As promised, we returned to The Sportsman at Seasalter for a proper lunch after being so impressed…read morewith the homemade bread we tasted on our first visit. I think it speaks highly enough for the bread that we made the four hour return trip just to eat it again!!
The surroundings still shock me, and you would certainly never pull over if you hadn't heard about this place beforehand. We went for a good walk around the local area to build up an appetite before lunch and the bleakness of the place is quite astounding. That said, it's very peaceful and you do get to see a lot of wildlife throughout the nature reserve.
Anyway, back to lunch! When we arrived we perused the menu on the chalkboards and were asked to place our order at the bar. I'm always happy to do this, even in Michelin star establishments, but it did strike me as a little strange that we weren't even shown to our table at this point!
The menu specialises in local produce and it's no surprise that it's heavily weighted with fish given the pub's proximity to the sea. I chose the slipsole to start and the lamb for main, and my boyfriend went for the pork terrine followed by the ox cheek. I had a glass of New Zealand Savignon Blanc with my starter and we shared a half bottle of red with our mains.
The long awaited bread came to start. Just as good as we remembered and we gobbled it down quickly. We were offered a top up but declined as we didn't want to spoil our appetites for the main event. Starters came - my slipsole was served very simply with just a touch of seaweed butter, but it was cooked to perfection and tasted divine. M's pork terrine came with toast, mustard and gherkins, with some small pieces of pork crackling on the side. A great combination of flavours and textures.
My lamb dish came in two parts - loin that was cooked quite rare and had a beautiful fresh flavour, and a slow cooked portion with deeper richer flavours. This was served with potato dauphinoise and a really interesting cabbage leaf that I have never come across before. M's ox cheek was rich and delicious, with wonderfully creamy mash.
We shared puddings - a chocolate mouse with salted caramel and milk sorbet, and a gypsy tart - a dish local to this area which is made with evaporated milk and muscavado sugar and cooked on a really low heat. Both were delicious, and provided a huge sugar rush at the end of the meal. We finished with tea, coffee and truffles and left absolutely stuffed, but contented.
The staff were equally friendly on this occasion, and we would definitely make the trip again. Next time the tasting menu!
