REVIEW: THE OLD STOCKS, STOW ON THE WOLD

When making dinner plans in Stow on the Wold, it usually consist of checking The Old Butchers' website for tables, and when they are full dropping Pete and Louise a message to see if they can squeeze us in. 

I'm pretty biased as I live just down the road, and If you can ignore trying to park during the day and driving through the town in the summer, Stow is brilliant.

Not only has it got history and beautiful honey-coloured architecture coming out of both both nostrils, it also boasts one of our favourite brunch spots in The Hive, D'Ambrosi which offers the most incredible 'food-to-go' (go and check it out for yourselves as that sentence doesn't do it justice) and in our view, it's the 'coffee capital of the Cotswolds' with at least five properly good places to enjoy a caffeine hit, including one the smallest coffee roasters in the UK, Stow Town Coffee.

There's also The Old Stocks. And if that sounds like a bit of an after thought, it was meant to.

They like to promote themselves as the "best kept secret" (which nobody really wants to be) and it always seems to play second fiddle to The Old Butchers with the locals. There is absolutely no reason why.

The last couple of times we have eaten here, we always kick ourselves that we haven't been back sooner, yet once again, we have left it over two years to come back which is completely crazy.

A lot has happened since our last visit. King Charles III was coronated, The Beatles released a new record and John Broughton became Head Chef at The Old Stocks. The latter happened back in November, but as I detest winter and hibernate for most of it, it has taken until now to finally go. 

The appointment of John is huge. For eighteen months before arriving at 'The Stocks', he was Sous Chef, then Head Chef at the excellent Royal Oak at Whatcote, the only pub in the Cotswolds to hold a Michelin Star. Prior to that, he spent five years at Foxhill Manor.

With a Christmas menu already written before he got there, it has taken until the last couple of months for him to properly put his stamp on the food. 

The menu he has created is designed as a two or three-course menu. You can have one course if you wish. It's all explained on the first page of the leather-bound files you get presented with as you get seated. I missed the section about the £2 unlimited still or sparkling water for the table that gets donated to charity as I said "tap is fine please" when asked. I'm too used to seeing £15 added to my bill and nobody owning up to ordering it.

Also explained is "The Tasteful Twelve", an idea stolen from a restaurant that GM Richard once visited, which on the surface sounded a bit gimmicky but is actually a lovely addition to the experience. The easiest way to describe it is that each of you roll a dice and the number it lands on corresponds with a flavoured liqueur which they add to a glass of prosecco. It's a clever way to break any ice between the servers, a conversation starter for the table and it shows that there's a playful element to the evening.

THE TASTEFUL TWELVE

The menu is short, consisting of four starters and six mains.

I have no idea if it is or it isn't, but I always feel that it must be excruciating writing a menu for a hotel. Having to find a balance for overnight guests and the general public. I think they have got it spot on here. And if, like me, you have a preconceived view that some hotel restaurants are a little bit stuffy with no atmosphere, The Old Stocks is the complete opposite. It was a Wednesday night, vibrant and full to the brim.
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We opted for Cornish Crab tortellino, crab bisque & sea herbs and the Smoked ham hock and chicken terrine, piccalilli to kick things off, followed by the Duck breast, confit leg and liver croquette, with celeriac, pancetta and sherry and duck sauce and the Beef, caramelised onion, spring onion, mushroom and Madagascan pepper sauce for our mains. The sharing Côte de Boeuf was very tempting. 

Even knowing Chef John's background, I was still a little unsure what to expect. The Old Stocks' ethos has always been to offer luxury without being stuffy or pretentious.

This food is certainly luxury, yet far from stuffy and pretentious. The cooking is, as expected, utterly superb.

The crab starter was so good you would have been excused for thinking you were sitting by the coast rather than in the middle of the North Cotswolds, while although a terrine is never going to blow our minds, the braised ham hock and confied chicken legs were perfectly smoked and the piccalilli was beautifully smoked.

HAM HOCK AND CHICKEN TERRINE

The beef rump and duck are water bathed first then seared and sliced for presentation exposing the perfect rose as explained by our superb waiter, and restaurant manager, Bogdan. He wasn't wrong, and I'm unsure if I have ever eaten more tender meat in my life.

The beef is served with boulangere potatoes,  thinly sliced, layered with Lyonnaise onions and cooked with beef stock, classic mushroom duxelle, chard spring onion and pepper sauce complete the dish. As I mentioned before, this is proper cooking. 

With that said, the duck was possibly even better. Served with confit leg and liver croquette, celeriac and a beautifully rich sherry and duck sauce.

You understand after the mains why two courses are encouraged as one course just isn't enough and doesn't do it justice.

We added a fondant potato side to share which was topped with buttered mash.

CARVER DUCK BREAST

For pudding we opted for a Hazlenut Choux to share and an Espresso Martini (not to share). 

I'm no Greg Wallace, but I think I'm a good judge of a pudding. The fact I haven't got a sweet tooth and only ever "want one mouthful" means that if I have more that one, then it's got to be good, right? 

This was a choux bun was filled with hazelnut crémeux, candied hazelnut and praline ice cream and I definitely had at least half of it. 

HAZELNUT CHOUX

Getting John Broughton in the kitchen has elevated the food to a new level. It's up there with some of the best food I have eaten for quite a while and you can tell the level of attention given to the menu in each mouthful. 

You will need two courses, not just to fill you up but purely because it tastes so good. It, definitely, won't be another two years until our next visit. 

www.oldstocksinn.com

JOHN BROUGHTON