateaffair or a larger celebration. Inside the atmosphere of The Dower House Hotel creates a sense ofromance and charm. Outside, the grounds provide the ultimate backdrop for your wedding photography.•Ideal wedding venue •Sunday lunches •Afternoon teas• Golfing packages • Corporate hire • Function hireIt’s one of the most magical days of aperson’s life, and something thateveryone wants to be unique. Weddingceremonies are as old as civilisation itself,and they’ve come a long way in recentyears. Nowadays the ceremony can be alot looser, with the strict rules andrestrictions of the traditional weddinggiving way to more modernistic andstylistic approaches. Of course, thetraditional approach is still followed bymany as the idea of anything other thana church wedding, for some, would beout of the question. Increasingly, people are getting marriedlater in life too – or indeed more thanonce – and that means they generallyhave more money to spend on the bigday. In addition, it’s highly likely that acouple, having lived together for severalmonths, or even years, before the bigday, could be already consideredcompletely inseparable. For these peoplethe event is less about a formal joining ofthe families, since the families have likelyalready been close for months. Instead,the big day is a celebration of an existingbond – and that can take many forms. Itall depends on what the couple wants orneeds. The top venues in Lincolnshire makeuse of their own team of wedding co-ordinators who can help make your daywork like clockwork. This doesn’t meanthat your plans will be homogenised andyou’ll have to follow the never-changingTheoldest of ceremonies Wedding bells are in theair, although, in someinstances there might noteven be bells – or a formalceremony. In fact, thewedding has changed somuch in recent years thatit can be hard to keep up.56-61_Layout 1 17/07/2017 12:03 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY57WEDDINGSHorncastleZ Cake Art Z25 North Street, Horncastle, Lincs. LN9 5DX. Telephone: 01507525926Mobile: 07734007765 Email: horncakes@tiscali.co.uk www.horncastlecakeart.co.ukplans wheeled out for every previouscouple. The role of the weddingspecialists at the venue is to help turnyour dreams into reality. The best wedding co-ordinators willlisten to your ideas and work out howbest to realise them on the budget youhave. They usually have vast experienceand will know what will and won’t work,ensuring you don’t spend time on a flightof fancy that would be impossible toarrange. In addition they also haveadditional value in helping to dot the I’sand cross the T’s on the day. Even if youwant to make sure the big day goesexactly as you planned it, it’s likely youwon’t want to spend time worrying if thetables are correctly laid out or the soundsystem for the entertainment will workproperly. The nuts and bolts of the daycan be looked after while you concentrateon the more enjoyable aspects of theplanning.It’s always worth remembering that aplanner works for you, and is likelymaking suggestions they feel will havemerit give your circumstances, so ifthere’s anything that feels off – ask themwhy they think that way. It may be thatyou’ve not considered something theysee as so obvious they haven’t felt theneed to mention it. They are human too,at the end of the day, and with weddingsbeing their day-job, there may be thingseither party takes for granted.The increased informality of weddingsexplains why many venues now offermarquees to host the receptions. Thisdoesn’t mean that the venues themselvesaren’t attractive – quite the reverse, andindeed the law still requires the actualceremony to be held in a permanentbuilding rather than a temporarystructure like a marquee. What it doesmean is that they offer an empty spaceentirely at the mercy of your imagination,without having to work around existingfixtures and fittings. So if you want tointroduce a specific colour scheme, this isyour big chance.When it comes to the actual day, thebride’s beauty should be what many arefocused on, and with a wide arrange ofgowns and dresses available throughoutLincolnshire – you’re really spoilt forchoice. However, it’s also worth takingthe time to work on the foundations too,and as such there are many beauticiansand salons that cater to weddings,offering specific packages. One thing tokeep in mind however, is that it’s oftenbest to keep it simple. Let nobodyconvince the bride they are not theprincess of the day, but even Disneyprincesses now tend to wear morerealistic dresses and gowns than theflowing, multiple-storey, complexmonstrosities of the last decade. It is thebeauty and personality of the bride thatneeds to shine through. Not thecomplexity of the dress.A few weeks before the wedding youshould be able to try out your ideas withone of Lincolnshire’s many hair andbeauty specialists. A good trick is to weara white T-shirt – or whatever colourmatches your dress – and bring anyaccessories you’d like to incorporate onthe day. This will make it much easier forthe stylist to visualise what they areworking towards, and will also make iteasier for you to see if it works. When it comes to the actual day themost important people are obviously thehappy couple themselves. However theexperience of the guests is a major factorif you want to make sure the guests stickaround for all the proceedings rather thannip off to a local pub. You want theirmemories of the day to be the beauty ofthe bride, not the awful food orembarrassing spectacle they were coaxedinto participating in.Catering therefore plays a major part© shutterstock/iraua58 Á56-61_Layout 1 17/07/2017 12:03 Page 258 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYWEDDINGSThe Spotted DogFlower Co.Blyton, Gainsborough, DN21 3LLFrom buckets of blooms for DIY brides to a full floristry service,we specialise in country style weddings and events usingseasonal, scented flowers grown in our own field.• BOUQUETS • BUCKETS • BUTTONHOLES• FLORAL CROWNS • VENUE Contact Linda to discuss your requirementsTel: 07794 207168/01427 628139Email: linda@thespotteddogflowerco.orgWebsite: www.thespotteddogflowerco.co.ukand, if you’re using a hotel then it’s likely that’ll be includedin the package and it’ll be of the highest standards. They’llhave a host of options to choose from, usually even if you’rethinking of moving away from the traditional weddingbreakfast and instead hosting a buffet or just canapés. Ifthat’s the case, though, make this explicit on the invites toensure guests know what to expect – most wedding guestswill assume the traditional fare will be provided so if onlycanapés are on offer the music could end up being drownedout by rumbling stomachs.Most venues will offer choices from a set menu and usuallyhold a tasting session in good time for you to sample the farethey usually offer and plan the desired menu. You shouldn’tbe too adventurous when deciding on this, though, as yourguests may not share your tastes. If you’re planning onserving up just one menu, for practical reasons, make sure it’ssomething that will be acceptable to most. Even if you’regoing for a Bollywood-themed wedding, it’s probably not theright place to serve a curry hotter than the sun. First impressions count, and the finishing touches you applyto your wedding can set the tone for the entire event. Is yourwedding going to be a traditional affair, what kinds of coloursrepresent it, are you having wedding favours? These are allthings to consider, that many seem to forget about.Seat covers and table decorations can help to add life to anevent, but it’s important to make sure they fit the theme andcolours of the wedding itself. After all, the last thing anyonewants is for the seats to clash with the bride’s dress, or thecolours worn by the groom and best man. Despite the increased informality, it’s still consideredsomething of a no-no to send the wedding list with the invitesas it seems a bit presumptuous. In fact as many couples arenow getting married later in life, the wedding list is slightly lesscommon these days, with couples often asking for charitabledonations in its place.The wedding favours, meanwhile, can be anything that youthink would be welcomed by your guests – from the traditionalsugared almonds to something unique and bespoke that sumsup your relationship. Anything goes!Making it legalAmid all the romance of the wedding, you can sometimesforget that the main purpose of the event is a legal ceremony.What goes on a piece of paper won’t make any difference toyour relationship but making sure you keep on top ofeverything will ensure the first few days of married life will runas smoothly as possible.61 Á© shutterstock/maximus1956-61_Layout 1 17/07/2017 12:03 Page 356-61_Layout 1 17/07/2017 12:03 Page 4Next >