Just an hour door-to-door from Central London and we find ourselves in the quaint English village of Radnage, in Buckinghamshire, and this newly opened pub from accomplished local chef Jon Parry flexing his carefully honed culinary muscles. This is not your usual gastropub but a refreshingly new concept; inventive but not overly ‘done’, it is a creation which whizzes up British fine dining with all the fun and quirks of a traditional village public house. As far as country dining goes, this is pretty high up there.
It is a little slice of the city – the talent and refinement part – wrapped up and perfectly presented in a cute little pub. The immaculately refurbished, heavily beamed main dining room is scattered with just a few tables and one large banquet table, a nod towards the suggestion of dining together with other guests. There's something very reassuring about entering a restaurant and spotting a young chef foraging in the garden for herbs. This is something we don’t see enough of. The Mash Inn is back to basics, sampling new techniques and living off the land. It’s always a thrill to be offered a glass of something fizzy but when it transpires that its origins are the vineyard next door – one is utterly speechless. Daws Hill Vineyard has been quietly harvesting the land since 2007 when they planted 3000 vines. If you’re a fan of Nyetimber and Gusbourne, then you should know about Daws Hill. The non-vintage brut is light and fruity but with the depth and creaminess of a very decent Champagne.
Our cheery waitress presented us with a small piece of parchment, where each day’s menu is hand-written. A fabulously enticing n’duja, salted mushroom and Graceburn cheese on toast arrived with a sparkling smoothness - a real treat. Nicely hot and creamy, the salted mushroom providing a welcome spike to each bite.
Four generous slabs of pumpkin, rich and juicy, lay comfortably next to a delightful clementine. Sweet, refreshing and a nice pairing for the summery autumn day.
My guest happily chomped away on our rib of beef for two. Eight strips of perfectly rare steak (good deep flavour, creamy) were accompanied by duck fat chips. The chips were a little on the heavy, glutinous side for us - perhaps a tad too long in the fryer, losing the crispy coating and fluffy middle we're fond of. Our kitchen garden salad was undoubtedly the freshest we’d ever encountered, having actually seen part of it at least still growing not an hour prior. A lamb leg joined by hispi cabbage and walnut, and the Monkfish with beetroot and bisque were the two other main courses for the day.
A deeply indulgent chocolate cremosa, which took on a mousse-like form, was joined by an ingenious lovage granita. Chefs all too often shy away from pairing herbs with chocolate but this is a great example of how it can work immensely well. The lovage powerful but most welcome and gorgeous vibrant, racing green colour. Just delightful.
If you're looking for the quality and panache of London dining outside of London, then The Mash Inn is for you.
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