A Sunday Roast at Santo's Higham Farm Hotel, Higham
Published On Sunday 21 Jul 2024 by Sticky Beak
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Mummy Bird has had a proper rough trot of things lately and we’ve not managed to get out as much as usual, so it was lovely to recently pop to Santo’s in Higham for a spot of Sunday lunch. It’s [literally] been years since I last went in the restaurant; on more recent visits I’ve been seated in the bar area or down in the ‘snug’ for Afternoon Tea. Things haven’t changed one bit and I felt right at home in the relaxed, classic setting of the Old Stables restaurant.
It wasn’t long before one of the smartly dressed team (black trousers and waistcoat paired with a crisp white shirt and tie) came to take our drinks order: large bottle of Strathmore Water for me (£4.50), pint of Stella Artois for His Nibs (£5) and a large glass of Pinot Grigio for Mummy (£6). Another member of the team came round with a large jug of iced water and asked if we’d like some table water; obviously I was ok, but Mummy and The Man said they’d take a glass.
Santo’s offers 3 courses on its Sunday Lunch menu, so if you want to go all-out you can, though we decided to just have 2 on this occasion. We did our usual trick of skipping to the dessert selection to see what was on offer, before making our minds up as to which 2 courses to go for! All of us decided to go for main and sweet treat, naughty folks that we are. The traditional roasts on offer from Head Chef Ray Moody were Roasted Striploin of English Beef, Roasted Loin of Pork, Steam-roasted Chicken Breast, or Herby Nut-and-Vegetable Roast; all of these are priced at £16, with a £4 supplement if you go for a duo of meats or £6 extra if you go for the trio.
If you don’t fancy a roast, then you can also choose the Battered Haddock Fillet or the Wholetail Scampi, both of which come with triple-cooked Chips, Peas, Tartare sauce and Lemon. No surprises, though, that we were in the market for a good old British Roast; Mummy and I both had the Beef Striploin (which is served pink, by the way), and His Nibs had the Beef and Pork duo. Whilst we were waiting, we spied a couple of roasts going out to tables adjacent to us…let’s just say that the Yorkshire Puddings are so big that they need their own postcode!
We weren’t waiting long until the team were winging their way to our table: one had the plates of meat, the other carried the large bowl of mixed vegetables and the Horseradish sauce we’d requested. After checking that we’d got everything we needed, the young servers bid us to enjoy and left us to it.
I never mind getting a single slice of meat as long as it’s large enough and thick enough, and on this occasion Chef Moody delivered on both counts. The Beef was utterly sublime, it really was: juicy and flavoursome, it fell apart at the merest pressure from the knife and melted in the mouth! Just as good was the slice of Pork that The Man was chowing down on; this was tender and delicately creamy-tasting in the mouth, and he was a very happy chap with both his choices. On the plate with the meats were those marvellous Yorkies that I mentioned (and by golly, they were amazing, taste-wise), Roasties, fresh Stuffing and ultra-smooth, beautifully seasoned Mashed Potato. In the separate bowl was a medley of whole baby Carrots, Peas and large Florets of Broccoli and Cauliflower. All the veggies were cooked superbly to retain some crunch and showcase their wonderful flavour. You certainly can’t complain about the amount of food you get with the Sunday Roast, that’s for sure!
Check-backs had been done whilst we’d been munching away and the plates were all spotless, save for a piece of fat that had edged the Striploin slices. Our enthusiastic replies that, yes, we most certainly would like to see the dessert menu made the young lad smile as he went off to fetch them for us to look at. The Man Bird claimed ‘dibs’ on the Raspberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Ice Cream, Mummy plumped for the Buttermilk Scone ‘Bread-and-Butter’ Pudding with Vanilla Custard and I opted for the Summer Berry Eton Mess, keen to keep up the re-kindled love affair with this meringue-containing pud. All desserts are priced at £7.
I have already stated that the portions are pretty generous at Santo’s Higham Farm Hotel, but nothing prepared Mummy Bird for the size of her Buttermilk Scone Pudding – massive is an understatement! The scones had a delightful, slim crust to their outers which lent a hint of texture to the dessert, and their inners were sublimely buttery, and they melted in the mouth. Nothing beats unctuous, Vanilla-imbibed Custard and the one here was the bomb. I’ve never known Mummy Bird be silent for so long…can Chef send some over every day for her, please?!
If pretty desserts are your thing, then you’ll be the newest fan of the Raspberry Cheesecake that had got His Nibs under its spell. A perfect, pale gold base - and by that, I mean one that is firm enough not to crumble, but not so firm that you can’t cut into it – was topped with a dense, indulgently rich body and then crowned with a swirled topping of fruit. The partnership of in-season Raspberries with their sunny exuberance and the mellow roundedness of cream cheese was marvellous, and incredibly filling, thanks to the fat content of the cheesecake ‘body’.
Yet again, I got caught out by assuming that my Eton Mess would be in a sundae glass; nope, it was in a rather attractive bowl that contrasted boldly with the colours in the dessert. Blueberries and Raspberries mingled freely with thickly whipped Cream and chunks of Meringue, producing that intoxicating mix of sweetness and sharpness that mesmerises the palate. A rich compote of Strawberry lay in the centre of the arrangement, adding another fruity layer to this beautiful pud.
When we laid our spoons down, we were all smiling with contentment. Our joy was clearly contagious, as our server was smiling broadly as she cleared away the clean bowls and plates. We declined the offer of coffee or tea because we literally hadn’t got any room in our tummies for anything else – liquid or solid!
Ooh, I am just going to mention another dessert that is on Santo’s current ‘signature’ menu; the White Chocolate Mousse and Sorbet with Cucumber, Dill and Rye Crackers. When we’d all been over the previous fortnight, Roma (the venue’s Manager) had urged us to try it, and so confident was she that she said it was complimentary. I have to say that none of us were convinced that this particular fusion of flavours was going to work, but it blooming well did! Where the White Chocolate’s influence could’ve been overly rich, the Cucumber and Dill brought a refreshing, light tone to the partnership. The addition of broken Rye Cracker Pieces introduced a blast of texture as well as a deeper element to the flavour profile. So, if you go to dine at Santo’s Higham Farm (not on Sunday), then this minx is well worth a try.
Hot Wings given to this village venue; no doubt we’ll be back soon as it’s on Mummy’s doorstep! To book a table, call 01773 833812 or email reception@santoshighamfarm.co.uk. To view the current menus (and room rates of the Hotel accommodation) visit www.santoshighamfarm.co.uk. The Old Stables Restaurant is open Mon-Sat 6-9pm and Noon-2.30pm on Sunday; the Sports Bar is open every day from Noon-9pm for food service, though the ‘bar menu’ is only available between Noon-6pm (a la carte thereafter).
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