Phat Food Reviews

Now, before I start this review, I have to declare a conflict of interest. I helped prepare this Christmas dinner, but the bulk of the work was done by and the menu was designed by my chef friend.

To summarise, the menu included a venison wellington, a partridge, a pheasant, wagyu fat roasted potatoes, smoked rainbow carrots, charred cauliflower cheese, sage and rosemary pigs in blankets, roasted red cabbage, nutmeg and cinnamon molasses squash and a whole lot of love.

The star of the show was the wellington, beautifully rare venison wrapped in light pastry, coated with a mushroom and chestnut duxelles. The rich, umami mushrooms – including porcini – sang, whilst the beautiful punchy venison shone through the wonderfully delicate pastry.

The roasted potatoes, red cabbage and cauliflower cheese all held their own on a plate full of big flavours. Frankly the cauliflower was a showstopper in and of itself, stealing the limelight from the classically favoured roasted potatoes. The red cabbage was wonderfully sweet and tart, whilst the roasted potatoes were the best I’ve tasted

Unfortunately, I found the carrots to be over smoked, which was a shame as the quality of the carrots used was very high. I would have preferred them roasted or pan fried, in order to allow their flavour to come through, instead of being overpowered by the smoke. The squash however was lovely, delicate sweetness from the muscovado sugar and lovely use of spices in the nutmeg and cinnamon.

Now, to my main contribution to the meal, pigs and blankets with sage leaves and rosemary sprigs. These were divine, if I do say so myself, the full-sized Cumberland sausages were packed with flavour, whilst the sage and rosemary gave a wonderful fragrance to an otherwise rich side dish. Delicious streaky bacon wrapped the sausages in a loving embrace as my mouth rejoiced.

This was not only the finest Christmas dinner I’ve ever eaten, but one of the best meals I’ve tasted in my time. All the more satisfying due to my small contribution to the meal.

Thank you to my friend, Jake for having me for Christmas and allowing me to share his kitchen with him. Hopefully I’ll return next Christmas!

5 stars from me, have a great new year everyone! And, Merry Christmas!