Samuel’s restaurant is tucked away inside Swinton Park, a traditional and elegant restaurant perfectly placed inside a traditional and elegant building. Built by the estates previous owner, Samuel Cunliffe-Lister, dating back to 1880 and the décor certainly represents the history well., the restaurant stays true to its roots and creates a fine dining atmosphere fit for such an historical and spacious room.
We decided to sample the tasting menus with paired wine, and I was particularly pleased to find that the restaurant offered a vegetarian tasting option, something I don’t often find. My menu began with a broad ben veloute served with apple and charred spring onion. Fresh and light, this was a delicious start to the menu and the flavours were enjoyable. The same goes for my partners starter on the classic tasting menu, which was the same dish with the addition of smoked eel. Both dishes were served with a glass of Valeorras Godello, Sobre Lias, Vina Somoza 2011.
We both enjoyed the second course of garden sorrel sorbet, syrup and fresh apple. Unusual but delicious, it lead on well to my next dish of butter roasted cauliflower served with cumin spiced lentils, cauliflower puree, roasted almonds and turmeric dressing. The cauliflower dish was absolutely wonderful. My partner enjoyed Yorkshire quail served with mushrooms and bacon with fried egg. Almost resembling a luxurious breakfast, the dish was initiative and beautifully cooked. Both dishes were served with a glass of Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc, KCB, Kanu, 2010
“The creativity at Samuel’s was clear in every dish, and certainly made the restaurant worth a visit.”
To follow, I enjoyed glazed chicory served with pink grapefruit and watercress. Another beautiful dish, the grapefruit made a wonderful addition to the plate. My partner enjoyed a similarly wonderful razor clam dish served with grapefruit, mackerel tartare and parsley. Again, the dish was most enjoyable.
My next dish was salt baked celeriac served with honey baked oats, textures of celeriac and Wharfe valley rapeseed with lemon. Another unusual dish, the combination of the celeriac and oats was delicious and unexpected. The dish was also accompanied by a well chosen glass of Alentejano Aragonez-Trincadeira, Herdade de Sao Miguel 2011. My partner was served rump of Masham fell lamb with pea puree, garlic, caperberries and Wharfe valley rapeseed. The lamb was beautifully cooked and tender, another triumphant dish for Samuel’s and the lamb was well paired with a glass of Anjou Rouge, Chateau La Variere, Loire Valley 2007.
The last three dishes were the same for both menus, beginning with a classic mojito cocktail, with rum, lime and mint. This cleansed our palates ready for a goats cheese dish, served with beetroot and hazelnut. As a fan of goats cheese I thoroughly enjoyed the dish and particularly the hazelnuts. To add another dimension to the dish, it was also served with a glass of Grahams ten year old Tawny Port.
Finally, we enjoyed a white chocolate mousses with sesame and peanut. The sesame was a wonderfully contrasting accompaniment to the light and creamy mousse, providing a creative but not overly rich dessert. This was served with a glass of Tasmania Botryris Riesling, Kayena Vineyard, Tamar Ridge 2010. The creativity at Samuel’s was clear in every dish, and certainly made the restaurant worth a visit.