After the recent calamities that have befallen Mummy Bird, we are finally starting to get back in the saddle and venture out more. This particular Sunday saw us have a jaunt over to the Hilcote Country Club for a spot of lunch in their Willow Tree Café/Bistro. Décor-wise, not much has changed since our last visit: the high beamed ceilings are still in evidence, as are the lovely velvety high-back chairs that Mummy and I admired. However, the neon pink ‘Willow Tree Café and Bistro’ sign that is nestled in a rain-forest lush, faux foliage sign is definitely a new addition – I would certainly remember it’s presence, cos subtle it ain’t!
We parked up in one of the disabled spots right in front of the restaurant and navigated our way up the concrete slope without too much hassle. Inside, there’s a wooden ramp that connects the split-level dining areas and we made our way to the lower one and sat at a table near the beautiful white, baby grand piano.
The first thing to do was order drinks: a large glass of Rioja for me (£6.60), a large Pinot Grigio for Mummy (£6) and a pint of Madri for His Nibs (£6). Dan scampered off in his characteristic style and returned in a flash with our refreshments, leaving us to savour that first swallow before he came back to take our food order.
I fancied a classic Beef dinner, so opted for the traditional roast (£12.95), Mummy went completely off-piste and opted for hand-battered Cod with Chunky Chips and Mushy Peas (£13.95), and The Man chose the Butchers Board: a selection of all meats (Turkey, Beef and Pork) served with Pig-in-Blanket, Roasties, slice of Bloomer Bread, Yorkshire Pud and Pan Gravy (£18). I should just mention that all roasts come with Roasties, Mash, Stuffing, Yorkie, Seasonal Veg selection and Pan Gravy; there are also several sides on offer should you really want to indulge. There’s also a quartet of starters to tempt you, ranging in price from £5.50-£5.95, but it was the desserts that had caught our eye so we determined to save space for them instead!
It didn’t take overly long for our food to arrive and you could see the steam rising from Mummy’s Fish n Chips, the Vegetables, Gravy and my plate in general. We never mind waiting for freshly cooked food and, as we tucked in, commented on how tasty it was. The Mans’ Butchers Board looked very impressive on the table, the wooden platter certainly being eye-catching. Generous slices of meat dominated the board, accompanied by fat piggies, golden Roasties, a huge Yorkshire pudding, doorstop of fresh Bloomer and separate pot of piping hot Gravy.
All of the meats we had had been cooked to retain their juiciness and each one was tender and melt-in-the-mouth. Equally fab was the large piece of Cod that was rapidly disappearing into Mummy Birds’ tummy; between mouthfuls we were reliably informed that the flesh was sweet and moist and very moreish! The chunky Chips were glorious: beautifully rich in colour, with outers that had been seasoned well and soft inners that had a marvelous nutty hint to them. Now, Danny had given Mummy the choice of Garden Peas or Mushies, so if you prefer Garden ones you’ll be happy – but if you like Mushy ones then these’ll tick the box, too.
My Mash was glass-smooth and very plentiful and I relished every bit; the Roasties were getting wolfed down at a decent rate of knots which, for those of you who know me will find surprising. I’m not particularly a spudophile, but I’d been grafting hard that morning and needed refueling, clearly. The medley of veggies consisted of Carrots, Broccoli and Cabbage that were all still gently crunchy and bursting with in-season flavour. Chef is definitely a feeder, though we were all resolute that that magic bit of room in our tummies for dessert (all £7) would not be eroded!
Though I was sorely tempted by the Lemon Meringue Pie, it was Auntie Amanda’s Lemon Cheesecake that won me over; His Nibs opted for Treacle Tart and Mummy had the homemade Apple and Mixed Berry Crumble. All of the desserts come with a choice of Cream, Custard or Ice Cream: Mummy had Custard, I had pouring cream and The Man was allowed to have some rather fine sounding Rhubarb and Ginger Ice Cream with his tart.
Not much truly shocks me in life – I’ve been around the block a few times – but blimey o’riley, the sheer depth of the Cheesecake body was astounding! My jaw just dropped like a what-sits knickers when I clapped eyes on the dessert, it really did. The base was beautifully buttery and the perfect consistency to cut into easily without disintegrating into a crumb-bomb, and the topping was wickedly rich and creamy. Cutting through the indulgence was the unmistakable twang of Lemons’ citrus zip; this was a super-scrummy morsel, hats off to Auntie Amanda. So good was this sweet treat, that I only remembered there was pouring cream on my plate as well…so I had a little splash with the last two spoonfuls of my pud!
Mummy Bird was chowing down on her dessert with as much gusto as I’ve ever seen; the only thing that was vaguely slowing her down was the clouds of steam erupting from the berry-toned filling when she cut into it! Fruity this minx certainly was, but it was partnered with a gorgeously crunchy, butter-rich crumble top that made for a perfect balance of textures in this offering. The plentiful Custard was nicely Vanilla in taste and this softened the exuberance of the mixed fruit sublimely well.
A proper, old-school Treacle Tart should be tooth-tinglingly sweet whilst allowing the mellowness of its pastry base to be appreciated too, and the one served at the Willow Tree serves it up on both counts. My Man is renowned in our flock for having a ridiculously sweet tooth (this is the bloke that, as a kid, would put sugar on Frosties cereal!!), and even he said it was sweet – he still scoffed every last scrap though!
So full were we all that we turned down tea or coffee at the end of our meal… and we’d loved each and every mouthful. Hot Wings happily given to this Hilcote venue; the food isn’t fancy, just honest, tasty and plentiful. To book a table give the team a buzz on 01773 811248 and you can browse the website www.thehilcotecountryclub.co.uk for more info. Hilcote Country Club is closed on Monday and Tuesday, reopening Wednesdays Noon-9pm, Thurs-Saturday Noon-10pm and Sunday Noon-8pm.
