Following my heart operation I have been sticking to a healthy diet as much as I can. It has been about sensible choices and moderation: roasted vegetables, salads and wholemeal bread.
The flesh is weak however and I knew that sooner or later I would need to sin. I could have sneaked off to Maccy Ds or Greggs for some salty beige delights but I thought it would be better for everyone if I sinned in a less everyday way. So I hauled the family out for a taste of gold at The King’s Head in Spratton. Slightly more pricey but a whole lot more worth it.
It’s the new holder of the Gastro Pub gold award from the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards. To be fair it is not eye wateringly expensive, broadly around £20 a plate for main courses, but what I was banking on was the quality.
The web site offers a sample menu – a reassuring sign that it adapts its offer to the best produce available – and it adequately captured the spirit of the actual menu which was a mixture of some hero dishes (Daube of Beef Bourginon, Seared Calf’s Liver) alongside pub grub favourites like the KH Smashburger and Fish n Chips.
We booked ourselves a 5.30pm sitting which sounds early but really it means you’re eating your starters by 6pm, which is about right on a week night for an old man like me. Two of our party got started on Burrata – foccia with a confit of cherry tomatoes, a generous Ham Hock Terrine went to the biggest appetite at the table and I opted for the rustic charm of a Cumberland Scotch Egg with Bloody Mary ketchup. Say what you like about Bloody Mary but she makes a lip-smacking ketchup.
On the basis that it might be the only one I have this year I chose the Smashburger. We also had the Fish n Chips, a sumptuous Chicken Caesar Salad and a Beef Wellington which was on the specials board. Everything delighted and although I eyed up the Wellington enviously the simpler pleasure of the burger did not let me down.
We finished off with a wedge of blackcurrant mousse in the form of the Delice de Cassis and a Lemon Tart with a brulee style finish, both accompanied by a scoop of excellent crème fraiche ice cream.
Eating at the King’s Head gives you the same kind of buzz you get from hearing your favourite pop songs played by an orchestra at the Albert Hall. The food is Cinderella in her ball gown at the ball.
The service was attentive but easy going and we never felt we were waiting for something to happen. It delivered the special occasion quality I was looking for in a friendly, unstuffy way and I came away thinking this would be a great place to take my parents for a meal.
I think it is well worth its Gold Award and as long as the old ticker allows it, I’m sure I shall be returning.
Other notables from the Weetabix Food and Drink Awards included a Silver for the Tollemarche Arms at Harrington in the Gastro Pub category. Restaurant of the Year saw two Golds for Hibiscus Fine Dining at Delapre Abbey and The Cedar Restaurant at Fawsley Hall. World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year saw Gold for Truva in Towcester and Community Café of the Year was the Birch Tree Café at Easton on the Hill. Chef of the Year was Ewan Weldon of Murrays at Whittlebury Park and Young Chef of the Year was Alfie Gravett of The Red Lion at Thornby.
You can find the King’s Head at Spratton here.
Find out more about the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards here.
