Farmer, Butcher, Chef is Goodwood Hotel’s latest offering and can be found located inside the main building of the hotel. If the name of the restaurant isn’t intriguing enough for you, then the menu certainly will be. We love their ethos of local sourcing, especially with most of their meat being sourced from a matter of meters from the kitchen. Tim is the farmer, John is the butcher, who actually works for the Hotel’s in-house butchery, and Darron is the restaurant’s talented Chef.
We began our evening with a pre-dinner drink in the bar area which is a very pleasant space. There’s seating both inside and outside, and on this occasion we decided to stay inside. We chose two fine glasses of the British Coates & Seely, Brut Reserve NV, which we sipped happily as we soaked in the atmosphere.
We were soon shown through to our table in the restaurant where we were greeted and introduced to the menus. The interiors here are unique and provide a good talking point. For our starters, I chose the pork liver parfait served with fennel and pear, which was rich and indulgent; whilst my partner chose the crispy oysters with beetroot, tarragon and fennel salami, which was a real highlight and beautifully presented.
“If the name of the restaurant isn’t intriguing enough for you, then the menu certainly will be.”
For our main courses, we both chose a Butcher’s Board. My lamb board included stuffed lamb saddle, glazed faggots, devilled liver and heart, lamb bacon, onions and spring cabbage. My partner’s beef board included treacle cured beef fillet wellington, crispy shin, glazed peppered brisket, beef dripping potato, pickled ox tongue and little gem salad. The meat was simply wonderful with each element cooked and seasoned to perfection. We were most impressed. As sides we chose the green beans with white wine shallots and toasted almonds, and Jersey Royals with seaweed butter, with which we were not disappointed.
For our desserts, I went for the apple crumble soufflé which was served with cider brandy ice cream, which was simply delicious. My partner chose the orange and whiskey trifle. We also enjoyed a bottle of the 2016, Olivier Ravier Brouilly, France which is a wonderfully jammy wine full of rich cassis and black fruits.
The staff throughout our evening were charming and passionate and we must commend them. The food at Farmer, Butcher, Chef is exquisite and we enjoyed every mouthful of every course. This restaurant means business and if you find yourself in the area, even if you’re not staying at The Goodwood Hotel, we would definitely recommend a visit.
The Bill: £53 per head
